A look at how our players performed in the 4-1 win over Dundee.
Wes Foderingham – 7
Didn’t have an awful lot to do over the 90 minutes. On the 8th minute, a beautiful pass to Candeias would have led to a goal but for Kranjcar’s poor finish. It’s not the first time this season Foderingham has picked out the Portuguese winger to set up a counter attack. Will be annoyed to have conceded the late goal, but had no chance of stopping it.
James Tavernier – 8
Tavernier is having a good start to the season, and that continued on Saturday. Got forward well, unlucky not to set up a goal with some of his crosses. Defensively, only one lapse led to a chance for Dundee early in the game. Linking up very well with Candeias, and they seem to be our main threat going forward.
Bruno Alves – 7
Comfortable game for Alves, as Dundee only had brief spells of pressure. Passed the ball well, tried to keep the tempo high, and barely lost a header. He’ll have more than a few of these sort of games this season.
Fabio Cardoso – 7
Similar to Alves in performance, again due to the dominance we had in terms of territory. Cut out one chance early in the game by covering across really well. He always offers an option for the player on the ball to make a simple pass.
Lee Wallace – 8
Drove forward at every opportunity, and never looked in trouble defensively. Wallace has got the exact opposite scenario from Tavernier – no settled player in front of him, less cover for his forward runs. Despite this, he still offers a real threat and leads by example.
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Daniel Candeias – 9
A cracking performance from the hardest working wide player we may have ever seen in a Rangers shirt. Never gave the Dundee defence a moment of respite. He finished the game with two assists, and should have had a couple more at least. One effort on goal came from some nice play where he cut inside on to his left, but Bain saved well.
The workrate and attitude of Candeias was worth his transfer fee alone. His ability and set piece threat is a real bonus.
Ryan Jack – 9
Yet another very good performance from Jack. Covered the defenders brilliantly, barely wasted a pass, won numerous tackles. Was left a little exposed in the first half at points as Dorrans pushed on, but he still impressed. A big reason Rangers were able to play huge parts of the game in the Dundee half.
Graham Dorrans – 8
There’s been a lot of criticism of Dorrans performances by some fans. I felt he played well on Saturday. He was clearly asked to get forward more from midfield, something we didn’t do in the games so far. Despite this, he got back to cover more than once. When the game opened up after our substitutions, he was more effective and dominant in midfield.
Niko Kranjcar – 7
Should have scored at least once. A save from Bain at close range was his best chance, and he also had 2 shots in the box blocked by Dundee defenders. Some lovely touches were mixed with some loose passes, however. He was substituted at the correct time.
Kenny Miller – 6
Had a great chance early in the game which saw him take one touch too many, and that seemed to be the theme for his day. Loose passes and poor finishes marred his hard work. One miss in the second half at 1-0 just before he was substituted was particularly poor. Miller has many qualities which a team requires to be successful. Right now though, he’s not in great form, and is missing important chances in games at key times. A spell on the bench may be best for both him and the team.
Alfredo Morelos – 9
As each game passes, we become more and more convinced that Morelos is the real deal. Two goals, great link up play, won headers and bullied defenders. He ran himself into the ground to try and create chances for himself and his teammates. I’m still not convinced that his second goal was a cross rather than a shot, given the way he hit it. Full of confidence right now and a clear talisman for our team.
Josh Windass – 7
Played really well when he came on. Stretched the Dundee defence and created good chances, one of which led to Pena’s goal. Finally scored his first league goal with a good header from a Candeias cross, and hopefully that will see him kick on in that regard.
Carlos Pena – 6
Looked good in terms of movement and attitude. A few loose passes brought groans from the stands, and it’s clear he needs to find sharpness. His goal was well taken, and he had a couple of other chances. It’s clear he’s formed a good relationship with Morelos off the park, so that will hopefully lead to them linking up well on it.
Aaron Nemane – 4
Came on for Candeias with very little left of the game. Only got a few touches and no chance to show what he’s capable of.
What were your ratings on the day? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!