Glasgow Rangers knew that a win against St Johnstone in the Premiership yesterday would mean they would overhaul Celtic and take top spot in the league table.
Philippe Clement needed no big team talk ahead of the game as every single player knew what was at stake, and they duly delivered on the pitch.
A Mohamed Diomande goal just before halftime settled the nerves that were beginning to build, and the Gers took a one-goal advantage into the interval.
All that mattered were the three points, but James Tavernier popped up to score two penalties in the final ten minutes to seal a solid 3-0 victory over the Saints.
The result ensured the Light Blues went to the summit, and they now lead their Old Firm rivals by two points, having played the same number of matches, while more crucially, the Ibrox side have a better goal difference.
Despite the positive performance, there were a few players who failed to take their chances during the clash and Cyriel Dessers was poor during his second-half cameo.
Cyriel Dessers was poor once again for Rangers
The 29-year-old striker scored his first brace for the club in the clash against Ross County last week, yet the player also missed four big chances and hit the woodwork as he could have easily scored five or six if he had been more clinical.
This has let him down during his spell in Glasgow and throughout the 2023/24 campaign thus far, Dessers has missed a staggering 20 big chances in the Premiership, indicating a lack of ruthlessness in the opposition penalty area.
Against the Saints, the former Feyenoord frontman came on for the final 21 minutes of the game in place of Fabio Silva, yet he received a Sofascore rating of just 4.8/10 for his cameo, which included hitting the woodwork, missing three big chances, and making only five passes.
It was yet another wasteful performance and if he had a more ruthless streak in him, Dessers could easily be on 25 goals for the season by now.
Thankfully, others have stepped up to the plate and contributed more effectively in front of goal, which has allowed the Gers to chip away at the goal difference and overhaul Celtic.
While the summer signing was dismal on the weekend, it was the inclusion of Scott Wright that looked like a strange call by the manager as he delivered a woeful display.
Scott Wright’s game in numbers against St Johnstone
The winger has not exactly been the most productive of players since joining the club over three years ago, scoring just ten goals and registering seven assists in over 100 appearances thus far.
These are hardly groundbreaking figures, and it is perplexing that various managers keep persisting with the player out wide.
Wright was given just his fifth Premiership start of the season against the Saints on Sunday and with the chance to go top of the table, it looked like Clement had presented him with an excellent opportunity to showcase his worth.
Fast-forward 45 minutes later, and it was yet another disappointing showing on the right flank by the former Aberdeen forward.
The former Aberdeen gem took just 21 touches during the first half along with completing just eight of his 13 passes, making just one key pass, and losing possession on nine occasions.
This shows that he was wasteful on the ball it returned to the opposition almost once every other touch throughout the game.
The winger also won just two of his seven contested duels before he was replaced at halftime by Dujon Sterling, who is a natural full-back.
22
2
34
0
37
7
13
1
The former Chelsea starlet performed much better than Wright despite his lack of experience in an advanced role, and it proves that the 26-year-old must be offered limited opportunities between now and the end of the season.
Overall, the Scottish winger was worse than Dessers as the Nigerian striker, at least, got himself into good positions and provided a threat in front of goal, even if it did not come off for him with the final action.
Whereas, the ex-Dons attacker did not cause many problems for the opposition's defence with his startling lack of impact in the final third, which made it relatively simple for them to defend against him, which was not the case with the former Cremonese whiz.
Scott Wright’s season in numbers
Clement’s squad only includes two natural right-wingers in Wright and Ross McCausland, hence why the Scot has played a few games of late, but it is clear he is not the answer going forward.
Across 14 Premiership matches this term, Wright has averaged just 0.2 shots on target per game, averaged 0.6 key passes per game, and created only one big chance.
The player has also failed to score or provide an assist and has succeeded with just 0.4 of his attempted dribbles per game, clearly indicating that his performances have been far below the level required this term.
The players who should replace Scott Wright
McCausland is the obvious answer, but the youngster cannot be expected to perform to his talents in every single match, especially as he is still learning and developing.
The Northern Irishman has contributed a goal and three assists in the league, while creating two big chances and making 1.7 key passes, proving that he should be the first choice right-winger in the squad.
Sterling could also be utilised there in case of an emergency, and he shone against the Saints on Sunday.
The defender-turned-midfielder missed a big chance, was successful with one of his two attempted dribbles, delivered an accurate cross, and also managed to win the team a penalty during the latter stages of the match, which sealed all three points.
His versatility is proving to be a very useful tool for Clement to utilise and, given that he is looking for gametime, no position appears to be off limits for the 24-year-old.
The summer transfer window cannot come soon enough for the Belgian coach, however, as there are several areas of his squad that need some more depth and quality added to them.
While Wright still has one more year on his current deal, the chances of him departing this summer appear fairly high, and it could bring in some decent funds for Clement to use on his squad.
His performance against the Perth outfit summed up his career at Ibrox, one that could have perhaps been better if he had taken the numerous opportunities presented to him by different managers.
Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and now Clement have all trusted him in matches, but he has failed to really demonstrate his true abilities on a consistent basis for the Gers.
