Ibrox View: Barjonas goal v Nice proves he is one to watch for Rangers
Rangers kept up their impressive start to preseason with a 2-0 win over Ligue 1 side OGC Nice in France on Saturday.
The result followed on from a 2-0 win over Lyon earlier in the week.
And it’s great to see Steven Gerrard experimenting and utilising the full depth of his squad too.
For example, we saw Jamie Barjonas get a run out on Saturday following his loan spell with Partick Thistle over the second half of the season.
And we have to say, he looked pretty good.
Admittedly, this was only a 14 minute cameo, but the 21-year-old completed 89% of his attempted actions, including 100% of his dribbles, winning 100% of his duels, and a shot accuracy of 100% too, as per Wyscout.
Of course, it was his goal that was the real crowning glory though.
Incredibly, the strike only had an xG of 0.03, but he still managed to slot it past the keeper with wonderful composure.
And this was a strike that certainly suggested Barjonas has what it takes to kick on and become a real asset for the Gers in the future.
The really great about this is that Barjonas engineered it too.
Notice how he already has his hand out asking for the ball to be thrown in behind straight away.
The vision he has for space, and the backing he gives himself when it comes to taking the defender in straight race is brilliant to see.
The throw is top quality, to be fair, but Barjonas’ gives himself the best possible chance of getting away from his man by reading the flight of the ball perfectly.
The defender gets sucked in, mistimes his header, and suddenly the Rangers man is away.
Even at that stage, he still has plenty left to do.
Barjonas covers a lot of ground – essentially the entire final third – before deciding to take his shot on from a very acute angle.
That’s what makes this such a difficult goal to score.
The keeper is well set, the sight of goal that Barjonas has to aim at is very narrow, and yet he is still manages to pick out the perfect spot and squeeze one in off the far post.
This wasn’t just a great goal, it was a great statement of intent too.
If Rangers fans wanted any convincing that Barjonas is a talent to watch out for, this is all the evidence they should need.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox View: Rangers could get 20/21 boost after transfer reports on rival striker.