Rangers: Gerrard must unleash Kemar Roofe vs Motherwell | OneFootball

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·19 September 2021

Rangers: Gerrard must unleash Kemar Roofe vs Motherwell

Article image:Rangers: Gerrard must unleash Kemar Roofe vs Motherwell

Rangers face Motherwell at Ibrox in the Premiership today as they attempt to bounce back from a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Ligue 1 side Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The loss ended a run of six games without defeat in all competitions, with Steven Gerrard’s team having won five of their last six going into the match.


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They now come up against a strong Motherwell outfit who have started the season well. Graham Alexander has led his men to three wins, one draw and one defeat in five league matches thus far.

Gerrard lined up with Joe Aribo out on the right wing against Lyon and the change in personnel did not work in his favour. The former Charlton man gave away possession 12 times, lost seven of his 10 ground duels and only completed one key pass all game.

This is why the Rangers head coach must now drop Aribo in order to unleash ex-Leeds forward Kemar Roofe on Motherwell.

Should Roofe start?

Yes

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No

Article image:Rangers: Gerrard must unleash Kemar Roofe vs Motherwell

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The 28-year-old has already scored two goals from two starts in the Premiership this season and netted 14 goals from 18 starts last term. This shows that he is a proven goalscorer at this level and is a player who can be relied upon in front of goal.

Aside from being a threat with the ball, Gerrard also once said that Roofe is a handful for opponents to deal with when fit due to his exceptional work rate out of possession.

The manager said: “Touch wood he stays fit and if he does then he will be a real handful at this level. He works his socks off, he does everything out of possession that you ask of him, he is clever and bright and he can create and score. He has got the mentality that I really like.”

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This shows how the £26k-per-week attacker can be a match-winner for Rangers. He can hassle defenders and force turnovers with his work rate, whilst also providing a regular supply of goals, as shown by his league record for the club. At the end of the day, goals win you games and Roofe has shown that he can score them regularly in the Premiership – making him a potential match-winner for the Gers.

Gerrard must now unleash him against Motherwell and demote Aribo to the bench if he is not going to move him back into central midfield. Hopefully Roofe will be able to showcase his quality and help the Gers to the three points today.

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