Yesterday, we had a few contenders for Man of the Match, which changed as the game progressed.
Around 30 minutes into the match, you’d have been certain Josh Windass would be presented with the champagne. His running and movement were causing all sorts of problems for Motherwell, so much so that they changed formation for the second half. Unfortunately, he never kept his level as high in the second half, and really fell away from the game. He’ll be more than aware of that himself though, and the signs from his past two performances are that he’s determined to do well this season.
Bruno Alves was very good in defence, rarely losing a challenge either in the air or on the ground. He was good on the ball, composed even when the game was hectic and could have been nominated were it not for the performance of another debutant.
Our Man of the Match, also the one voted for by the Sky Sports team, was Graham Dorrans. His two goals aside, he was excellent. His workrate was high, his passing accurate and attack-minded. He had a lovely moment in the first half where he nutmegged an onrushing Motherwell player, and it was clear he’s a level above most in Scottish football.
The really encouraging part is that there’s more to come from him. He was a good bit behind many of our players in pre-season for fitness, yet he was more than sharp enough yesterday to win us the game. He links up really well with Ryan Jack, also an intelligent player in midfield.
Dorrans finished the game with over 83% passing accuracy, 4 interceptions and 2 goals. For a competitive debut away from home, there are not many Rangers players who would be able to claim much better. He could have had a hat-trick on the day if some of his runs from midfield had been found with crosses from wide.
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Even his booking was a positive, a cynical moment which broke up the play and took one for the team, as they say. It was a real demonstration of how much he refused to drop any points on the day.
Dorrans will be a very important player for us this season. We have to hope he avoids injury for the most part. We can be rightly excited by what he’ll offer.
Do you agree with our assessment? Did you have any other contenders? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!