Glasgow Rangers head into this international break in a much better position compared to the previous one in October.
Michael Beale had just been sacked and the club were searching for a new manager and, combined with the poor start to the season, the Ibrox side were in a crisis.
Thankfully, this has been mitigated by the arrival of Philippe Clement. While five wins and a draw is an excellent start from his opening six matches, there is still plenty to work on.
The Belgian is still having to work with the players he inherited from Beale, with several continuing to underperform, most notably Sam Lammers.
Sam Lammers’ season in numbers
The warning signs for Beale should have been apparent before he even signed Lammers, as the Dutchman had scored just six goals since the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
This didn’t deter the 43-year-old, but the former Atalanta forward has continued his struggles since joining the Gers.
The 26-year-old has scored just twice and currently ranks fourth among the squad for big chances missed in the Premiership (four), while also ranking in a lowly 20th spot for key passes per game (0.4) and 12th for big chances created (one), clearly indicating how poor he has been since joining the club.
The Light Blues defeated Livingston 2-0 yesterday and Lammers was dropped from the starting XI in order to make way for Tom Lawrence and the Welshman certainly took his chance with both hands.
Tom Lawrence’s game vs Livingston in numbers
Lawrence has endured an injury-plagued spell at the Gers thus far, missing a total of 49 games after suffering an Achilles tendon problem just a few weeks after arriving in August 2022.
The 29-year-old returned to senior action this term, making seven appearances in all competitions and Clement rewarded him with just his third start of the season against Livi.
The Belgian was treated to a wonderful performance by Lawrence, who looked like he had never been away. During his 78 minutes on the pitch, the former Derby County star grabbed an assist, created a big chance and succeeded with his only dribble attempt.
His creativity was on full display as he managed to make five key passes during the encounter while he also won two of his three duels, and he performed excellently just behind Cyriel Dessers.
Previously hailed as “wonderful” by journalist Josh Bunting, Lawrence now needs to put together a solid run in the first team in order to build on his display against Livi.
Shots per game
3.1
1
Assists
1
2
Key passes per game
0.4
1.8
Pass success
82%
80%
Dribble Success
72%
100%
Possession lost per game
9.7
6.5
Duels won per game
4
2.3
Stats via Sofascore.
Clement will know how talented he is and there is clearly plenty of faith there, especially starting the Welshman on their notorious plastic pitch, a big risk factor considering his injury history.
He passed the audition, however, and it could spell the end of Lammers occupying the number ten role on a regular basis.
The international break will allow the squad to rest and recover ahead of a hectic festive season and with a League Cup final to look forward to in four weeks, Clement will need every single one of his players to be hitting their stride.
