Alfredo Morelos injury could be ‘blessing in disguise’ for Rangers – Steven Pressley
Rangers’ star striker Alfredo Morelos looks set to miss this weekend’s Old Firm derby against Celtic after getting injured on international duty.
The Colombian was seen returning to Glasgow on crutches yesterday, via Twitter, and a return to action for the big game this weekend is now almost certainly out of the question.
Former Rangers and Celtic player Steven Pressley however sees this as a potential blessing in disguise for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s hopes of beating the Hoops.
“I’ve seen the pictures of Morelos on crutches and I think counter-intuitively that could be a blessing in disguise for Rangers,” BBC Radio Scotland pundit Pressley said to the Daily Record.
“I’m not talking about from an attacking sense as obviously, every team would miss a player of his quality.
“But from the perspective of Rangers being able to put more pressure on Celtic, for this particular game it might suit them to go with Kemar Roofe.
“One of Morelos’ failings is his ability to really pressure the ball when out of possession. He’s not a pressing player.
“Roofe, on the other hand, definitely is and that’s why I think this could be a game which really suits him if Rangers decide to go after Celtic. With Morelos in your team, I think that’s difficult to do.”
Pressley is wrong
It doesn’t matter how cute Pressley is trying to be with his in-depth tactics, he is just wrong here.
When you have the biggest game of your season to play, your top scorer is a guaranteed starter if he’s fit, no question asked.
It’s a huge blow for van Bronckhorst with such a potent goal threat seemingly out of his plans for selection.
Kemar Roofe is nowhere near the level of Morelos and hasn’t been ever since he arrived at Ibrox so why he is suddenly the best option is utterly bewildering.
You can see why Pressley hasn’t managed a team since he was sacked by Carlisle in 2019 if his solution to the big games is to drop the top scorer.
The Light Blues’ task has become a lot harder on Sunday with Morelos out of action but it still isn’t the impossible job and we’d very much enjoy swallowing our words if Roofe plays and stars in a Gers victory.
In other Rangers news, major developments in the ongoing Sydney Super Cup controversy emerged yesterday.