Rangers team news as Cyriel Dessers axe mooted already at Ibrox
Scottish Daily Mail reporter Stephen McGowan believes it “may now be unavoidable” to select Danilo up top in place of Cyriel Dessers for Rangers’ crunch Champions League tie with Servette.
Dessers was on target in the Gers’ 2-1 win in last week’s third-qualifying round first-leg tie at Ibrox, but he has fired blanks in his first two Scottish Premiership starts.
The summer signing wasted one big chance in particular, whereas fellow new recruit Danilo converted a Borna Barisic cross after being shifted into a central position once Dessers had been substituted off.
Michael Beale has a huge selection call to make at Stade de Geneve on Tuesday [14 August], and McGowan may have backed Danilo to get the nod over Dessers.
McGowan said in his match verdict piece for the Scottish Daily Mail [14 August, The Verdict, pg 6]: “The arrival of [Rabbi] Matondo on the left saw Danilo move inside where the Brazilian seemed to come alive.
“Signed from Cremonese for £4.5m, a decision to leave out Dessers and play Danilo through the middle may now be unavoidable.”
Ruthless
Dessers was given a rating of four by the publication for his performance against Livingston – the lowest of any Rangers player – compared to 6.5 for Danilo after he sparked into life late on.
Nigeria international Dessers really should have opened his league account for the season, only to fire a shot from close range straight at Ayo Obileye – a miss that left Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd stunned.
Beale quite simply cannot afford to get his selection call wrong against Servette, with far too much lying on the contest from the Scottish heavyweights’ perspective – and indeed their opponents.
Danilo responded that he “likes to play everywhere” when asked if he would prefer being used through the middle, rather than out wide, but there is no doubt he proved more of a threat than Dessers when used as the focal point against Livi.
In fact, with six shots and two on target, as well as six successful dribbles – no Rangers player managed more in any of those categories [WhoScored] – Danilo looked a serious threat at the weekend.
Overlooking Dessers so early into his Ibrox career would be a massive decision, but Beale may have to be ruthless for the midweek trip to Switzerland.
In other Rangers news, BBC Scotland pundit Neil McCann has offered his prediction for the Rangers v Servette second leg.