Juninho Bacuna was handed a first start in the Premiership for Rangers last weekend, and he took his opportunity. Scoring one goal and playing the assisting pass for Ryan Kent’s wonder-strike, the Curacaoan played a key role in the 4-2 win over Ross County at Ibrox. The performance excited the fans, and will no doubt make Steven Gerrard’s selection process that bit more difficult in the coming weeks.
Gerrard was not backwards coming forwards when talking about his new signing when the deal was done back in August. “He is a really big talent, everyone should be really excited and looking forward to seeing him play,” the manager said. “We have to be patient with him, but he just needs the right support around him...to keep progressing.”
Three months and some brief appearances later, mostly from the bench, Bacuna was finally given room to live up to Gerrard’s words. Against Ross County, currently sat bottom of the Premiership table, Rangers needed all of the creativity and guile they could pack into their midfield, and the 24-year-old was visibly keen to impress from the get-go.
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While right-footed, one of the first things Bacuna demonstrated was that he can play comfortably off his left too. No matter what angle the County pressure came from, he was able to get his pass away and keep possession moving at a good tempo. He also worked brilliantly in combination with others, particularly Ianis Hagi, to take opponents out of the game.
In the 34th minute, Bacuna showed this combination play, along with a good amount of flair. Receiving inside-left, he stuttered as if to pass wide, opening his opponent’s stance before nutmegging him to find Fashion Sakala.
Rather than admire his work, the ex-Huddersfield man was on the move, looking for the return. When he got it, he cut inside onto his right foot and shot from outside the box. It didn’t threaten the goalkeeper much, but it showed his intent.
Bacuna did this constantly throughout the game, combining his way around Ross County midfielders to hit space behind them. He always wanted to get forward and make something happen. Eventually, all of this led to a goal.
There was an element of deception involved, as Bacuna looked up as if to pass backwards, drawing a County defender out of position before slipping a reverse ball into Joe Aribo. He ran onto the return, set himself, and lashed a shot past Ashley Maynard-Brewer to make it 3-1 Rangers.
Some of what Bacuna tried didn’t pay off. Every now and then he would misplace a pass, or run the ball out of play. But he was playing with the creativity Rangers rely on to break down organised defensive blocks, and he showed enough quality in the final third to make up for the odd error.
On top of his goal, he played some devilish whipped crosses towards the back post area. These balls were played with pace, bend and dip, just asking to be attacked. This is the sort of final ball from midfield that Rangers can mix in when combination play around the penalty box isn’t working out.
Overall, Bacuna’s full Ibrox debut was a positive showing. He didn’t shy away in front of the big crowd, carving his own unique imprint on the game. While still early days, there is now enough information to compare him to his positional rivals, and consider what he adds to the team.
A playmaker who takes risks, there is still an air of inconsistency about Bacuna’s game. Most of what he does works, but some of it doesn’t. That inconsistency means he will need to produce regular goals and assists to earn serious minutes. Fellow attacking midfielders Joe Aribo, Ianis Hagi and Scott Arfield should be his benchmark in this regard.
In 5983 minutes of Premiership action for Rangers, Arfield has scored 21 goals and assisted 11. Aribo has scored 13 and assisted 11 in 5749 minutes, while Hagi has hit nine and set up a further 10 in 3174 minutes. Hagi is the most productive on a per-90 basis, averaging 0.54 goal contributions. Behind him is Arfield with 0.48, then Aribo on 0.38.
Bacuna got a goal and an assist at the weekend, but his 180 Premiership minutes so far is simply too small a sample size to compare him accurately to the above trio. However, in his two seasons of English Championship football with Huddersfield he played over 6000 minutes, averaging 0.22 goal contributions per 90.
That means, roughly, he was scoring or setting up one goal every five matches. Of course, Arfield is 33 years old and is no longer relied upon to start every game. But those numbers will need to improve if Bacuna is to take a position away from Hagi or Aribo.
It may sound harsh, but this is the reality of playing for the Rangers team Steven Gerrard has built. Competition for places is intense, and few players are guaranteed to start.
Tactics also play a part. Gerrard has traditionally employed two more conservative midfielders in his 4-3-3: Glen Kamara plus one, whether that be Steven Davis, Ryan Jack or John Lundstram. The job for this pair is to lock the game down, both through defensive pressure and clean passing.
The other midfielder is tasked with joining the front three. Arfield used to be the main man here, making runs off of Morelos. But now the role falls to Aribo or Hagi. And even if one of those two starts in the frontline, as is sometimes Gerrard’s preference, the other can take the attacking midfield role.
Right now, Bacuna must fight for his place. In a way, though, this could be a good thing. Like Hagi did before him, he can adjust gradually to the high standards at Rangers. What became clear against Ross County is that he has the raw talent to be a difference-maker.
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