Rangers unable to break down Hearts as Zander Clark secures opening draw

The Edinburgh Festival had started, and two specific groups of people were excited about one particular event. The Hearts and Rangers fans gathered at Tynecastle to watch the start of the Scottish Premiership season. Despite the match ending in a scoreless draw, the fans were thoroughly entertained and reminded that goalless games can still be exciting to watch.

Full of energy and excitement, with a touch of smart and straightforward communication, this was a great showcase for elite football in northern Scotland.

"The Rangers coach Philippe Clement shared that he believes the outcome was fair. He expressed his desire for improvement and victory, noting that while they were close to winning, they could have also lost. Clement emphasized the need for individual improvements and sees the game as just the beginning of a long journey."

A lot of Scottish football fans were shocked when Clement's goalie Jack Butland was left out of England's Euro 2024 team. The Rangers' goalie quickly agreed with them.

With a skillful save on James Penrice's risky shot, Butland also showed that Clement was likely being sincere when he said his squad may not have improved despite the addition of nine new players over the summer at Ibrox.

When the Costa Rican right-back Gerald Taylor started playing for Hearts on loan from Deportivo Saprissa, he showed off his attacking skills from the full-back position and limited Óscar Cortés's movements. This put Rangers on the defensive for most of the first half. It seemed like Rangers only started to play better in the second half once Steven Naismith, their key summer signing, began to tire.

When Butland blocked Naismith's powerful shots and Shankland's attempts, while Dhanda's shot hit the woodwork, and the visitors kept giving away corners, it seemed nearly impossible for Rangers to surpass Celtic and rise from second place last season.

Hearts finished in third place last spring, but this time around they seem to be a tough opponent for Brendan Rodgers' Celtic. Even though Zander Clark, their goalkeeper, made some impressive saves against Connor Barron, Hearts look like they could be a threat to Celtic and give their manager, Clement, some restless nights.

The Belgian can only hope that Rodgers will leave Rangers for the open England job, or if Eddie Howe takes over at Newcastle, he can rely on Cyriel Dessers to lead the attack.

As the second half got underway, Clement almost felt a moment of happiness as Dessers nearly scored from a strong header off Tavernier's corner. The ball hit both the post and crossbar, leaving Clark unable to stop it.

Despite a clear improvement with more control in the midfield and Clark making an impressive save to prevent Lawrence's shot, Rangers, especially Davies, were still struggling with Vargas's speed. They were lucky when Shankland's shot didn't go in. Naismith noted that there were missed opportunities but overall, he saw many positive aspects.

Clement's issue is that Rangers supporters see this as a missed opportunity to earn more points. If Celtic win against Kilmarnock at home on Sunday, the team, who are currently playing home games at Hampden Park due to ongoing improvements at Ibrox, will be behind and trying to catch up.

On the bright side, the fact that there wasn't a winning goal means that the lasting memories of the day will be the heartfelt applause from Hearts fans for Taylor as he was substituted after 85 minutes.

In August, Edinburgh comes alive with a showcase of fresh talent. However, it's hard to imagine anyone surpassing the Costa Rican player's impressive performance at Tynecastle.