Glasgow Rangers entered the international break way off the pace in the Premiership, trailing nine points behind the leaders.
The matter of the fact is, Aberdeen and Celtic have simply been too good, while the Ibrox side have struggled this term.
Yes, Rangers may have the second-best defensive record in the top flight, conceding just eight goals in their 11 games so far, but it is the club’s attacking statistics which are worrying.
Indeed, the Light Blues have scored 16 times this season, equal with tenth place St Johnstone and two fewer than Dundee, who are outside the top six.
Scottish Premiership table-top six | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Team | Games played | Wins | Draws | Losses | For | Against | Points |
1 | Celtic | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 31 |
2 | Aberdeen | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 31 |
3 | Rangers | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 22 |
4 | Dundee United | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 19 |
5 | Motherwell | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 19 |
6 | St Mirren | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 22 | 15 |
Something has to change when the domestic calendar returns, especially if Philippe Clement aims to drag his team back into title contention.
There have been a few positives of late, most notably the form of Nico Raskin, who has emerged as someone who can make all the difference in the heart of the midfield alongside Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande.
Nico Raskin’s stats this season
The Belgian midfielder managed to make only 22 starts throughout the whole of the 2023/24 campaign, as he suffered from several injury issues. It looked like Raskin wasn’t going to be Clement’s cup of tea, especially as he had to wait until September to make his first appearance of the season.
Since October, the 23-year-old has started seven of the Gers’ nine fixtures in all competitions, finally earning his place in the starting XI.
Forming a combative partnership with Barron in the middle of the pitch, Raskin has won 4.9 ground duels per game in the top flight – a success rate of 67% – along with averaging 3.3 tackles, recovering 4.1 balls and being dribbled past on just 0.4 occasions per game, showcasing his tenacious nature.
The former Standard Liege starlet has echoed these statistics in Europe too, recovering 7.3 balls per game and making 4.3 tackles each match. His profile certainly works wonders in Scottish football, but he has now proved it can have plenty of success in Europe too.
Is Raskin finally living up to the promise that made Michael Beale sign him in January 2023? Perhaps a tad too early, but his form recently has been encouraging to say the least.
With a tough run of fixtures to come between now and 2025, the Belgian will hope to remain fit and healthy.
Nico Raskin’s wage at Rangers
One priority for Clement during the summer was moving some of the high earners off the wage bill to free up some funds.
This saw the likes of Connor Goldson, Kemar Roofe and John Lundstram move on, allowing the manager to sign some young talents.
Raskin is currently earning £19k-per-week, which isn’t breaking the bank, ranking him in mid-table of the club’s highest earners.
There are a couple of players ahead of him who aren’t quite justifying their lavish wage packets, notably Tom Lawrence, who has been ruled out for the next month with yet another injury…
Tom Lawrence’s season in numbers
The midfielder joined the club in 2022, but his first season saw him make only nine appearances, registering five goal contributions, before the former Derby County star suffered an injury just weeks into his spell, which kept him out of the rest of the campaign.
He returned ahead of the 2023/24 season, where the Welshman featured 32 times in all competitions, scoring three goals and grabbing three assists, but he still missed a host of games due to several niggling issues.
Entering this season, Lawrence knew that he would have to make an impact, especially considering he is in the final year of his contract at Ibrox.
In fairness, the 31-year-old started 2024/25 off rather well, already notching five goals and two assists in just 15 matches.
Against Motherwell in the League Cup semi-final, Lawrence was subbed off in the first half with an injury, and it looks likely to keep him out for a while.
“Tom Lawrence hasn’t travelled, he got injured at the weekend and will be out for several weeks, 4-6 weeks,” said Clement after the victory at Hampden Park.
“Of course, he’s been important. He took the role really well.”
With January fast approaching, the Gers should be looking to move Lawrence on, despite his impressive start to the campaign.
Rangers could sell Tom Lawrence in January
Lawrence is taking home £22k-per-week at the Light Blues. Since joining in 2022, this has accumulated to £2.5m spent on the midfielder, which will rise before the end of the season.
During his spell in Scotland, Lawrence has played just 56 times for the Ibrox side, scoring 11 goals and chipping in with seven assists.
Considering the money he is earning; these numbers aren’t exactly awe-inspiring. Lawrence has actually missed 66 games through injury during his time in Glasgow, meaning he has been absent through injury more often than playing.
With his latest absence lasting up to six weeks, at the busiest part of the season, it is clear that Clement cannot continue to rely on the player.
Given he has the likes of Diomande, Nedim Bajrami and even Ianis Hagi as options in the number ten role, would it not therefore make sense to try and get some sort of fee for Lawrence during the January transfer window?
The Welshman is even earning £3k more a week than Raskin, who could become one of the best players at the club if he continues to shine under Clement.
Lawrence has done well when called up, yet this hasn’t been as often as the Ibrox faithful would have liked during his spell at the club.
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