Danilo made it two in two last night as his road back from injury continued. It was an excellent performance from Rangers in Dundee last night, especially going forward. It’s easily the most exciting Rangers have looked in forward areas in a long, long time.
There were distinct patterns of play, the forwards were interchanging, passing and moving, it genuinely was a joy to watch at times. It’s a struggle to remember the last time Rangers were that dominant in a game, Dundee barely got a look in.
Danilo was key to the attacking play and keeping everything moving up top. The Brazilian was full of energy and was always keen to get on the ball and link up with his team mates. The energy and pace in the front three was a breath of fresh air compared to some of the performances in recent months.
This article is looking at Danilo’s individual performance though, so let’s look at his numbers.
The Numbers
- 77 Minutes
- 1 Goal (2.07 xG)
- 9 Shots (5 on Target)
- 4 Big Chances Missed
- 9 Touches in the Opposition box
- 1 Assist
- 4 Chances Created
- 100% Dribble Success (2/2)
- 4 Recoveries
- 80% Ground Duels Won (4/5)
Apart from the goal and assist, the main thing that stands out is the ‘4 big chances missed’. That would normally be a concern but considering Danilo is just coming back from injury, he can be forgiven.
That being said, once he’s up to full fitness Rangers can’t afford him to be missing those type of chances regularly. His movement up top is what gets him those chances and he’s definitely capable of putting them away.
The number of chances created highlight how good his link up play was also. Between his first touch and ability to get his team mates involved, the front three were brilliant to watch at times.
The Eye Test
Watching the performance, it’s clear to see the difference with an active and mobile striker. Danilo is incredibly intelligent with his movement in between defenders and breaking beyond the last line of defence. This is what allowed him to get so many chances, he moves at the right time and into areas where he has space.
He looked sharp but you can tell he’s not 100% fit and needs more game time. His ability to find space and weave through the defence is exactly what Rangers have needed from a striker recently. He held the ball, passed it off and then moved into space, it’s the basics and sounds really simple but it’s something which had been lacking in recent weeks.
Again, many will look at the number of missed chances but the first encouraging thing is that Rangers are actually creating good quality chances. The second encouraging thing is that Danilo is making the runs to create the space to be available for the chances. Rangers cut through Dundee like a knife through butter many times and should have scored more.
When was the last time, as a Rangers fan, you could watch the team win 5-0 and think ‘it should have been more?’. So much of that was down to Danilo. The 24-year-old Brazilian was key to the volume and quality of chance creation. It’s no coincidence that he comes back in and Rangers click in an attacking sense.
With more minutes in his legs, the composure and more goals will come. Currently he averages 1.15 goals per90 domestically and that’s without being fully fit. It’s properly unrealistic to expect that per90 to go up but the level he’s at currently is excellent.
Danilo’s Season so Far
These are Danilo’s numbers in the Scottish Premiership this season;
- 8 Appearances (3 Starts)
- 4 Goals
- 78mins Per Goal
- 1.15 Goals Per90
- 15% Goal Conversion Rate
- 1 Assist
- 0.9 Key Passes Per Game
Obviously this is a small sample size. That being said, these numbers are superb and exactly what Rangers need from their main striker. Danilo will always get in good positions to score and also help create space for others.
His key passes and assist numbers will definitely go up throughout the season. He showed against Dundee how good he is at linking up with others. At the end of the season, when he’s scored 20+ goals, no one will remember the misses from last night. That’s the key thing, Danilo WILL score goals.
Conclusion
Rangers and Danilo were excellent last night. Had he scored one or two more of his chances, fans would be talking about one of the great recent striker performances. That’s how impactful he was on the teams performance.
The misses shouldn’t concern fans, for now at least. He still needs to get to 100%, if, after that, he’s still missing the same level of chances then it’s a different conversation. However, I don’t believe that will be the case.
How highly did you rate the teams performance last night? How impressed were you by Danilo? Are you concerned over the misses or just excited to see how he is at 100% match sharpness?
ICYMI we looked the numbers from the Hearts win here.
If you haven’t already, follow us on Twitter (X) here.