Rangers face Celtic in the season climax Scottish Cup final hoping to end what has been a turbulent campaign on a high.
With the Viaplay Cup in the Ibrox trophy cabinet already for Philippe Clement, he will want to add his second trophy in his first season as manager.
The Rangers boss will be up against it, having not beaten Celtic in a meaningful game since 2022, with one area particularly a concern.
Rangers issue Philippe Clement has to fix to beat Celtic
For a start, conceding the first goal has to stop.
Only once, the Scottish Cup semi-final under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, have Rangers won when conceding the first goal in the last few seasons.
Then there is the issue of gifting stupid or soft goals.
Ball watching is an amateur trait that has cost Clement dear since he took charge.
Despite the poor results this season, the Gers gaffer wasn’t wrong when he suggested that small margins have been the difference.
Speaking after the defeat at Parkhead, Clement was fully aware of what went wrong:
“For the first 20 minutes we were not aggressive enough. After that, the red card decided the game because after 20 minutes, we were coming into the game.
“We had enough chances in the first half and you need to take those moments. But we need to start better, that’s clear. We need to play 90 minutes like we played the last 70.
“That is definitely something for us to discuss because I expected much more in the first 20 minutes. They know they can do it, they have done it before. In parts of the game they did it, even with 10 men.
“We were then not out of the game but it was much more difficult. The positive side is that the team again showed resilience.”
Midfield decision could swing Hampden showdown
Specifically, it is the midfield where this control has been missing.
John Lundstram was a man down in the last derby even before he got sent off and Mohamed Diomande struggled to make an impact until Nicolas Raskin came on and added fresh legs.
The one call Clement got wrong was picking Tom Lawrence against a dynamic and more mobile midfield.
Todd Cantwell has his flaws, but he is quick and hard working, even when things aren’t going his way.
This is what Clement has to get right.
The composition of his midfield.
Hopefully, Dujon Sterling will be fit, but it is the choice between Lundstram and Raskin that will be the interesting one.
It is unlikely that Clement will change shape which makes the mindset of the midfield from the first whistle more important.
On too many occasions, the midfield was being bypassed by the defence and weren’t able to pressure Celtic when the ball was turned over.
Lundstram thought bravery was flying into tackles, the reality, is that it is taking the ball under pressure and taking responsibility.
Whether or not he gets a chance to make amends will be down to the manager.
