Ibrox View: Better than Hagi – Rangers star immense v Benfica
Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield was excellent against Benfica at Ibrox on Thursday, the latest in a number of excellent performances from the Canadian.
Despite the former Burnley man now being 32 years of age, he has shown no signs of slowing down this season and has six goals and five assists in all competitions so far (via WhoScored).
He was on the scoresheet once again on Thursday and vindicated Steven Gerrard’s decision to select him from the start in the absence of Joe Aribo and Ryan Jack.
Playing as the most attacking man in a Rangers midfield three, he did his usual Gerrard impression, arriving late in the box to score from around the penalty spot. His shooting has been incredibly reliable this season and once again when given the opportunity, he did not miss.
While Arfield is not necessarily the best passer in the Rangers squad, his style of off-the-ball running and combative defending from the front is invaluable alongside more metronomic players like Steven Davis and Ryan Jack.
On Thursday, Arfield completed two tackles and two interceptions, and had 50 touches of the ball (via WhoScored). According to Wyscout, he completed 22 successful actions during the match and he was given license to roam across the field. His heatmap shows him starting on the right side of the midfield three, but also how he picks up positions between the lines and around the box.
Rangers have a number of quality young midfielders emerging and it would have not been a huge surprise to see Gerrard move away from an older member of the squad. However, his performances have made it impossible to leave him out and his style of play makes him the ideal foil for players like Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Ryan Jack.
Against a side like Benfica, Arfield proved that he can still deliver on the big stage and showed his boss that he has plenty left in the tank.
In other Rangers news, BBC pundit gives verdict on Rangers performance v Benfica