Hateley insists Morelos can be tamed like he was
Casciaro relishes chance to cause havoc by getting under the skin of Rangers’ volatile striker Morelos in blistering heat of a Gibraltar summer
DAYS before the opening competitive Rangers game of the season and Alfredo Morelos can already feel the target being manoeuvred on to his back. You cannot go through a campaign littered with such self-destructive indiscipline and not become the focus for wind-ups — whether you are about to face familiar foes on home soil or Gibraltarian journeymen.
Ryan Casciaro is, therefore, rubbing his hands at the thought of goading the irascible striker in the searing heat and on the sticky pitch set to host Rangers this Tuesday.
Frustration can build quickly for uneasy visitors to the environment, as the 35-year-old officer for the Gibraltar Defence Police and international centre-half can attest.
With the added bonus of a surfeit of Spanish insults to serve up to Morelos, this is a chance too good to miss.
No sooner had St Joseph’s jolted the over-confidence of Kosovo’s Prishtina to qualify for the next phase than Casciaro colluded with his knowledge of the Scottish game to concoct a cunning plan to diminish the danger of Rangers’ top scorer.
‘I watched two of the Old Firm games last season and I saw the red card for their striker Morelos for the elbow on Scott Brown and the Celtic win,’ revealed Casciaro.
‘That’s one thing any team would try to do — upset Rangers, to get Morelos, speak Spanish, get on his back and make him do something stupid.
‘Whether you are inexperienced and young or not, if someone has a temper, anyone would have a dig at him to see how he reacts.
‘It’s something we will have a look at and develop in our game plan. Scott Brown doesn’t speak Spanish but we got on his back!
‘Listen, Morelos is a very good player as well, we know that. A bad temper but an excellent player. Fast, aggressive, skilful and a great shot.
‘There is also Jermain Defoe who is a big name from the English league, scored a lot of goals and is a very
good striker. ‘At his age he is so quick, agile inside of the box. Like Morelos, he’s a prolific striker. ‘I have that recent experience of playing Celtic and Scotland and players like Defoe and Morelos are up there with the others we’ve faced.’ The scope for seething is fairly high on the plastic surface at the Victoria Stadium — scene of Celtic’s humiliation against Lincoln Red Imps three years ago. On Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic bow, Casciaro was one of three brothers in the Imps team as elder sibling Lee scored the game’s only goal. Predictably, Celtic comfortably overturned that deficit in the second leg by three goals in a Glasgow tie a week later. Now in his second season with St Joseph’s, Ryan recognises the need to exploit the vulnerability of visitors when conditions are in favour of the minnows. ‘The temperature is so different to Scotland, it’s a very tough pitch, the astro gets so sticky and the ball doesn’t go so fast,’ he explained. ‘We know the bounce and the stickiness, that’s a huge advantage. ‘So Rangers won’t be accustomed to that. That has a major influence on the match. In saying that, we are not accustomed to grass so the way they play fast will work against us in Glasgow. ‘If they come with the wrong attitude against people who work so hard then there is the chance. The heat is incredible. If you are not accustomed to it, then it drains you after half an hour.
‘We will defend for our lives and wait for the counter attack, I think.’
St Joseph’s took advantage of two red cards for Prishtina last Tuesday to prevail 2-0 late on against the Kosovans and set up their dream tie against Steven Gerrard’s stars.
Casciaro admits to being one of the fanatic followers of British football in his team, a Manchester United supporter with more than just grudging respect for the Rangers manager and Liverpool icon.
‘These games against Rangers are a huge bonus for us, we are so lucky to get through to this stage and face a team like Rangers — it will be an incredible experience and an honour to play against them,’ he said.
‘We all support and follow the
Yes, we’ll try to get on his back and make him do something stupid
English and Scottish leagues. Personally, I keep up with Scotland and have seen the way that Rangers play now with Gerrard in charge.
‘Since Gerrard took over, you can see they’re competing against Celtic, whereas in past years it’s not been that way. They’ve improved massively.
‘Celtic had been on a different level for years but now you can see Rangers closing the gap.
‘I am a Manchester United fan but obviously you have to admire someone like Steven Gerrard. What he’s done for Liverpool and England makes him one of the greats of world football.
‘I can’t talk badly about him. Anywhere he goes, Liverpool fans will follow him and here in Gibraltar we have a lot of Liverpool fans who will come out in numbers to support Gerrard.
‘I just hope they will still be loyal want St Joseph’s to win!’
Casciaro, who played in both heavy Euro 2016 qualifying defeats to Scotland, has famous shirts as souvenirs from his outings against Scottish opposition.
He grabbed Moussa Dembele’s top from the Champions League qualifier at Celtic Park, hat-trick hero Steven Fletcher handed over his shirt at Hampden after a 6-1 win for Gordon Strachan’s side and Shaun Maloney’s jersey is the momento from the return game in Faro.
The secret to snaring the shirts of top attacking players? ‘I’m normally knackered so, after 90 minutes, it’s the one that’s beside me I go for!’
If Casciaro’s plan for Morelos works a treat this week, he won’t be on speaking terms with the Colombian to be able to pop the question on Tuesday night.