Rangers manager Philippe Clement has the chance to win his second trophy in charge of the club in this afternoon’s League Cup final at Hampden Park.
The Light Blues boss won the final last season with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen and will now hope to successfully defend his title against Celtic.
Rangers drew 1-1 with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League on Thursday night, their last game before today’s game.
Clement may consider making some changes to the starting XI for that game, though, with Nedim Bajrami one player who could be cruelly dropped from the wing.
Why Nedim Bajrami could be eliminated
The Albania international was chosen as the Scottish giants’ No.10 from the start against Tottenham in midweek but failed to show the best of his abilities.
Bajrami signed permanently with Sassuolo in the summer transfer window, playing for Opening 68 minutes The match was not directly involved in Rangers’ only goal – a strike from Hamza Igamane.
The 25-year-old midfielder Completed 76% of pass attempts And completed a key pass, but did not create a “big opportunity” and lost two of the three duels.
These statistics show that he is a lightweight player in possession and the Albanian striker does not contribute much at the top of the pitch, lacking quality on the ball.
blackboard
Football FanCast’s Blackboard series presents tactical discussions of football matches around the world.
With that in mind, Clement should cruelly omit him from the starting XI for this afternoon’s trip to Hampden Park and allow Iannis Hagi to take his place.
Why Inis Hagi should start
The Romania international has been in impressive form since returning to the first-team and, based on recent performances, deserves a start in this cup final.
He is not eligible to face Tottenham on Thursday as the midfielder was not named in the Europa League squad at the start of the season, but has been performing well in domestic competition before then.
Hagiyu Started last three games He has played the full three minutes of those games in the Scottish Premiership, which shows how much faith Clement has in him at the moment.
24/25 Premier League | Iannis Haji |
|---|---|
Number of appearances | 6 |
start | 3 |
Assist | 3 |
key pass | 10 |
Duel success rate | 53% |
As the table above shows, the 26-year-old Dynamo Called “an absolute dream” Working alongside Steven Gerrard, he has been extremely effective in his limited minutes this season.
Hagi created ten chances and contributed three assists in just three starts, and it was his wonderful crosses that forced an own goal. 1-0 win More than St Johnstone, so you could say he has created four goals in six games.
This shows that he has more to offer the team today than Bajrami, who Six games have been played Serving as a creative threat in the No. 10 position for club and country without a goal contribution.
Relevant
Rangers may not have ‘talented’ 22-year-old hero against Celtic and Souttar
This could be a huge blow to Philippe Clement.
That’s why Clement must immediately reinstate Hagi into the starting XI as he is unavailable for Thursday’s Europa League tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
