Philippe Clement’s decision to drop Connor Goldson for Rangers Hampden clash with Hearts was as brave as it was effective.
The manager was justified in the call and has clarified the change which was the talking point of the pre-match build-up.
Connor Goldson has been a key figure at Rangers since joining in 2018, however, as we have seen, no player is immune from the drop with Clement hinting that his vice-captain might not get recalled straight away.
Why was Connor Goldson dropped for Rangers?
A cup semi-final is not the normal occasion for resting a player who might be tired.
Goldson is also well known from his time during Steven Gerrard’s tenure as being a player who doesn’t want to sit games out and who barely misses a minute of training, never mind games.
It’s unlikely that the 31-year old will have taken the decision well.
Philippe Clement has had to deal with a similar situation in the past soon after taking over at Ibrox when he subbed Todd Cantwell after a poor first half against Aris Limassol.
Using similar language, Clement is clearly a fan, but it doesn’t look like Connor Goldson is as comfortable in his starting jersey:
“Connor did a massive job the last couple of months when we have been the best defence. But he looked a little bit tired to me last week.
“My idea was to let Leon play on Wednesday, to give Connor a breather. But Leon became sick then so there were circumstances where you need to adapt.
“I know the quality of these four guys, I know they are going to push the next few weeks to be in the team.
“If I can have more headaches like that in all the positions then I am sure we are going to be really successful the next couple of weeks.”
Can Goldson get back in the Rangers team?
Clement never says anything without reason and that he didn’t confirm one way or another that Goldson’s absence is temporary.
That the manager decided he needed a rest at the same time that Goldson’s form has nose-dived can’t be a coincidence.
Then there are Clement’s comments about our passing against Dundee specifically, going too direct, too quickly.
During the game, the Gers boss was clearly frustrated watching Goldson launch long ball, after long ball out for goal kicks.
Looking back, it couldn’t have been more obvious that Goldson’s position was under threat.
The question is, will he get it back?
