Dessers finished at Ibrox – Three things learned in Rangers draw v Middlesbrough
Rangers continued their pre-season campaign with a 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday (26 July).
Russell Martin’s side had a memorable night against Panathinaikos on Tuesday (22 July), and they produced another impressive second half to fight their way back against Rob Edwards’ charges at Ibrox.
Goals from Danilo and Findlay Curtis saw Rangers avoid defeat, in what was their final pre-season friendly before their return to competitive domestic action on 2 August.
Martin should now have plenty to ponder as he looks ahead to what will be another big week coming up, and with that in mind, Ibrox News picks out three things we learned ahead of the return to Champions League action.
Martin must heal set-piece woes
Rangers struggled to defend dead-ball situations at times against Panathinaikos, and that problem was exacerbated even further against Middlesbrough.
Pre-season can often see similar issues continue to rear their head, and the Gers’ difficulty from set pieces has been a worrying trend so far.
It almost saw them fall behind in midweek, and they were punished for their lack of organisation in their own penalty area twice on Saturday (26 July).
Neto Borges gave the visitors the lead with a simple finish at the back post after Rangers lost a flick on from a corner, and then Dael Fry was afforded an alarming amount of space to double the advantage from another dead ball later in proceedings.
It is certainly better that these issues emerge during pre-season rather than in the meaningful games, but it should be a major priority for Martin to address over the next week or so, or it could become a frustrating way for his side to lose points once the Premiership action gets underway.
Rangers must get the ball to Gassama
Djeidi Gassama announced himself as a Rangers player in the perfect manner on Tuesday (22 July), when he netted a stunner to secure the victory against Panathinaikos.
He didn’t have the same level of impact against Middlesbrough, but the Frenchman still showed plenty of reasons to be encouraged by him as he makes his way at Ibrox.
The 21-year-old is direct and lightning quick, and had the beating of his full-back when the Gers got the ball out to his side of the pitch, which unfortunately didn’t happen often enough on this occasion.
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 | 47 | 8 | 1 |
| 2023/24 | 37 | 4 | 3 |
| Total | 84 | 12 | 4 |
Gassama has only been a Rangers player for a week, but he has shown that he has the credentials to be a hugely exciting talent for them.
However, he needs his teammates to get the ball into areas of the pitch where he can hurt the opposition. If they can get him on the ball in and around the edge of the box, then he could terrorise Premiership defences all season.
Rangers to rethink Igamane call as Cyriel Dessers is finished
Cyriel Dessers has been heavily linked with a move away from Ibrox this summer, and Martin may be keen to push him towards the exit after what he has now seen.
The frontman was devoid of service in the first half, as Martin’s charges made another slow start. However, he simply didn’t show the level of energy and movement to make himself an option to receive the ball.
Dessers looked content with spending the majority of the first half standing on the shoulder of the last man, and taking limited opportunities to look to get himself involved in the building of attacks.
His performance left a lot to be desired, and it could be enough for Martin and Co. to reconsider their asking price of £15million for Hamza Igamane.
If Dessers cannot be relied upon to adequately lead the line, then the Gers simply cannot afford to lose the Moroccan at any cost.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.