A lunch-time kick-off at Pittodrie probably isn’t the sort of game that Barry Ferguson would want for Rangers sandwiched in between the two Europa League ties with Athletic Club.
It is a venue that saw the worst of Philippe Clement in that last season it signaled the start of a dip in performance and this season, a defeat probably should have been the end of his tenure as Rangers manager.
Ferguson, domestically, hasn’t learned from Clement’s mistakes so far and his insistance on a similar formation and approach to the one that the Belgian used has resulted in the same problems.
After the Ibrox defeat to Hibs, the Hall of Fame legend was clearly angry with what he had seen and there will be changes for the rest of the Scottish Premiership campaign.
One should be the return of Danilo to the starting XI with there already being enough evidence earlier in the season for Rangers fans to get encouraged about.
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Danilo deserves his chance for Rangers as Ferguson eyes changes
In terms of the basics, Danilo’s goals and assists per 90 minutes is not only the best in the club, but the best in the league.
He is more likely to score a goal, or create something for a teammate, than anyone else, especially Cyriel Dessers in his current form.
Against Athletic Club, all Dessers did was cause more problems for the defence, failing to hold the ball up and link up with teammates.
When asked in mid-week about a potential recall for Danilo, Ferguson instead focussed on Dessers, and his recent performances:
“In terms of Cyriel, I would be more concerned he didn’t get into the positions,” Ferguson said.
“That’s what I’d be concerned about. In terms of whether I’m considering other people to play, of course I am. I told you on Saturday that there will be some changes. You just need to wait and see what the changes are tomorrow night.
“But I’ve told everybody now, there are places up for grabs. When you go into my team and you play, you need to earn your right to play in the team. I probably will have to make some difficult decisions going forward.
“I’ve had to make some difficult decisions since I’ve come into the job. But it’s one thing I’m not afraid to do to try and better the team. I’ve got a job to pick the 11 that I think is the 11 that will go and win the game.”
Why it is time for Danilo to get his shot
Danilo has been unhappy at Ferguson before. The 26-year old was all set to come on against Fenerbahce in the last-16 of the Europa League, only for the Gers boss to change his mind and to keep Vaclav Cerny on instead.
Fans are also fed up of having to watch Dessers take 12 chances to score one goal and demanded that Danilo be restored to the starting XI after a recent post from the club to celebrate the former Feyenoord striker’s birthday.
It’s almost no longer about who is, or who isn’t, the better player. There is a simple frustration about watching the same players making the same costly mistakes – at either end of the park.
For example, nobody really thinks that Liam Kelly is a better goalkeeper than Jack Butland, but the Rangers No.1 has been dropped for the foreseeable future.
Given his age and per minute statistics since signing, Danilo is the obvious choice to back alongside Hamza Igamane.
Dessers has shown that he can score goals, however, he has also shown that he lacks the composure when his manager and teammates need him the most.
It’s someone elses turn now.
