Unlikely trio shine as mainstay axed – Three things we learned from Rangers win v M’well
Rangers got back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon, as they eased to victory against Motherwell at Fir Park.
The Gers won 5-1, with James Tavernier scoring two penalties either side of an excellent Jordan Jones finish, before Cedric Itten came off the bench to score his first Rangers goals with two late efforts.
It was an impressive all round performance from the Gers, and on another day they could have scored even more, while at the other end the defence never looked too troubled prior to George Edmundson’s late own goal.
This was much more like the Rangers we have seen win convincingly in Europe this season, and was the perfect response to last weekend’s disappointing draw against Hibernian.
The result also means that the Gers stay top of the table, and there were plenty of positives to take from the game.
Here are three things we learned from Rangers v Motherwell:
1) Goals from unlikely sources…
Rangers scored nine goals this week, five against Motherwell and four against Willem II.
Of these nine goals, five were scored by defenders. James Tavernier scored three of them, while Connor Goldson and Filip Helander also notched one each.
While Rangers have an excellent and very productive attack – most notably in Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent – the importance of the attacking threat from Rangers’ defence cannot be overstated.
Tavernier himself is regularly one of the Gers’ best attacking outlets, and the lofty presences of Goldson and Helander will surely grab us a few goals this season. There are bound to be games where the likes Morelos and Kent won’t score, as we saw today, so it’s reassuring to know that Rangers have attacking threats and potential goal scorers all over the pitch.
2) It was a day for taking chances…
Few people will have predicted Calvin Bassey to have started the game against Motherwell, but a slight injury to Borna Barisic meant that the 20-year-old defender was given a chance to shine.
He barely put a foot wrong across the 90 minutes he played, and looked very comfortable on his first Rangers start.
While you’d expect Borna Barisic to remain Steven Gerrard’s first choice left back, Bassey’s performance will give the Gers manager some food for thought going forward.
Cedric Itten also grabbed his chance when it came, scoring just seven minutes after coming off the bench, and adding a second just five minutes later.
The Switzerland international had looked a little rusty at times during the early stages of his career at Ibrox, so it was a relief to see him get off the mark with a couple go sharp and tidy finishes.
These performances are examples of the strength and depth of this Rangers squad, and they will give Gerrard a selection problem ahead of Thursday’s Europa League game.
3.) Gerrard isn’t afraid to drop under performers…
Ianis Hagi was dropped from the starting eleven for Sunday’s game following a turgid performance against Willem II in midweek.
He was replaced by Jordan Jones who could’ve equally been mentioned above as a player who seized his opportunity with both hands.
The winger took his goal very well and repaid the faith his manager showed in him by giving him the nod.
But the decision to drop Hagi shows that Gerrard can be ruthless with his squad.
The Romania international has been up and down this season, and with Rangers needing a win against Motherwell, the boss probably didn’t want to risk another poor outing.
This should be a warning to others who are part of the squad at Ibrox, if you play subpar you will be replaced, and Gerrard has the squad to do it.
In other Rangers news, ‘Focus on Rangers’ – Steven Gerrard urges attacker to ignore latest headlines.