Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson has said his former side should expose the defensive frailties of Rangers favourite James Tavernier in a damning verdict ahead of next weekend’s derby clash.
The Glasgow rivals are building up to the first showdown of the season, the Hoops the home side at Parkhead, in what will be a meeting between former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and his old player Steven Gerrard in the dugouts.
On the pitch, Wilson slaughtered Tavernier’s capabilities at the back, insisting that the fan favourite and club captain is nothing more than a liability when defending and that his old team need to make the most of it.
He told the Scottish Sun: “Defensively I think he’s a nightmare. I don’t think he has any passion for it to be honest.
“The equaliser for the third Motherwell goal showed that he didn’t care enough about his man. “I know the game’s a bit different now and it’s all about attacking style, but you need to do your job first and foremost – he lets the side down in that respect.
“At the back, if I were a Rangers fan I’d be really worried with him when they’re coming up against quality players. Set-pieces, if he’s marking, the evidence is there to show he just switches off.”
Opinion
Wilson might well have his green and white tinted glasses on with this attack on Tavernier but the verdict is not far off the truth. The Rangers man offers a fantastic threat going forward but quite frankly he has not got the focus, composure or reading of the game to be a competent defender, and he is only put there because he can sometimes do a half-decent job while other attack minded players stay forward. Celtic absolutely need to heed their former man’s advice and target the right back all day when it comes to the derby, for that pressure will cause him to buckle at least once. On the other hand, they also need to keep him quiet when the Gers are in possession, so they may well be tempted to keep the ball away from the visitors’ right flank. It is a balancing act Rodgers and his men will no doubt be focused on, while Gerrard must be plotting some sort of plan to make sure Tavernier is not exposed as he was against Motherwell.