When a striker is in and out of the team it can be hard to build up any sort of rythm, scoring goals isn’t as easy as Ally McCoist used to make it look.
Cedric Itten arrived having scored plenty of goals in a decent league and still found himself third and sometimes fourth on the pecking order, having to make do with the last five to ten minutes of games or starting the early rounds of the cups.
An unsuccessful loan spell in the Bundesliga for a side that was always going to be battling relegation has seen him recalled but many thought that he would be an ideal addition to the squad given the shape and style of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team, including Alan Hutton, as told to Football Insider:
“Out on loan he only scored two, so that will have been difficult,
“But with Morelos getting called up, Defoe leaving – it was a good opportunity to bring him back and have a look at him for Van Bronckhorst.
“The Stirling Albion game was one where he perhaps should have been the standout player. In terms of that game, it looked like he was trying a bit too hard.
“That’s understandable, he’s just back from a loan spell and trying to impress. He did well and got the goal.
“When he was playing under Gerrard, he was asked to do different jobs which I don’t think suited him.
“Van Bronckhorst likes to play with a focal point, and I think that could be a better fit. It’s a big opportunity for him.”
Unfortunately, it looks like he is going to find himself at third or fourth choice again, he’s now had three games in a row from the start for the first time in his Rangers career and only managed one goal against Stirling Albion, his performances against Livingston and Ross County not doing himself any favours at all.
Whether he is trying too hard or lacking confidence it’s not quite clear but, trying to take a touch when there is an opportunity to get a shot off will only end one way in the Scottish Premiership – teams tend not to give Rangers strikers much space in the box as it is.
Itten should be a good fit but he’s just not performed as many expected him to as the central striker, he could easily have had a goal in each game and been the favourite to lead the line against Celtic on Wednesday, as it is, he’ll have to be content with a place on the bench – it was a big enough surprise to see him starting in Dingwall, I wouldn’t want to see the reaction of the fans if he starts at Parkhead.