Rangers Hitman Alfredo Morelos Is More Than Just A Streetfighter
I’m never one for comparisons or debates on who is better. We’ve seen it a lot recently in Scotland with supporters and pundits discussing who is the more accomplished striker: Alfredo Morelos or Odsonne Edouard?
Personally I like watching both strikers and I appreciate having the duo doing their stuff in The Scottish Premiership.
This week former Celtic forward Charlie Nicholas stated that Edouard lacked a street fighting quality Alfredo possessed:
“What Morelos has got is that bit of streetfighter in him that Edouard lacks in his game.”
Via Scottish Sun
It’s this sort of comment that disappoints me and I think it reflects badly on both players. I don’t doubt Edouard could mix it up if he really needed to.
I also think there’s a lot more to Morelos’ game than just that of a raw striker that bullies opponents.
Yes the Colombian doesn’t mind mixing it with centre-backs and he’ll put his boot in from time to time but he does more for his team than just batter opposing defenders.
The twenty-three year old is a prolific marksman. He has already banged in fifteen goals in twenty appearances this season. Some say he doesn’t score in the bigger games (He hasn’t scored against Celtic) but he’s grabbed ten Europa League strikes for Rangers in eleven outings this season. Very important ones too!
He also scores a variety of different types of goals. Alfredo doesn’t let misses get to him and he can remain cool under pressure.
He proved that last night with his superb goal against FC Porto. Left-back Borna Barisic did well going down the flank and picking out a great cross into the box. Morelos expertly peeled off his marker and then controlled the cross before driving the ball beyond the onrushing Porto goalkeeper. It really was a terrific finish. It all happened just when his team needed him to step up and find a goal!
The Colombian international has constantly worked on his game since arriving in Glasgow a few summers ago.
His build up play has vastly improved, he works hard and he’s a constant option for teammates. Alfredo also makes runs to wide positions freeing up space for fellow Gers attackers. He can also create for others, he’s made five assists for teammates this season.
The forward has also calmed down this year. There’s no doubt that his disciplinary record was woeful last term. But you can see that Morelos has more focus to his game and isn’t lashing out as much. He’s still fiery and he loves a moan but you don’t want to take that right out of his game as he feeds on that passion (Much like Barry Ferguson did at Ibrox before him)!
It’s important that he has a manager that believes in him and that will make him better. He has that in Steven Gerrard, who absolutely adores him:
“Tonight you saw his importance to me and Rangers. Tonight, he again showed the reason why we have to keep him here.
“For us to be successful moving forward, he’s a key component.”
Via The Daily Record
I actually think Alfredo Morelos is a lot smarter than people give him credit for. He makes great runs off the ball and those runs lead to him finding space at the right time to score goals. Last night instead of getting goaded into a battle with veteran defender Pepe, Morelos stuck closer to Spaniard Ivan Marcano and he gave the centre-half a torrid time.
Morelos isn’t the finished article. He can still make sloppy passes and he can work more on his first touch but as I’ve already said he’s a player that is willing to work hard to improve his game. It’s that intelligence and fortitude he has that shows us that we shouldn’t box him up as just a warrior or a streetfighter, he can be so much more than that and already is more than that at Rangers!
Posted on October 25th, 2019 by scott
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