Manager challenges fringe men after duo impress in Ibrox victory
STEVEN GERRARD has challenged Juninho Bacuna and Fashion Sakala to go from strength to strength at Ibrox and play a key role in Rangers’ Premiership title defence.
Bacuna made the most of his chance to start against Ross County on Sunday as he capped a fine performance with a lovely strike from distance to open his account for the champions.
Sakala couldn’t add to his tally after his hat-trick against Motherwell but was a constant threat as he was given the nod to start through the middle ahead of Alfredo Morelos.
An Alex Iacovitti own goal and efforts from Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent clinched a 4-2 victory and Gerrard is confident there is plenty more to come now that two of his summer signings are up to speed.
Gerrard said: “I think those two players should be thinking, ‘I am up to speed from a physical point of view, I have done all the work, I know my team-mates now, I know how the environment and culture works, I know how the philosophy works and know all the information. It is on me to push on, to keep growing, keep evolving’.
“Fashion worked so hard for the team. He never got goals but I am just as pleased with his performance as I was last week because that is what we need from our strikers, to be selfless, run all day long and keep breaking lines, give defenders problems and make defenders face their own
goal. Really pleased with his performance.
“Bacuna has got all the talent and the tools and the clubs in the locker. You see his passing range, he gives us a threat joining in from midfield and he will take a shot on.
“A fantastic goal. Strong performance from him and he is ready now to keep moving on.”
The 4-2 victory over the Staggies came a week after Sakala inspired a 6-1 win at Fir Park and Rangers once again looked dangerous in the final third as they came from behind to maintain their lead in the title race.
The Zambian offers a different kind of threat compared to Morelos or Kemar Roofe and Rangers carried real pace in attack thanks to Kent’s return to the starting line-up. Gerrard is not short of options in the final third and the Ibrox boss is encouraged by the ability to mix and match and ask various questions of opposition defences.
Gerrard said: “I think it is the reason we have tried to add Fashion Sakala in the first place, those type of attributes. We need the right mix and blend.
“Obviously Roofe and Morelos are different, they are more maybe people you can play into, who come short, who like to get runners off them.
“To have two in the team, and Scott Wright when he is at it, and have two or three in our firepower who can run in behind, that defenders are worried about, that opposition managers are worried about, that is fantastic for me. It is a good place to be in.
“We played with two natural number tens in Ianis [Hagi] and Ryan, so their job was to be on the back of the midfield and get in those little pockets and give a centre half a decision of whether they were going in or not.
“When you have got people going short and people that can go long, that is when the confusion comes in terms of the defensive unit that we are playing against. I thought we done that really well.
“Then we tried to give them a slightly different problem by putting Kemar through the middle and Fashion a bit from deeper. We have got that variety in our forward play and to score ten goals in two domestic league games, you have got to give the boys some credit.”