Cyriel Dessers called out on BBC Sportsound after incident in Rangers v Hearts
Leanne Crichton has called out Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers after he failed to convert a chance from close range against Hearts.
The Gers went in at the break 1-0 down – though they would go on to draw 3-3 – and Dessers was guilty of wasting a good opportunity in the first half.
His opposite number Lawrence Shankland, however, showed a great deal more composure with his strike to open the scoring in the 34th minute.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound (18 May, 13:20), Crichton said: “You’re looking at two strikers at opposite ends of the pitch – Dessers, who struggles to score from six yards and somehow manages to find the keeper, and Lawrence Shankland [with] an unbelievable, classy dink over Jack Butland.
“He’s got pretty much three-quarters of the goal to hit, we’re going to see a better angle here, Ross McCausland puts it on a plate for Dessers and he somehow manages to put it clean into the arms of Clark.
“It’s an incredible miss.”
Is Cyriel Dessers clinical enough for Rangers?
Criticism of Dessers may appear harsh given the striker has netted 16 Scottish Premiership goals this season.
In fact, only three players in the division can better his tally – Shankland, Matt O’Riley and Rangers teammate James Tavernier.
However, his xG total of 19.25 encapsulates fans’ frustrations with the centre-forward [FotMob]. As good as his haul is, it could be so much better if his finishing matched his ability to get into dangerous shooting positions.
His xGOT (expected goals on target) of 17.69 suggests he may count himself unlucky not to have added one more strike to his total, but the fact that it is so significantly lower than his xG is evidence that his shooting is letting him down.
In fact, Dessers’ xG of 19.25 is the highest in the Scottish Premiership. Based on the quality of the chances he has had, he should be the division’s leading scorer.
The positives are that he possesses the ability to get into good positions with regularity – add a more composed finishing touch and Rangers could go one better and pip Celtic to the league title next season.
In other news, Jose Cordoba has been told to sign for Rangers by a Panamanian journalist as a Besiktas development has emerged.
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