The Leonardo di Caprio film “Inception” directed by Christopher Nolan is one that needs a couple of watches to really get your head around, which is what Cyriel Dessers’ performance against Dundee will also need.
The 30-year old striker is an enigma, wrapped inside an enigma, but scored his 23rd goal to add to his seven assists for the 2024/25 campaign.
Vaclav Cerny is Rangers’ main man, however, there are serious questions about where would the Ibrox outfit be without the Nigeria international.
A 2/10 player rating might seem harsh, but the Rangers No.9 was seconds away from an all-time horror show in front of goal until he took the hardest chance of them all.
At the other end of the park, a centre-half wouldn’t get man of the match for making a goal line clearance, if they’d also been skinned half a dozen times leading to goals.
The numbers behind Cyriel Dessers’ display for Rangers
Rangers have been crying out for a 30 goal and assist striker, and yet, Dessers isn’t the hero they want, maybe, like another Nolan film, he is the hero Rangers fans deserve.
Dessers is no caped crusader, but not many players walk off a pitch having played over 90 minutes and register as many successful shots on target, as they do successful passes.
On both metrics, he had 9/12.
To have 12 attempts at goal is ridiculous. On one hand, it shows how good Dessers’ movement is to keep getting into positions to score goals, on the other, it shows how profligate he can be.
Where he took the shots also shows that.
They weren’t hopeful efforts from long range, they were all in the key zone for scoring goals.
Dessers missed five big chances and had an xG – expected goals – of 1.66, on another day, he walks away with the match ball in the first half.
Ferguson puts his faith in Dessers to come good
Interim Rangers manager Barry Ferguson would have been entirely justified in taking Dessers off, instead, he put his faith in the much maligned forward as his side fluffed their lines at one end and gifted chances at the other:
“You have to give the goalkeeper credit, he made some really good saves,” Ferguson said when asked about Dessers’ attitude.
“But one thing about the big man [Dessers], he has been a joy to work with, and he is a brilliant worker, a brilliant listener.
“He wants to improve even at his age. He puts himself in brilliant positions, he can get frustrated and start feeling sorry for himself, but he keeps going.
“He got his reward with the winner. Even before I took the job I always said the big guy would keep going.
“If he got criticism from fans more the media the big man just rolls his sleeves up. I didn’t think it would affect him and it never affected him. He kept going.
“If you have that type of character then you get your rewards in the end. I’m building good characters just now.”
As Nolan’s Joker famously said, “In their last moments, people show you who they really are.”
Dessers last moment against Dundee, was the one that mattered most.
