James Tavernier restores Rangers pride in thrilling fight with Celtic foe who once left him bruised and abused
Bruised and abused after the last derby defeat. Personal pride restored even if the eventual outcome was ultimately the same this time round.
It won’t mean much to James Tavernier after seeing Rangers lose their grip on the League Cup to Celtic following an extraordinary 120 minutes and penalty kicks. But as the skipper walked out of Hampden on Sunday evening after a blistering showdown with his nemesis Daizen Maeda, his reputation had just been given a much-needed shot in the arm.
Having been run ragged by the Japanese flying machine back in September as Celtic hit cruise control in a 3-0 derby demolition Tavernier was singled out for the type of abuse that would have rattled even the strongest characters. Footage of one irate fan telling the 33-year-old exactly where to go hours after the full-time whistle was widely condemned. But a dip in form in the weeks that followed saw Tavernier removed from the firing line by Philippe Clement and rotated at right back with Dujon Sterling and the now injured Neraysho Kasanwirjo.
It all meant the spotlight was firmly on the man who is closing in on 500 appearances for the Light Blues after his selection for the starting XI was confirmed at Hampden on Sunday. This time Tavernier never gave Maeda an inch in their head-to-head tussle as he battered into challenges, closed down space and crucially ensured he always had a team mate nearby to double up when required.
When the Hoops winger did find the net it was through the middle after a muddle-up between Nico Raskin and Leon Balogun. None of this redemption story stuff overly matters to the Gers stalwart after another missed opportunity to put one over the club that has dominated Scottish football since he arrived north of the border almost a decade ago.
Indeed he accepts that pulling on the armband puts him firmly in the line of fire. But Tavernier is confident a corner is being turned. And that the Hampden ding-dong with the champions is proof they are closing a gap that looked in danger of stretching to a whole new level just a matter of weeks ago.
Boss Philippe Clement has shouldered even more of the stick after a poor Premiership campaign that’s seen them plunge 11 points off the lead. But Tavernier said: “We are in the front line, the manager and myself. Being in those positions at a huge club like Rangers means you’re obviously going to take the heat.
“I’m more than prepared to take it. I have to galvanise the lads and we go again next week. I’ve always been ready to lead. There’s been small tweaks over the past few weeks which have helped my game. I will continue to keep pushing myself. I am always going to push myself and the boys hard. I’m always there to be asked and if I’m required I will always step up.”
Rangers are now 10 games unbeaten in normal time but remain 11 points off the pace in the Premiership. However their performance against Celtic, much like Tavernier’s, is sure to give punters hope. They matched the Hoops energy in key areas including the midfield battleground and carved out chance upon chance themselves. Tavernier said: “We’ve been doing really well over the past few weeks and especially defensively as a team. That’s why the manner of a couple of goals on Sunday will be disappointing.
“We probably gave them away too cheaply. We will look at stuff like that. The other aspect is being a little more clinical. But there’s a lot of positives to take. At the end of the day we didn’t win so we’ve got to think about that.
“It’s obviously tough and reminds us a bit of Seville. Losing a game on penalties is never nice. We got ourselves in a good position but emphasised at half time that we treat it as 0-0.
“Try to be clinical with our chances but we’re disappointed to concede a couple of the goals in the manner that we did. There’s a lot to learn from this game. We put ourselves back in a good position, we kept on working hard towards the end and then the game’s a flip of a coin when it comes down to penalties.”
Just as he did in Seville against Eintracht Frankfurt, Tavernier put himself forward first in the shoot out and slammed home from 12 yards past Kasper Schmeichel. But it was the fourth and fifth takers in Light Blue who raised eyebrows.
With striker Cyriel Dessers having entered the action in extra time many expected he would be among the nominated five. But Ridden Yilmaz stepped up to take penalty number four - and missed - before goalkeeper Jack Butland buried the fifth.
Ultimately Schmeichel’s save from Yilmaz was to prove decisive. But Tavernier wasn’t for pointing fingers and when asked who decides on the five he said: “The manager. I’m obviously captain and will take the first penalty and any penalty that’s asked of us.
“I’m proud of everyone who stepped up and was man enough to do that. These games are fine margins and it obviously hurts when you lose a penalty shoot out. I’m just proud of the lads who went up and took one.”
