For the first time since February, Rangers have won three successive Scottish Premiership games.
On Sunday, the Gers demolished Dundee 3-0 at Dens, sporting their eye-catching luminous all orange fourth kit; that’s too many kits!
Nicolas Raskin broke the deadlock, heading home James Tavernier’s corner, Mikey Moore slotted home a second soon after before, after an uneventful hour or so, Djeidi Gassama rubber-stamped the points in stoppage time, curling into the top corner.
Danny Röhl’s side go into the international break in fourth, level on points with Hibs, five points below fierce rivals Celtic and 12 adrift of leaders Hearts, who dropped points elsewhere on Sunday.
When Rangers return to action against Livingston in a fortnight, which star can Röhl rely on following his outstanding display in the city of discover?
Mikey Moore's massive moment
Dens Park will always hold a special place in Moore’s heart, given that it is the venue at which he scored his first goal for Rangers.
When Moore joined on a season-long loan from Tottenham, he did so with sky-high expectations, with then-manager Russell Martin labelling him an “outstanding young player” upon his arrival.
However, he really struggled to make an impact under Martin, but in fairness, so did everyone, although he has become more of a regular under Röhl.
Well, he rewarded the new manager with a sparkling display against Dundee, attempting six dribbles, mustering two shots, registering two key passes and putting in a generally impressive display, as per Sofascore.
Speaking during Sky Sports’ Coverage, James McFadden believes that Moore is enjoying a lot more freedom under Röhl, expecting that he’ll get even better in the coming weeks, while Chris Sutton added that he has “flourished” more than any other player since the change of manager.
Thus, the teenager appears set to remain a key figure for Rangers, but which other key member of their squad shone during Sunday’s win?
Rangers star was as impressive as Moore
Martin made many mistakes during his ill-fated and historically short Rangers reign, but falling out with Raskin was arguably his most egregious misstep.
Raskin’s exclusion for home games against Celtic and Hearts, failing to win or score in either, was when supporters began to turn against Martin, a baffling decision considering he was the club’s player of the year last time round, as voted for both by fellow players and fans alike.
Röhl on the other hand has made him a central figure, and Raskin underlined why with a dominant display at Dens, not just scoring but proving dogged, winning 100% of his tackles and winning plenty of duels.
Goals
1
1st
Shots
2
3rd
Big chances missed
1
1st
Accurate passes
53
2nd
Key passes
2
1st
Defensive actions
6
6th
Interceptions
2
2nd
Duels contested
16
1st
Duels won
7
2nd
Touches
73
4th
SofaScore rating
8.4
2nd
As the table documents, Raskin put in a dominant display on Sunday.
He ranked in the top two for a whole host of statistics, including accurate passes, key passes, interceptions and duels contested, heading home his second goal of the season and he very easily could have scored another, denied by Jon McCracken who made seven saves all told.
During Sky Sports’ coverage, Kris Boyd asserted that Raskin is at his best when allowed to be “on the front foot”, believing he can rediscover his “outstanding” form from last season, with Sutton agreeing that he remains “Rangers’ best player”.
John Walker meantime labelled his performances “utterly sensational” earlier this year, expecting that when he does depart, is could well be for a club-record fee.
So, if Rangers harbour any hopes of salvaging this season, both domestically and in the Europa League, Raskin will certainly be a key figure.
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