Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement saw his side claim a solid point away from home in their latest Europa League tie.
Olympiacos were stern opposition, but a Cyriel Dessers equaliser kept the club’s hopes of reaching the last 16 well and truly alive.
Seven points after four games is a decent total, but the Light Blues do have ties against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the coming months.
They face Hearts at Ibrox today in the Premiership, although they will be without Tom Lawrence due to injury.
Tom Lawrence's injury absence
Following the 2-1 win over Motherwell at Hampden Park last weekend, Clement stated that Lawrence suffered a leg knock during the tie and would be ruled out for between 4–6 weeks.
The Welshman has emerged as a key player under the Belgian this season, scoring five goals in 15 appearances for the Gers, while chipping in with three assists too.
Although not the most mobile player in the number ten role, Lawrence has delivered several excellent performances in recent weeks.
His injury comes at the worst time for the club as fixtures will ramp up ahead of the festive season.
For the game against Hearts, Clement will need to unleash one of his summer signings in a slightly different role to what he has been playing of late…
The Rangers star who can replace Lawrence
Nedim Bajrami joined in the summer for a fee in the region of £3.4m and has proven to be one of the club’s most impressive signings so far.
Metric
Premiership
Europa League
Goals
1
1
Assists
0
0
Big chances created
3
5
Successful dribbles per game
2
3.3
Key passes per game
1.3
2.8
In 12 games for the Ibrox side, the 25-year-old has scored three goals and grabbed an assist, looking like the type of player that Clement requires to fit his system.
The Albanian has been forced to play out on the left flank due to injuries to several wingers. This clearly isn’t impacting his performances. In Europe, the midfielder has created five big chances, averages 2.8 key passes per game and succeeds with an impressive 3.3 dribbles per game – a success rate of 72% – which proves he is contributing effectively from the flank.
These skills could be transferred to a more central position, however, filling the void left by Lawrence over the next few weeks.
For Sassuolo last season, Bajrami played 15 times as an attacking midfielder, registering four goal contributions in the process – three goals and one assist.
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This should be all the evidence Clement needs to unleash his summer signing in a new role for the club, one that saw him shine last term in Serie A.
There is no doubt the former Sassuolo gem can cause the Hearts’ defence all sorts of problems, regardless of where he plays. But due to Lawrence’s injury, Bajrami being unleashed just behind Dessers could prove to be a wise tactical change that may lead the club to victory this afternoon.
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