Boyd sees calmness as the key for Morelos
By MARK WILSON
AFTER 223 league goals in Scotland, Kris Boyd knows the best way to seek revenge on a defender is by sticking the ball in his net. It is a slice of wisdom he feels Alfredo Morelos should heed to unlock his full scoring potential at Rangers.
The former Ibrox striker will go head-to-head with Morelos on Sunday when Kilmarnock welcome Steven Gerrard’s side to Rugby Park for an intriguing Betfred Cup tie.
Impressed by Gerrard’s early work, Boyd feels a fully focused Morelos, who was the subject of a failed £3.75million bid from Bordeaux yesterday, has much to offer.
He knows, however, that the 22-year-old must cope with being a target for opponents determined to knock him out of his stride.
Booked 12 times last season, Morelos (below) was sent off in the opening 1-1 Premiership draw at Pittodrie for kicking out at Scott McKenna after being barged by the Aberdeen centre-half. While Rangers later succeeded in having the offence downgraded to a yellow card on appeal, Boyd recognises the need to keep cool in combat.
‘Pedro Caixinha said last year that Morelos is easily wound up,’ said Boyd. ‘It’s something you have to deal with as a young player.
‘You’re playing for Rangers, you’re scoring goals, you’re a threat. Teams will try to do something to put you off. He is a handful but that’s just the way he is.
‘I remember last year we were playing against them in a closed-doors game and the referee was going to send him off. You can’t change him but if he’s getting involved in little incidents he doesn’t need to, then that’s something he has to brush up on.
‘You need to pick and choose your moments to have a go back. It’s not the first time you’ve stood on somebody or somebody has nipped you. The best way to shut somebody up is to score a goal.
‘It might take until the 89th minute but it’s the best way. ‘Morelos has definitely got that in him. He keeps going to the last whistle but he needs to learn to ignore things because he is going to be a target for defenders.
‘If he ignores defenders and concentrates on what he needs to do, I’m sure he can get close to that 20 or 25-goal target.’
Morelos has looked leaner and sharper under Gerrard’s command, scoring in each of his last two appearances ahead of tonight’s vital Europa League third qualifying round second leg tie against Maribor in Slovenia.
‘When you perform in front of that (Ibrox) crowd, you are anxious to score goals,’ recognised Boyd.
‘I think a lot of the time he does maybe rush things, but you saw last year that when he scores a number of goals in a row he seems to settle down and become a totally different player.
‘Morelos is definitely someone who brings something to Rangers. The big thing is that he’s still only 22 and he can improve.
‘He has that knack of being in the right place at the right time and he can score goals. He works really hard for the team and that’s something we’ll need to be aware of on Sunday, along with his physicality.’
Boyd scored three times against Rangers last season en route to being the Premiership top scorer. He expects a tougher task this weekend after Gerrard made strengthening a porous defence his main priority, drawing a comparison with how Steve Clarke set about his radical improvement of Kilmarnock.
‘There is definitely an upgrade and you have to congratulate Steven Gerrard on that,’ said Boyd of the Rangers back-line. ‘If you take last season and the amount of stupid goals Rangers gave away, it is an area he has looked to correct very quickly. ‘A lot has been made of the two centre-halves (Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic) but the most important one is Allan McGregor.
‘It’s not just what he brings on the pitch. In the dressing room, he will demand the best every day. His organisation, speaking and telling the defenders where to go, is terrific.
‘For Gerrard to bring in those type of players and change where they were struggling last season has allowed them to perform further up the pitch. ‘It’s similar to what happened here last year. The manager built a defensive block that was hard to break down. That allowed the forward players to perform. You saw what happened with us. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rangers did the same thing.’