The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Rearguard solidity key for revival – Davidson
Youthful Hoops team enjoys dramatic win over La Liga side:
St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has “looked at everything” as he seeks to find a way out of the Perth side’s form slump. With goals and wins drying up in recent weeks – and bottom six rivals picking up results – Saints have dropped to second bottom of the Premiership table.
Thankfully, there is one part of his team that has largely continued to function well – the defence – and Davidson hopes that rearguard solidity can be the platform for a festive period revival.
“That (defence) is a good part,” he said. “It shows we are doing a lot right.
“But we need to put the ball in the box more and be a bit more clinical. And not just the strikers.
“We can put teams under a bit more pressure, especially at home. We need to play a little bit different.
“Results and performances at home haven’t been as good as the away ones.
“We have looked at everything. You always do that going through a tougher time.
“The defensive record has been really good and it has to stay with us throughout the season.
“If we can add goals it will obviously add to our points and we will start to climb the league.”
There was a performance level Davidson could rely upon last season.
And he wants that back, starting against Aberdeen this weekend.
“We have been a bit too up and down for my liking so far this season,” said the Mcdiarmid Park boss.
“We need to get that level of consistency back. We have to do the right things and try to get the victory in each game.
“Aberdeen have had a couple of good results. If you can string a few results together it makes a huge difference.
“At half-time in the Hibs game we were in the top six. Two games later we are struggling a little bit. That is just the nature of the league.”
David Wotherspoon has been ruled out with a long-term knee injury.
The Saints talisman had an appointment with a surgeon yesterday and a timescale will be put on his expected recovery after that.
“David has had his ups and downs but he is very positive person,” said Davidson.
R1 1 angers concluded their Europa League Group A campaign with a creditable 1-1 draw against section winners Lyon in France.
The Ibrox club had already qualified for the knockout play-offs ahead of the final fixture and they were boosted further when attacker Scott Wright’s deflected shot four minutes before the interval gave the Light Blues the lead.
Gers defender Calvin Bassey inadvertently turned a shot from 18-yearold Rayan Cherki into his own goal three minutes after the restart but there were no more goals in a mostly low-key second half.
Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst had won four out of four since taking over from Steven Gerrard, but he will not be too concerned about the draw as he enjoyed another look at what he has at his disposal against a side who had won five out of five in the group, including a 2-0 win in Govan.
Rangers can look forward to the play-off draw on December 13, where they could face RB Leipzig, Porto, Borussia Dortmund, Sheriff Tiraspol, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Barcelona, Sevilla and Atalanta.
Van Bronckhorst made six changes from Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Dundee and in came Jon Mclaughlin, Nathan Patterson, John Lundstram, Wright, Kemar Roofe and Ryan Kent.
Lyon, captained by former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele with exliverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri in support, showed nine changes from the weekend’s game against Bordeaux.
Attacker Karl Toko Ekambi tested Mclaughlin with a low drive in the ninth minute before Dembele had a terrific opportunity when he was sent clean through by Shaqiri.
However, with only Mclaughlin to beat he failed to connect with his shot properly and the grateful Gers keeper gathered.
The visitors threatened in the 24th minute when Kent found Roofe in space but his curling shot from distance clipped the outside of the post.
Rangers were growing into the game and in the 37th minute left-back Borna Barisic’s shot from distance was saved by Julian Pollersbeck but the Lyon keeper was beaten four minutes later.
Kent and Glen Kamara combined down the left and when the latter cut the ball back to the edge of the box from the bye line, Wright’s low drive took a marked deflection off defender Damien Da Silva to wrong-foot Pollersbeck.
Veteran midfielder Steve Davis replaced Kamara for the start of the second half but he was still bedding in when Cherki worked his way down the right before his shot across goal was deflected into his own net by Bassey.
Lyon had the upper hand with Rangers working hard to contain them, but in the 64th minute substitute Tino Kadewere came close with a shot from the edge of the box before 18-yearold defender Castello Lukeba knocked a corner past the post with his shoulder from six yards when he ought to have hit the target.
Rangers then got away with poor marking at two corner kicks and Mclaughlin saved from substitute Islam Slimani in the final minute, making an even better block in the final minute of three added on from Kadewere, seconds after Gers substitute Joe Aribo almost got through at the other end.
Leicester are out of the Europa League after losing 3-2 at Napoli.
An end-to-end encounter saw four goals shared in the first half in Naples, where the hosts led 2-0 courtesy of strikes from Adam Ounas and Eljif Elmas.
The Foxes responded through Jonny Evans and academy graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-hall’s first goal for the club.
Elmas struck again early in the second half and, despite Brendan Rodgers’ side having chances to get themselves level once more, it proved decisive.
Leicester began the night top of Group C, but finished third and headed into the Europa Conference League after Spartak Moscow won 1-0 win at Legia Warsaw, meaning the Russian club topped the table.