Ibrox View: Barker can build on positive preseason to make real impact for Rangers in 20/21
It’s fair to say that Brandon Barker’s Rangers career didn’t exactly take off at a canter.
The 23-year-old made just six Premiership appearances last season, and was very much on the periphery throughout.
But he could be in line for another shot at the first team picture after some impressive showings in preseason.
In fact, Steven Gerrard even told Premier Sports after the 4-0 win over Motherwell, as per the Herald: “Brandon Barker has put in another positive contribution in for us which I’m pleased about.
“We have put the ball in Brandon’s court. We know the talent, we know what he’s capable of.
“We brought him in and gave him a long contract because we believed in him. We haven’t forgotten or given up on him.
“It is over to Brandon to provide consistency. We will give him the opportunities and he has certainly taken his last two. Two cameos, but straight away you see that blistering pace. Defenders, certainly up here in Scotland, will find it difficult to cope with that.”
And that pace in particular could make him a devastating weapon for Gerrard’s arsenal this term.
Barker completed six out of seven of his attempted dribbles in that match, giving him a success rate of 86%, as per Wyscout.
That figure is over 30% higher than his career average.
And it’s clear that he can be a real nightmare for defences if only he can produce that kind of quality on a regular basis.
From the visual above, we can clearly see that he is doing the vast majority of his work in advanced areas, getting at defenders and looking to force his way into the box.
Barker isn’t just flying at defenders though.
As the visual above shows, he also won eight out of his 11 contested duels – a success rate this 26.8% higher than his career average.
And that presence down the left flank is a real menace to full-backs.
It’s one thing to have a player running at you, but to have one that chases you back too is a real hassle for defenders.
He still has a long way to go before he’s properly hammering on the door of a regular first team spot, but as his performance against Motherwell showed, he certainly has the tools to make an impression this season.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox View: Stats show Sutton criticism of Gerrard’s Gers tenure is pure nonsense.