Ibrox View: Played just 287 minutes: Gerrard must unleash rarely-seen Rangers star v Ross County
Rangers have barely put a foot wrong this season but Steven Gerrard needs to mix things up against Ross County.
After being held to a draw last week against Motherwell it is time the Gers boss gave Jermain Defoe an opportunity to start.
We may be flying high at the top of the table but recent weeks have seen lacklustre performances in attack.
Rangers have scored just four goals in the last three games despite playing against ten men in the matches against Celtic and Aberdeen.
Last week we huffed and puffed with little reward, and if it wasn’t for a sublime cross from Borna Barisic we would quite likely have suffered our first league defeat.
That is where Defoe comes in.
Motherwell were stubborn in their approach to last week’s match, defending in numbers and reducing the space available to our front three.
Ross County will likely do the same at Ibrox, and if so Alfredo Morelos could struggle once again.
We have seen a dip in his goalscoring form this term, having produced just 10 goals in 28 games.
At Fir Park last Sunday Morelos showed no signs of rectifying that underperformance, making just one progressive run and achieving one shot, per WyScout.
Also, he failed to make the most of his seven touches in the opposition penalty area, and that’s why Defoe deserves a start.
He may have been limited to just 287 minutes in the Premiership this season but his poaching ability could come in handy against County.
Cedric Itten’s equaliser last week showed that a clever bit of movement was all that was needed to find a way through Motherwell’s backline, and Defoe can do the same.
He has forged a successful career due to his intelligence in the box, and he could have the service required as Kemar Roofe will possibly return.
Defoe’s 11 minute showing against The Well was his first appearance since mid-December, yet he still equalled Morelos’ shot output and made one successful dribble (WyScout).
At the very least, dropping Morelos will help to keep him fresh for the upcoming mid-week match, while sending him a message that he needs to rediscover his scoring touch.
In other Rangers news, Kris Boyd identifies Gerrard’s turning point and aims a dig at Neil Lennon.