Ibrox View: Simple genius of Rangers first teamer has been sorely missed this year
RANGERS OPINION
The inquest into what has gone wrong for Rangers this year will no doubt be a long and complex ordeal for all involved.
From having the advantage in the title race back in December to being 13 points adrift at the top, the capitulation has been both worrying and complete.
And while it would be overly simplistic to suggest that there has been one sole factor that has been at the root of the Gers’ fall from grace this term, it is perhaps no coincidence that their slump has come at the same time as a period of absence for veteran hitman Jermain Defoe.
Granted, he may not start every week, but the option that he provides from the bench when all other plans aren’t working is absolutely vital.
Factor in Alfredo Morelos’ poor form, with just one goal since January in all competitions, and the 38-year-old has been missed dearly.
It’s not hard to see why either.
Defoe may not be the most complete striker anymore, averaging fewer successful dribbles and fewer offensive duels won than Morelos this term, as per Wyscout, but he more than makes up for it with his natural predatory instinct.
In fact, despite playing fewer minutes and bearing in mind the factors mentioned above, he has still averaged 7.51 touches in the opposition box per game, which is more than Morelos, and has exactly the same xG rating as the Colombian – 0.73.
And there are two main reasons why he is such a potent goal threat.
Firstly, as can be seen in the image above, Defoe strikes the ball early.
Here we can see him just before he struck against Ross County in his last start before injury back at the end of January.
At this stage, he is literally travelling away from goal in a body shape that would dissuade most strikers from even considering a shot.
Instead, however, Defoe gets himself around the ball and fires one in early, catching the keeper off guard and ultimately making his job as a shot stopper an awful lot harder.
The second factor is Defoe’s movement.
In the image above, taken just before he scored the winner against St. Mirren a week before his goal against Ross County.
Notice how he is stood just over the shoulder of the defender, out of his line of sight.
That means that when the ball is played in by Borna Barisic, Defoe is able to ghost in front of his man and glance one into the bottom corner.
The ex-England international is a cunning finisher, and his intelligence in the box, coupled with his tendency to hit shots when they are least expected means that it can be like trying a catch smoke for his opponents.
The sooner he is back amongst the action, the better for everybody associated with the club.
In other Rangers news, SFA chief delivers major update on plans for season amid Gers uncertainty.