Rangers are back in action on Saturday evening, seeking to continue the momentum established prior to the international break.
First, Barry Ferguson’s side ousted Fenerbahçe from the Europa League, prevailing on penalties at Ibrox, thereby setting up a quarter-final clash with Athletic Club Bilbao.
Then, three days later, the Gers were 3-2 winners in the Old Firm derby, with Ferguson becoming the first Rangers manager since Walter Smith in 1991 to win their very first Glasgow derby at Parkhead.
While it’s too late to reignite the Premiership title race, the Light Blues will be seeking another victory at Dundee on Saturday evening, although this is unlikely to be straightforward, considering they’ve drawn their last two visits to Dens Park, held to a 1-1 stalemate there in January.
If Ferguson is to land all three points in the City of Discovery, he should unleash his superstar striker.
Cyriel Dessers' recent Rangers form
As noted by Scott Bradley of Breaking the Lines, Dessers’ performances for Rangers have been largely ‘inconsistent’ and ‘frustrating’, adding that he ‘divides opinion’.
The Nigerian striker arrived from Cremonese for a reported fee of £5.5m in July 2023, scoring 44 goals in 99 appearances for the club to date, averaging a goal every 138 minutes, which certainly isn’t bad.
Following Rangers’ 3-1 win at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium last month, Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho said that “today, Dessers looked like the best player in the world”, with John Walker adding that this was Dessers’ ‘best match for Rangers’.
However, he is often criticised for not being clinical enough, a perception supported by the fact that, since the start of last season, he has missed a humongous 46 Opta-defined big chances across the Premiership and Europa League.
So, after Dessers got the nod at Parkhead, we’re advocating for Ferguson to start his other centre-forward at Dens.
Rangers' starting striker vs Dundee
Hamza Igamane’s last-gasp winner in the Glasgow derby a fortnight ago will forever cement his name into Rangers folklore but, even before that, his performances had been catching the eye.
During the international break, the 22-year-old made his senior debut for Morocco, coming off the bench for the final eight minutes as the Atlas Lions beat Niger 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Oujda.
Head Coach Walid Regragui, who guided the North African nation to the most recent World Cup semi-finals, praised Igamane’s “mindset”, also adding he “has a bright future ahead of him”.
At club level, Igamane has scored 14 goals since joining Rangers last summer, four of which have come in the Europa League, described as “unpredictable” and “outrageous” by scout Ben Mattinson, thereby attracting Premier League interest.
So, let’s analyse how Rangers’ two centre-forward options compare.
Appearances
45
37
Goals
22
14
Minutes-per-goal
120
152
Goals – xG
-2.3
+2.8
Shots on target %
47.8%
41.9%
Shot-creating actions per 90
2.78
3.52
Goal-creating actions per 90
0.88
0.94
Big chances missed
19
5
Average Sofascore rating
6.84
7.15
As the table outlines, while Dessers’ pure goals and minutes-per-goal statistics are superior, Igamane comes out on top for pretty much every other underlying metric.
In this season’s Europa League for example, the Moroccan ranks second for goals – xG, behind only Malick Fofana of Olympique Lyonnais, while the Nigerian sits joint-fourth bottom for the same metric, out of the 702 players who’ve attempted at least one shot in the competition, above only Ulrik Saltnes, Kevin Rodríguez and compatriot Victor Osimhen.
This emphasises that Igamane is a significantly more clinical centre-forward and, at 22 years old, has a significantly higher ceiling than 30-year-old Dessers.
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Thus, in Premiership matches that don’t matter a great deal, Ferguson should prioritise giving Igamane minutes, starting on Saturday, giving him the opportunity to stake a claim, with the first leg against Athletic Club coming up soon.
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