Ibrox View: Moment of magic from Rangers ace surely makes up for drab display
Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos continues to be an enigma.
The 24-year-old probably has more column inches dedicated to him than the rest of the Gers squad combined, and speculation surrounding his future at Ibrox continues to rumble on – especially after Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra reported that Lille have tabled a fresh £18.3 million bid for him.
His on-field performances continue to baffle a little too, truth be told.
Morelos made his first start in four league outings against Hibernian on Sunday, and in some respects, he had an okay game.
After all, he is in the side to score goals, and that’s exactly what he did on the stroke of half time.
But a closer look at the stats suggests that this was a fairly drab performance from the South American.
His total action success rate, shot accuracy, and pass completion rate were all marginally lower than his season averages, as per Wyscout, while his dribble success rate was 0%.
Bearing that in mind, it would be easy to dismiss this as a poor display from the Colombian.
This season alone, he has proven that he can do better.
But the fact remains that he scored that goal, and when he is on song, there isn’t a striker in Scotland who can match his knack for finishing.
As the ball is played out wide, Morelos is being marked tightly by his defender.
When the cross is delivered, however, Morelos is intelligent enough to capitalise on his marker’s fixation on the ball to just peel off the back of him towards the back post.
It’s a gamble, but it’s one that pays off.
The defender misreads the flight, and Morelos is in a much better place to receive the ball.
Rather than panicking or trying to hit his shot first time, however, he instead shows enough composure to take a touch and let the ball bounce.
From there, it’s simply a case of smashing home a strike from a couple of yards out.
It’s a wonderful natural finish from a superb predatory talent.
And that’s the thing.
Sure, Morelos might not be at the peak of his powers right now, nor has he been for some time.
But if he can keep on offering momentary pieces of magic like this, it’s going to be incredibly hard to justify his omission, or for that matter, his exit.
In other Rangers news, ‘He’s like Andros Townsend’ – Ibrox Exclusive: McLeish wowed by Rangers transfer report.