Why Youssef Chermiti faces toughest Rangers challenge yet despite heroics vs Hearts
Youssef Chermiti simply cannot afford to become lackadaisical for Rangers again following his hat-trick heroics against Hearts on Sunday.
The Bears have taken a monstrous step towards the Scottish Premiership title with their win over the Jambos, but Danny Rohl will be wary of Celtic creeping up behind them.
Gers had a busy winter transfer window, one which many supporters believed toppled their suggested summer incomings of failures.
Chermiti has been heavily criticised for performances, but frustration at Ibrox has grown because they know how good the striker can be when he is in top form.
- Read more: Michael Stewart hits back at Rangers fans after complaints over Youssef Chermiti comments on BBC
Youssef Chermiti now needs to find consistency for Rangers
Chermiti’s price tag demands him to score goals for Rangers, at the end of the day, but there also needs to be a realistic expectation over what he delivers due to his age.
However, after he bagged three in possibly the most important game of the Bears’ season so far, he needs to follow it up.
We’ve seen him score a brace against Celtic, but then what did he do after that? Well, not much.
| Game | Chermiti goal contribution |
| Rangers vs Aberdeen | N/A |
| Aberdeen vs Rangers | N/A |
| Rangers vs Ludogorets Razgrad | N/A |
| Porto FC vs Rangers | N/A |
| Hibernian vs Rangers | N/A |
| Motherwell vs Rangers | N/A |
The 21-year-old is proving to be a streaky striker, and despite having seven goals to his name, he has only netted in four games from a possible 19.
He now needs to show consistency in the most crucial part of the season, as it could make-or-break his legend at Ibrox.
As seen in the Sofascore graphic above, Chermiti was handed a perfect 10 rating in the 4-2 win over Hearts, and although it would be impossible to do this every week, he has shown that he can be a top-class finisher.
Has Chermiti criticism been justified?
Neil McCan has called Chermiti “lazy” in the past, after the striker almost got sent off for a rash challenge during Rangers’ 3-0 win over Dundee back in November.
The incident has been just one of many moments where the number nine has been in the spotlight for doing the wrong thing.
- Chermiti has seven goals in 19 league games
- He has an xG rate of 5.42 and is now overperforming in front of the goal
Whether it’s his work ethic or finishing, Chermiti is always called out, as his hefty price tag seems to have followed him in whatever he does.
Yes, the up-front fee of £8million that the Bears paid for him was high, but the slack he’s had damaged his confidence early on at Ibrox. However, he now needs to move on and pick up the pace by building off his most recent performance.
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