Frustrated Philippe Clement insists Rangers were taught harsh Euro lesson in clinical finishing by Lyon
The Rangers boss felt his side were extremely wasteful in front of goal after spurring multiple chances in the 4-1 loss to lyon
Philippe Clement insists Rangers’ lack of a ruthless streak in front of goal let them down as his side slipped to a heavy 4-1 loss at home to Lyon on matchday two of the Europa League.
Captain James Tavernier and on-loan Czech winger Vaclav Cerny passed up gilt-edged first-half chances to put the Ibrox side in front and they were ruthlessly punished by the French giants with Malick Fofana and ex-Arsenal frontman Alexandre Lacazette both notching braces to ensure the Ligue 1 side cruised to victory.
Reflecting on the defeat, Clement was pleased with the opportunities his players created but confessed they were given a lesson in clinical finishing after the Light Blues’ put firmly to the sword in Govan.
He admitted post-match: “With the scoreline, we don’t reward ourselves, clearly. We have 100 per cent chances, the first chances of the game but we need to kill them off. 1-0, 2-0, it turns into a totally different game. So we go behind by losing the ball in places that we cannot lose it. Our defending is not sharp enough.
“We come back to 1-1, we concede because we lose balls in our own half, so that’s very disappointing. Of course, Lyon can soak up and wait for transitions. They are a team with a lot of good players with technical qualities. In the second half, we tried to push to come back.
“At the end of the game, when you have the same amount of chances and the same numbers, but the scoreline is clear. That is the difference in quality and finishing.”
Clement accepted the nature of the defeat isn’t overly damaging because they still have eight games to play as part of the new-look competition format. However, matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United lie in wait and the Belgian is determined to get more points on the board as soon as possible.
He added: “Yeah, but we also know the reality in the group and the quality of players and transfers. We went full to win this game but against opponents of this type of quality, you need to take your moments. If you don’t take them, then you don’t deserve anything from the game.”