Nigeria and Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers has been surprisingly criticised by a former player of the club ahead of this weekend’s Old Firm Derby against arch-rivals Celtic.
The 29-year-old has been an important player for Philippe Clement’s side as they aim to dethrone Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.
Dessers’ goals have proved crucial in Rangers’ title push and he was once again on the scoresheet as the Gers recorded an impressive 3-1 win against Hibernian last Saturday.
Despite Dessers scoring 17 goals across all competitions and providing seven assists this season, former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday believes the forward can offer more.
Halliday, who played for the Scottish giants from 2015 to 2020, said Dessers often looks “awkward” in front of goal.
Halliday says Cyriel Dessers is frustrating to watch
Cyriel Dessers joined Rangers from Italian side Cremonense at the start of the season for a fee in the region of £4.3 million and has settled in seamlessly in the Scottish league. The Nigerian scored his debut goal for the club in just his second match, during the UEFA Champions League qualifying clash against Swiss club Servette, and has since become a fan favourite.
Halliday, however, noted that although Dessers has been a brilliant signing for Rangers this season and by extension the club’s best striker, he’s still very frustrating to watch.
Explaining his criticism of the Nigeria international, the 32-year-old cited Dessers’ movement in the attacking third and said the striker gets caught offside too often. He, however, acknowledged Dessers’ impact in Rangers’ title run and also praised his work-rate during games.
“He’s done very well, but you [Si Ferry] made out he was going to be this brilliant signing,” Halliday said on the Open Goal Podcast, as quoted by Ibrox News.
“Although for me, he is Rangers’ best striker. Dessers’ all-round game is actually good – his energy, his work-rate, his link-up play. Just, at times, he looks a bit awkward in front of goal. One thing I will say, that I think is frustrating for a player and for watching, is he gets caught offside all the time. But he has had a big impact on a lot of games.”
Rangers counting on Cyriel Dessers to win Old Firm Derby
Meanwhile, many Rangers fans will be counting on Dessers to rise to the occasion when the Gers face rivals Celtic in the Old Firm Derby.
Sunday’s game is literally a top-of-the-table clash, with Clement’s side currently just a point behind league leaders Celtic. Halliday’s criticism of Dessers, though, appears to resonate with the Rangers manager, who wants to see the striker involved more in the team’s play rather than just scoring goals.
“Impressed is not the right word with Cyriel. It’s normal, what he can do. And I think there’s still quite some margin to make with him. He’s working hard on that,” Clement said, as quoted by Rangers Review.
“For me, it’s not just the striker who has to score goals. They need to do other things for the team. Then they’ll get situations to score goals. It’s more important to have a team where everyone can score. That’s much more difficult to stop. If you have a team where one guy is scoring all the goals, they stop him and the story is finished.”
Cyriel Dessers is currently Rangers’ second top-scorer, only behind James Tavernier who has netted 22 times in all competitions this season. The Nigerian striker is, however, expected to start in Sunday’s big game against Celtic as the Gers aim to take a major step towards winning their second league title in the last decade.
