Rangers manager Philippe Clement has praised the progress made by striker Cyriel Dessers in recent months, but says the Nigeria international needs to work on becoming a “killer.”
Dessers has been an important player for Rangers this season, with his goals keeping the club in the hunt for both league and cup glory. On Sunday, Dessers was once again the hero as the Gers defeated Hearts to book their place in the final of the Scottish Cup.
The 29-year-old opened the scoring in the fifth minute to put Clement’s side in the driving seat and made it 2-0 in the second half as Rangers set up a blockbuster final against arch-rivals Celtic.
Despite scoring two goals on the day, Dessers could’ve added more, but for his poor decision-making in the final third. The former Cremonese forward had an opportunity to grab a hat-trick against Hearts late in the game but decided to pass to Fabio Silva, who made a mess of the chance.
Dessers: A work in progress at 29
Clement was impressed with what he saw from Dessers but pointed out a few areas that the striker could improve on. The Rangers manager said the Nigerian works hard, is always fit and scores goals.
He was, however, quick to add that Dessers was too nice and needed to add the killer instinct to his game to become the complete striker. Referencing the forward’s decision to square the ball to Silva when he was in a better position to shoot, the Rangers boss said Dessers must be a bit more selfish in such situations.
“He’s too nice – as a person and sometimes in the duels as well. It was better today. He kept the ball, was strong and scored good goals. But there is work to do on being more of a killer but if you see the progress he’s made in the last six months,” Clement said in his post-match press conference, as quoted by Glasgow World.
“He’s honest, he works really hard for the team, he doesn’t have injuries, he plays a lot of minutes and he’s getting stronger and stronger in the duels. He’s scoring a lot of goals now also.
“Can he make more goals? Yes, but I don’t know any striker in the world who takes every chance. Can he be more (selfish)? I think in the end, it was better to shoot himself, but he’s giving everything for the team and that is a really important quality.”
Dessers one strike away from reaching 20 goals
Meanwhile, Dessers’ double against Hearts was his 18th and 19th goals of the season and he’s now just a goal strike from reaching the 20-goal mark. Although the striker’s all-round play has often been criticised, he still guarantees goals whenever he plays.
The Nigeria international has also provided eight assists in all competitions this season and could cross 30 goal contributions by the time the campaign comes to an end. Dessers and Rangers are currently three points behind Celtic in the league and have a good chance of dethroning their rivals.
The two giants will also be facing off in the final of the Scottish Cup on May 25. Dessers would, however, be relishing the prospect of facing Celtic again, having played the full 90 when Rangers held the Hoops to a 3-3 draw on April 7.
The former Genk forward did not score in that game but set up one of the goals as Rangers came from behind to snatch a draw in the Old Firm Derby. For a player in his debut season, Dessers’ numbers have been great but his wastefulness and poor decision-making in front of goal often sharply divide opinion among Rangers fans.
