Rangers more than earned their draw on Saturday against Celtic. The players showed up and put in a real shift, and showed plenty of quality as well. Here are the ratings as I saw them throughout the game.
WES FODERINGHAM – 8
Wes made some great saves in the first half. The save from Forrest was particularly impressive. His decision making and distribution was a big factor in our second half performance. Wes has deserved clean sheets in this fixture before, so it was good to see him finally get one.
JAMES TAVERNIER – 9
Tavernier was absolutely excellent going forward. He pressed well, whipped in a few great crosses, beat players quite easily and was unlucky not to score. Defensively, there were a few loose moments in the first half. After that, he was solid there as well. When people say these games are about winning battles, the fact that Sinclair was subbed in the second half tells you how well Tavernier won his.
BRUNO ALVES – 4
Had started solidly enough, and was defending set pieces well, until his early injury forced him off.
DANNY WILSON – 8
Wilson followed up his Motherwell performance with another great game. Defensively sound, he was also showing some experience at key times. For example, his block on Dembele to prevent him getting on the end of a ball across goal. In the periods of the game where Rangers dominated, he was vital as he read the game and kept possession.
DECLAN JOHN – 7
John was tested defensively throughout and was rarely beaten. He wasn’t able to get forward too often, which was largely down to the balance of Celtic’s system. He never looked phased or overawed at any point.
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ROSS McCRORIE – 8
McCrorie just keeps impressing. He mixed up physical play with composure on the ball. When he’s playing well, teams are forced to go wide to create chances against us. This happened again in the match. His performance meant that Rangers could dominate for large spells, and his coverage allowed for pressing higher up the pitch.
JASON HOLT – 7
Holt was very good in terms of the battling side of the match. His rating isn’t quite as high as some others just due to him not doing an awful lot on the ball. Towards the end of the first half, Celtic were dominant. Scott Brown in particular was winning everything. Holt stepped up in the second half and ensured that didn’t happen again.
DANIEL CANDEIAS – 8
Candeias was one of the main reasons Rangers got a positive result. His fitness and pressing caused constant issues, and his touch was very good too. All of our best chances in the first half involved him in some way. His cross almost led to a goal for Tavernier. He had a few others which gave their defence problems. His attitude was summed up by his passion when he won a corner in the second half, screaming at Tierney in sheer defiance.
NIKO KRANJCAR – 4
I have no doubt that Kranjcar offered something to the team that isn’t entirely visible when not on the park. Both on and off the ball, though, he was poor. His passing was erratic, and his pressing a good yard too slow. Strangely, he seemed to be getting a bit more comfortable on the ball as time went on, but it wasn’t a good day for him.
JOSH WINDASS – 6
Windass struggled to get into the game in many ways. He did press well in advanced areas, but was sometimes caught out in terms of tracking back. When he plays wide left, he’s usually able to drift inside and get involved. In this game, he was clearly asked to be more disciplined. His pressing led to the first chance of the match, but other big contributions are hard to find.
ALFREDO MORELOS – 7
Morelos had a really good game. However, the fact he never scored does just bring his rating down. His strength and link up play was vital, but he did fluff a couple of chances. One in the first half where a great break from Candeias just required a pass back to the winger, which he overhit. In the second half, his second headed chance may have been one he could do better with.
His header which was saved, however, is the moment the match will be remembered for. He done everything correct and was denied by a great save. He deserved a goal on the day.
DAVID BATES – 8
There would have been many fans worried when Bates came on. It’s never easy coming off the bench and getting up to game speed quickly. It’s particularly more difficult in defence. As such, his performance was top class. The game suited him in terms of style, with a lot of moments where he just had to defend. He covered the gaps brilliantly, blocked shots, cut out crosses and dominated against Dembele. A simple cracking game.
CARLOS PEÑA – 2
Brought on late for Kranjcar, and didn’t have time to make an impact.
EDUARDO HERRERA – 2
Again, Herrera was a very late sub for Morelos. He helped defend against a late corner very well.
Any ratings you disagree with? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!