Ex-Rangers captain Ferguson says Dessers criticism unfair

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By: Peter Akinbo

Former Glasgow Rangers captain, Barry Ferguson, has said that Cyriel Dessers has faced unfair criticisms at Rangers and he has defended the Nigerian striker, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Ferguson believes that Dessers has received exaggerated criticisms over missed chances and his link-up play this season.

However, the Nigeria international was the key man at Hampden on Sunday as his double sent Rangers into the Scottish Cup final against Celtic next month.

Ferguson was thrilled to see Dessers make the telling impact as he hailed his performance, even if the pundit stated that there were weak areas in the striker’s game.

On the Go Radio Football Show on Tuesday, Ferguson said, “I know he’s taken a fair bit of criticism, but one thing you can’t label against the big man is his effort.
“It is always there and he gives 100 per cent. He does lack some quality in terms of his link-up play and he does miss a lot of chances. But I was delighted for him getting a double.

“I think he gets unfair criticisms at times. He is not the perfect striker but he does a lot of good things for the team. I thought he was very good overall. That double takes him to 19 goals, which is a pretty decent return. He is a guy who doesn’t even start all the time, so, people need to be mindful of that.”

After his double at the National Stadium, Dessers admitted he could have played better as he branded Rangers the best team in the league.

“Today I could have played better, when you score two goals in a semi-final, you have to be happy with that, but we want more. We have six more games and everything to play for. It’s a new league starting next weekend and we know what we have to do to win the title. Hopefully, we can execute that on the pitch,” he said.

“The pressure is rising after the week we had. To do it in the big moments today against a good team, I think we are happy with the performance and result. We can look with confidence to the next games. I want more goals, I want more wins, and hopefully, more trophies as well.

“If you look at the last months, we showed what we’re capable of. It’s just the thing to find this vibe back. If we can find that rhythm back, I think we’re the best team in the league.”

Dessers has bagged 19 goals and provided eight assists in all competitions for the Scottish side this season.