Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Roy Makaay’s effect on Alfredo Morelos at Rangers
Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos is reaping the benefits from the arrival of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Roy Makaay, the manager has told De Telegraaf.
The Dutchman has hailed the effect of his countryman’s ability to communicate with the Ibrox goalscorer, and the individual attention they have paid to the player.
The new boss also revealed the tactical adjustments he and his coaching staff have made, leading to Morelos’ great form in front of goal.
Van Bronckhorst told De Telegraaf (as quoted by Rangers Review): “It is an advantage for Morelos that Roy speaks Spanish like me. Every player has his own story and we worked with him in our own way.”
On tactical tweaks he said: “I watched videos of him playing before we came to the club. He was dropping too deep and coming out of the striker’s role a bit too often. We just want him to operate in the box.”
Positive change
Gers frontman Morelos has been in great form this season, contributing 13 goals in all competitions.
But six of those strikes have come since the new manager arrived in mid-November, suggesting the changes that have been made in the interim have pushed the Colombian to new heights.
As van Bronckhorst suggests, the fact that he and ex-Deportivo and Bayern Munich forward Makaay both speak Spanish is likely to lead to a slight increase in comfort for Morelos, especially when the coach is passing on his attacking expertise.
Makaay scored over 100 goals for the German giants so any insight he can give in Glasgow will be valuable.
And it appears that the preparation put in by former Barcelona full-back van Bronckhorst before his arrival was important in identifying how to bring the best out of his new striker.
Fans at Ibrox will be pleased with the early signs on this front and will hope improvements can be made and maintained across the playing staff.
In other Rangers new, the manager knows which players he wants to avoid in the transfer market.