'Why not?' - Andy Halliday calls on Clement to make drastic Rangers change v Celtic

Andy Halliday has suggested Rangers boss Philippe Clement should consider drastically changing formation for the trip to Celtic next weekend.

The Gers head into the opening Old Firm clash of the season already trailing fierce rivals Celtic by two points after three rounds of fixtures.

Rangers have come out second best too often against Celtic in recent clashes, which Halliday believes can be rectified by a change of ploy.

“Celtic would have identified Rangers’ weaknesses going into the game this weekend, and I don’t really know what Rangers can do to counter that to Celtic,” he said on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard [26 August].

“People will sometimes call in say ‘play two up front?’. I’m actually leaning towards trying something this weekend. With the personnel Rangers have got, why not try a 3-5-2?

“You have two full-backs who Celtic can get at defensively. Celtic will leave two centre-halves, so why not go two up top for Rangers? Why not use [Rabbi] Matondo up top?”

When it was pointed out that it would mean leaving someone out, Halliday replied: “It would be harsh on Tom Lawrence, but he’s showed in Old Firm games that athleticism lets him down. Why not try something different?”

Philippe Clement could try something different for Celtic v Rangers

Clement went with his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 against Ross County last weekend and it worked very well, albeit against weak opposition.

Cyriel Dessers scored twice, as did Matondo, in what was a morale-boosting victory for the entire side.

To rip that up would be a massive gamble, but there is no denying that Celtic have had Rangers’ number far too often in recent derbies.

Ultimately, a point would be considered a positive result from Sunday’s (1 September) showdown – three points even better, of course.

It is far more likely that, injuries permitting, Clement will go with the same line-up used against Ross County.

Matondo and regular starter Lawrence have their critics, as does Dessers still, but they will each be on a high after the performance at the weekend.

Whoever is selected, they must simply give 100 per cent to ensure there is not a five-point gap come the end of the 90 minutes.

In other Rangers news, the Gers are looking to sign a player who starred at the Olympics in Paris.

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