Glasgow Rangers came back from the brink not once, but twice, to avoid defeat in the third Old Firm clash of the season at Ibrox on Sunday.
The first-half performance was as dismal a display that the Ibrox faithful have been witness to this term, offering absolutely nothing going forward, while looking shaky defensively.
Whatever Philippe Clement said at half-time clearly had the desired effect. Fabio Silva won a penalty which James Tavernier converted to make it 2-1, before Cyriel Dessers had a goal disallowed somewhat controversially.
Abdallah Sima did make it 2-2 with five minutes to go, yet Celtic went straight up the other end of the pitch and restored their advantage.
Enter Rabbi Matondo. The Welsh winger replicated his stunning strike against Hibs last weekend, but to a much greater magnitude, and it was worthy of winning any game, never mind securing a share of the spoils.
It was perhaps a missed opportunity, but considering how bad Rangers were in the first half, a point isn’t bad.
Several members of the starting XI delivered abysmal performances, however, most notably Scott Wright, who it was a surprise to see actually start the match.
Scott Wright’s game in numbers vs Celtic
The Scot had started only six Premiership matches prior to the Old Firm clash over the weekend. Considering Clement had Dujon Sterling, Ross McCausland, and a returning Sima ready to be deployed on the right wing, the decision was rather strange.
The former Aberdeen player had played just 20 minutes against Celtic this season, further evidence of his inclusion being peculiar, but Clement had obviously seen enough in training to warrant giving him a start.
Wright looked off the pace from the very first whistle, failing to contribute anything meaningful going forward as he and Tavernier struggled down the right flank, as you can see from the table below.
Goals
0
Assists
0
Key passes
0
Successful dribbles
0
Possession lost
4
The occasion clearly got to the winger as he completed just eight passes during the first half, taking 18 touches and losing possession four times.
In terms of providing Dessers with some service, Wright failed to deliver a single cross or attempt a dribble, while failing even to make a key pass throughout a dismal opening 45 minutes.
It was perhaps no surprise that he was hooked at half-time by Clement, with the manager unleashing Sima, who had a much greater impact.
This was the third occasion since the end of January that Wright had started a league match, before being subbed at half-time. It is clear he cant be trusted in games of this magnitude and with a title to fight for, he shouldn’t be in a Rangers' jersey again.
The 26-year-old was even given a dismal match rating of just 4/10 for his display in the match by the Scottish Sun, who said Greg Taylor ‘dealt with him comfortably’ throughout the first half.
Scott Wright’s statistics this season
It's fair to say Wright hasn’t had the desired impact since failing to secure a move to Turkish side Pendikspor last summer as he looked to fight for his place in the side under Michael Beale.
Since then, Wright has made a total of 28 appearances (18 from the bench) while scoring just two goals and registering zero assists, hardly the form of a player who deserves a start in the most important Old Firm clash in years.
When compared to his teammates, Wright currently ranks in a lowly 17th spot for shots per game (0.9) in the top flight, along with ranking 22nd for big chances created (one), 18th for key passes per game (0.6) and 16th for successful dribbles per game (0.4).
These are poor numbers across metrics which a winger should be excelling at, but Wright has been ordinary, not just this campaign, but his whole spell at the Ibrox side.
With seven Premiership games to go, plus a Scottish Cup semi-final clash (and potential final), every game is now a must-win if they are to win the league title this season.
Clement must make better choices with regard to who starts matches and, given his options on the wing are much better than they were due to injuries, Wright must be dropped for the subsequent games.
The players who can replace Scott Wright
McCausland is the obvious choice given how much he has played this season. Since making his first appearance of the 2023/24 campaign against Aris Limassol in October, the Northern Irishman has featured 30 times for the Light Blues, scoring twice and grabbing three assists in the process.
The youngster has also registered more successful dribbles per match (0.8) and more key passes per game (1.5) than Wright, showcasing how impressive he has been since becoming a first-team regular under Clement.
While Sima has been typically deployed on the left wing this season, could he be an option on the right-hand side of the attack?
Matondo deserves some more game time after his heroics against Celtic, which could see him given a start against Dundee on Wednesday. Sima also had a wonderful impact when coming off the bench and certainly has earned a first start since recovering from his hamstring injury.
The on-loan Brighton and Hove Albion starlet has already scored 16 goals during his time at the club, offering a dangerous threat from the wide areas.
A wide duo of Matondo and Sima, combined with Dessers leading the line, could cause Dundee all sorts of problems, although they could be stifled by having to play on what resembles an Olympic swimming pool, judging by the state of their pitch.
At this stage of the season, performances simply don’t matter, securing three points is the main thing. Clement would quite happily see his side win the remaining seven games 1-0 if they were to go on and win the league title.
The Belgian will have found out a lot about his team following the 3-3 draw against Celtic. Starting Wright in any of the remaining fixtures shouldn’t even be considered, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him depart Ibrox in the summer.