The manner of the Rangers’ win over Motherwell, where winning the physical battle meant the game wasn’t very good to watch, often means that players are judged a little harshly. There were a few good performances under the circumstances, but I’ve picked out two players I think were worthy of consideration for man of the match.
Danny Wilson not only scored an absolute peach but defended well throughout. He was caught on the wrong side of a player in the first minute that could have led to a goal but after that he rarely put a foot wrong. It was his 26th birthday on the day of this game and his goal was a gift to the fans. He claimed after the match that it’s the first goal he’s scored with his left foot. He’ll never hit another shot as well as that again. Wilson is a player that fans often believe isn’t capable of standing up to a physical challenge. In this match, he not only won most of what came his way in the air, but he was strong when players were backing in. His distribution and ability to take the ball under a little pressure helped get the team up the pitch and led to the second goal. There was even a mazy run from the back where he beat a few players and almost created a chance. He finished with a goal, an assist and a clean sheet. That’s a cracking day for any centre half.
Man of the match in my eyes, though, was James Tavernier. In a first half which was disrupted by how Motherwell wanted to play, he was one of the few players to look good on the ball. He offered an outlet constantly, with Kranjcar in particular happy to get the ball out to him early. Whilst his shot in the first half was high and wide, and his crosses not quite finding their man, it was his energy and pace going forward which was causing Motherwell the most issues. Defensively, he rarely got dragged out of position and didn’t make it easy for crosses to come in from his side.
In the second half, he largely continued in this vein. Thankfully, the rest of the team also improved and that allowed him to have a much bigger influence. There were numerous passes and passages of play which opened up Motherwell. The final ball wasn’t quite there but there was no doubt he was playing well. Again, he had very few issues defensively and covered his centre halves well on one particular occasion which forced a header to be put wide.
Tavernier has been a lot like the team of late – good performances followed by poor ones, with little inbetween. When he has a good game, I believe he’s the best right back in the league. In terms of consistency, though, he’s not quite there yet.
Do you agree with my choice for man of the match? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!