Clement must now drop Jefte and unleash £12k-p/w Rangers star

Glasgow Rangers delivered their most astute performance of the season in midweek as they thrashed Nice 4-1 in the French Riviera.

Philippe Clement will be looking for his team to keep their foot on the gas as they play St Johnstone away from home this afternoon. Given they are now trailing Celtic by a massive 14 points ahead of taking to the field in Perth, three points are imperative.

Truth be told, the Premiership title race already feels like a foregone conclusion, yet with another vital European game to come before Christmas, plus the small matter of a League Cup final, the Gers need to build momentum.

The Belgian may make some changes to his starting XI, which could see Jefte dropped to the bench after an average display in Europe on Thursday evening.

Jefte’s game in numbers vs Nice

The Brazilian has been a consistent member of the starting XI over the previous few months due to Ridvan Yilmaz’s absence, gaining vital minutes which will only aid in his development.

Against Nice, he struggled to make much of an impact, both defensively and going forward. He attempted four dribbles, yet succeeded with just one, while failing to deliver a single cross into the opposition box.

The defender won only one of his five duels contested, and he even lost possession 14 times throughout his time on the field, suggesting it was a sloppy display.

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Yilmaz was brought on in the second half for just his second appearance since suffering an injury back in August. The Turkish left-back should certainly be given the nod over Jefte for the league match today.

The Rangers star that Clement must unleash

The £5m signing from Besiktas in 2022 has enjoyed a few purple patches during his stint with the Gers, but the supporters want to see more from the player, especially given his obvious talents.

Last season, the 23-year-old made 33 appearances in all competitions, and it would have been more had he not suffered yet another injury on international duty towards the end of the campaign.

Ridvan Yilmaz’s Premiership stats at Rangers
Metric per 90	2022/23	2023/24
Accurate passes	23.9	24.1
Tackles	0.9	1
Total duels won	2.8	3.4
Successful dribbles	0.7	1.3
Key passes	0.7	1.5
Via Sofascore

Domestically, he created six big chances, averaged 1.5 key passes and succeeded with 1.3 dribbles per game, proving that he was the heir apparent to Borna Barisic, certainly in terms of his attacking nature.

Yilmaz also impressed defensively, as he won 56% of his total duels per game and made one tackle per match. Clement even hailed the Turkish star as a “fighter” last season, suggesting the player had a big future ahead under the Belgian.

Hopefully, his injury problems are a thing of the past as he works himself back to full fitness. The clash against St Johnstone represents an ideal chance for Yilmaz to make his first start since August, having played only six games this term – just four of which have come from the start.

Whether or not Clement will start the £12k-per-week ace is another question, but squad rotation will be crucial over the next few weeks.