Glasgow Rangers completed a dramatic comeback to beat Dundee 4-3 in the Scottish Premiership last time out, as they came from 3-1 down to win the match.
The Light Blues gave themselves a mountain to climb but managed to overcome it thanks to goals from Tom Lawrence, James Tavernier, and Cyriel Dessers in the second half.
Barry Ferguson should, however, be disappointed by the fact that his team were in such a difficult position to begin with, which is why he could make some changes to the team when the Gers return to action against Hibernian this afternoon.
Why Cyriel Dessers should be dropped
Despite scoring the winner in the 93rd minute, Dessers must be ruthlessly dropped from the starting line-up for the clash with Hibs today after his showing against Dundee.
The Nigeria international deserves credit for scoring the winner, but it is hard to ignore the rest of his performance, in which the striker missed a staggering five ‘big chances’ and scored once from 12 shots on goal – nine of which were on target.
He was incredibly wasteful with the chances that came his way, which was part of the reason why Rangers needed late goals to get anything out of the game.
Hamza Igamane has only missed five ‘big chances’, whilst scoring ten goals, in 27 Premiership matches this season, which suggests that Rangers would be better off with him as the focal point receiving service in the box instead of Dessers.
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With this in mind, Ferguson must ruthlessly drop the wasteful Nigerian centre-forward from the XI in order to bring Ianis Hagi into the team alongside Igamane.
Why Ianis Hagi should start against Hibernian
Rangers lined up with a 3-4-1-2 formation against Dundee and this change would allow them to play a 3-4-2-1, with Hagi and Mohamed Diomande in the number ten positions behind the Morocco international.
This would make Igamane the focal point of the team and mean that the side is built to create chances for him to score, to make the most of his lethal finishing – as opposed to consistently creating chances for Dessers to spurn.
Hagi coming in could help to create those opportunities for the Moroccan sensation because he has proven his creative quality in the Premiership already this season, under Philippe Clement and Ferguson.
Starts
16
Goals
3
Big chances created
5
Assists
5
Key passes per 90
2.5
Assists per 90
0.3
As you can see in the table above, the Gers number 30 has been incredibly creative for the Light Blues with 2.5 key passes per 90 and eight goal contributions in 16 starts.
This suggests that he has what it takes to provide Igamane with the service that he needs to put Hibernian to the sword later this afternoon.
Hagi, who former Romanian international Ilie Dumitrescu dubbed “sensational” earlier this season, is an attacking midfielder who can break forward into the box to make things happen, as a scorer and a creator, which is why he could perfectly suit a number ten role in a 3-4-2-1 system.
This would also allow Dessers to come off the bench as a goal threat in the second half if needed, rather than him having the entire 90 minutes to waste ‘big chances’ in front of goal – as he did against Dundee.
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It is now down to Ferguson to be brave and ruthlessly drop the former Cremonsese man from the team, despite his late winner, in an attempt to improve his side’s performance.