Glasgow Rangers are once again back in action in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon as they prepare to welcome St. Johnstone to Ibrox.
The Light Blues are looking to bounce back with a win after they were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Dundee last time out in the Scottish top-flight last weekend.
Derek McInnes‘ side went 2-1 up at Dens Park and were unable to hang on for all three points, which now means that Celtic have a four-point lead at the top of the table.
The former Hearts head coach could look to make some key changes to his personnel for the clash with St. Johnstone after his side failed to grab the third goal against Dundee.
How McInnes must improve his Rangers attack
One of the big problems that the Scottish giants had at Dens Park was that Ryan Naderi was ineffective as the lone centre-forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The Light Blues needed stunning top corner strikes from Badredine Bouanani and Nicolas Raskin on the night because they were not getting much joy in central positions in the box.
Naderi has scored four goals in eight appearances in the Premiership so far this season, which is a respectable return, but he failed to impress last time out.
|
Vs Dundee |
Ryan Naderi |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Touches |
37 |
|
Possession lost |
17x |
|
Dribbles completed |
0/3 |
|
Pass accuracy |
47% |
|
Duels won |
10/21 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
He lost more duels than he won in the physical battle with the Dundee central defenders and only completed seven of his 15 attempted passes, as he was unable to show the technical quality required to link play for his teammates.
The Czechia international did not look as comfortable in the centre-forward role as he has done as a second striker or attacking midfielder in recent weeks, which means that McInnes can improve the attack by dropping him down into a deeper position.
Rangers must unleash their new Alfredo Morelos
Moving Naderi back into a second striker role would allow McInnes to bring his own version of Alfredo Morelos back into the starting line-up after warming the bench against Dundee.
The former Rangers striker, Morelos, scored 124 goals in 269 appearances in all competitions and has big shoes for any other South American strikers at the club to fill.
In the summer transfer window, the Light Blues swooped to sign Venezuela international Kevin Kelsy from the Portland Timbers for a mammoth fee of £9m.
He is looking to become the club’s best South American striker since Morelos and is already well on his way to achieving that after his recent starts for the Scottish giants.
Kelsy was surprisingly left on the bench for the 2-2 draw with Dundee, as Min-su Kim and Naderi started in the two central roles, and that turned out to be a mistake.
The 22-year-old powerhouse has already shown that he can be effective as the leading man for McInnes in the number nine role, which then allows Naderi to play off him.
|
Vs Kilmarnock |
Kevin Kelsy |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
73 |
|
Touches |
32 |
|
Shots |
2 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Pass accuracy |
79% |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Aerial duels won |
2/3 |
In his most recent start against Kilmarnock, Kelsy should Morelos-esque qualities as a striker who can hold the ball up and bring others into the game with his passes with his back to goal.
Having a powerful striker who can play with his back to defenders helps the wingers and attacking midfielders to get into the game, which is why Rangers struggled so much with Naderi’s weak passing as the number nine against Dundee.
Those qualities were also on display when the Venezuela international started in the 3-0 win over Celtic in the League Cup, as he completed 75% of his attempted passes, created two chances, and provided one assist.
That was on top of his excellent finish to score his first goal for the club and six aerial duels won in 88 minutes, which shows that he can be a complete striker for Rangers in the same way that Morelos once was.
Therefore, McInnes should unleash him from the start against St. Johnstone this afternoon because his inclusion in the starting line-up could get the best out of Naderi and the rest of the team.
