'The step was too high': Nice boss provides one big reason for Igamane-inspired Rangers thrashing
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This time, it was not Rangers boss Philippe Clement who was forced into explaining a highly below-par display as Hamza Igamane inspired Thursday’s 4-1 Europa League win at Nice.
Ahead of the midweek trip to the Allianz Riviera, Rangers’ Belgian boss felt, if not quite a dead man walking, then certainly a little sickly; coughing blood into a napkin as he limped along, the Grim Reaper following in his shadow.
But a thumping win away from home in European competition – against a team few would have given Rangers much of a chance against pre-match – could hardly be a better tonic to cure Philippe Clement’s ailments.
Hamza Igamane was outstanding up front for Rangers. On a real coming-of-age night, the young Moroccan assisted Vaclav Cerny’s opener and then hit a brace either side of half-time, putting Rangers 4-0 up with just 54 minutes on the clock.
And, following the worst night of his Nice career thus far, opposition head coach Franck Haise had the difficult job of trying to explain why a team sitting fifth in France’s top flight had collapsed at home versus a Rangers side who could not even defeat Dundee United at Ibrox last time out.
- READ MORE:Rangers Europa League Record Since 2017
Franck Haise says injuries to blame as Rangers hammer Nice
Now, Clement has been criticised by many for a perceived reliance upon excuses during Rangers’ poorer performances.
But with the absences running into double figures – the likes of Sofiane Diop, Jonathan Clauss, Morgan Sanson, striker Terem Moffi and captain Dante unavailable – the last thing Haise needed was stand-in skipper Youssouf Ndayishimiye exiting proceedings with only 19 minutes on the clock.
“The first analysis is that [with] 12 players less and a thirteenth [going off injured] after a quarter of an hour, it’s far too many for us. Far too many to [compete in] two competitions,” a dejected Haise sighs at full-time, feeling that Ndayishimiye may have been one absentee too many as Rangers took advantage.
“I had two or three pros on the bench with certain problems. [Against Rangers] the step was too high. When, in addition, we give away goals with such important individual errors, it’s difficult. Despite everything, the players didn’t give up.”
As Haise alludes to, Nice were not helped by some defensive performances which, if you were being kind, could be described as a little slack.
Pablo Rosario, forced into an unfamiliar centre-half role, switched off as Mohamed Diomande ghosted in behind to clip home a Dujon Sterling delivery. It was the former PSV Eindhoven midfielder who then inadvertently played in Igamane with a misplaced back-pass on the stroke of half-time.
Haise, however, is keen to avoid putting the blame on one player. Certainly not one as important as Rosario.
Philippe Clement delighted on nightmare night for Pablo Rosario
“He is a key player. He made mistakes but he is not the only one,” says the former Lens coach. “We had players who were not able to play 90 minutes. [Left-back Melvin] Bard came off because he had a foot problem.
“Pablo is one of those who could have played the whole match. He will get back up, as always.”
Rangers climbed above Tottenham Hotspur into the Europa League’s top eight, meanwhile, ahead of December’s reunion with former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou at Ibrox.
“If we would have scored more goals, then [the performance would have been] really close to perfection,” Clement said during his own presser. “We still had really good chances that we didn’t finish in the right way.
“But I saw a really impressive performance. What I wanted as a team, you saw really a team on the pitch being compact all the time, using the spaces in the right way, using the ball in the right way, scoring good goals.
“If you see also how many new players who are on the pitch who are only two months, three months, maximum four months at the club…”
