Rabbi Matondo scouted: Rangers' new shot-happy winger with electric pace

Jude Bellingham and Jaden Sancho are the headline examples and while Rabbi Matondo’s career hasn’t followed the same trajectory, there are plenty of reasons for the Rangers support to be excited about his arrival.

Matondo has joined Rangers from FC Schalke, representing an exciting piece of business. Aged just 21, having moved to Germany from Manchester City in 2019 for a reported £11.3million and recently enjoyed a promising season in the Belgian top-flight, the club have purchased a player ready to realise his potential.

He will be attracted by the platform on offer at Ibrox, as demonstrated by Nathan Patterson and Joe Aribo’s recent moves to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the club have secured a player of real quality who could address Giovanni van Bronckhorst's right-winger requirement, depending on how the Dutchman deploys his new recruit.

What type of player is Matondo?

The new arrival is capable of starting across the forward line, having played from the left, right and centrally during his time at Schalke and during loans with Stoke City and Cercle Brugge.

During his first season in Germany, 2019/20, the youngster’s heatmap demonstrates near-equal activity on the right and left.

He predominantly played from the right while at Stoke in 2021, as shown by the heat map from his six-month loan spell.

Contrastingly, involvement in Belgium last season largely derived from the left.

There’s no questioning the player’s versatility and having played for three clubs in three years early on in his career, it should come as no surprise that a definitive position is yet to be established.

Ryan Kent offers a good case study. Nobody would question his role as a left-winger now but prior to his arrival at Ibrox, the former Liverpool youngster had endured spells on the right at previous clubs.

With that being said, what are Matondo’s strengths? Statistics from his year in Belgium define him as a pacey ball-carrier who shoots more than he crosses and spends a fair amount of his game in the opposition penalty box.

Last season, he scored nine goals from 7.68xG (expected goals) and provided two assists from an xA (expected assists) of 3.84. While he underperformed his creative numbers, his output shows him to be a winger more concerned with scoring than facilitating. 

Comparing his output with other attackers in the Pro League solidifies this view.

Matondo averaged 3.04 shots per 90 last season, the 14th highest total, and 2.05 crosses per 90, the 33rd highest total.

Additionally, he attempted 8.51 dribbles per 90, the fifth-highest total, and 3.58 progressive runs, the ninth-highest total.

Clearly, the Liverpool-born attacker excels when carrying the ball and his favoured method of ball progression is dribbling. His deliveries into the penalty area last season reflect this fact, with the type of byline crosses Kent favours largely absent.

Whether off the right, left or centrally, he demonstrates attributes in this area that adds a new dimension to van Bronckhorst’s current pool of options.

Where will he play?  

Matondo is unlikely to usurp Kent, unless the Englishman departs this summer. As such, it’s important to consider how he could fulfil the left and right-sided attacking roles at Rangers.

Van Bronckhorst started with two high and wide wingers after assuming control last season, however, earlier this year the Dutchman introduced a hybrid role on the right, to accommodate the forward movement of James Tavernier and cover the lack of a Kent replica. 

That means, generally speaking, Rangers’ left-winger hugs the touchline, providing width with the full-back moving inside.

Whereas on the right, the winger is required to occasionally provide width if the full-back moves infield…

...And at other times, drop inside the pitch when the full-back remains wide.

As will be explained below, Matondo possesses the necessary skill set to fulfil both duties.

The right-sided hybrid role

Firstly, drawing largely on his time at Stoke as well as using examples from Belgium, how could Matondo address Rangers’ much-discussed right-wing problem?

By basic process of elimination, Kent, Fashion Sakala and now Tom Lawrence can all play from the left, meaning a role ahead of Tavernier may be Matondo’s most likely avenue into the first team.

Firstly, the winger’s breathtaking pace allows him to spring beyond defenders even when that route is his only option. Played in behind during a clash with Nottingham Forest below, his straight-line acceleration enables him to cut across his man, who is unable to even stop him with his hands.

A poor final ball, a somewhat concerningly-repetitive trait, fails to exploit the initial burst. Playing his pass along the white line rather than the yellow-indicated options.

Given his cutting pace, Matondo’s markers nearly always over-compensate for this dash on the outside. Meaning, the attacker can often dart infield having committed the defender’s body weight to cover a run down the line.

Later in the same game shown as above, Matondo fronts up his marker who anticipates another run down the line and adjusts his body accordingly.

Instead, Matondo uses the presumption to his advantage and given his pace, is able to eat up a considerable amount of ground inside the pitch extremely quickly. Making it all the way into the penalty box before laying the ball back to a teammate.

That’s what you call a progressive carry!

Later on, another defender is sold on the outside while Matondo dribbles infield. Again, notice the body shape of the Nottingham Forrest defender, who is completely sold on the outside run.

Before half time this remarkable progression is on show again as Matondo picks the ball up outside his box and beats four highlighted opponents prior to slipping in his teammate.

His one-v-one ability is extremely impressive given his speed of movement while the Welsh international has a tendency to evade tackles and beat players individually.

When players receive the ball by the touchline, both the attacking and defensive team have an opportunity. The defender can be aggressive in their attempt to regain the ball, given the attacker’s movement is limited by the touchline.

The attacker can take advantage of this aggression to break beyond a man and attack the defence.

This is something Matondo does very well, in both examples below he not only evades pressure, but uses it to his benefit by beating his man and attacking space.

As mentioned, van Bronckhorst moved away from his two touchline-hugging wingers seemingly due to the players he had available and Tavernier’s overlapping tendency. Matondo’s final ball lacks the quality of Kent and as such, this hybrid role, which allows him to also drift infield, could prove well suited to his credentials. 

Not only does it allow him to isolate his one-v-one threat wide on occasion, it should also enable Matondo to create valuable central overloads like in the example below where he receives, beats two men to enter the penalty box and create a valuiable crossing opportunity.

Touchline-hugging and midfield running

If Matondo was viewed as a replacement for Kent, his impressive season from that position in Belgium last year should offer encouragement.

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If he were to fulfil this role under van Bronckhorst, it would require him to use his weaker left foot on occasion, unlike Kent who is equally capable with both feet. However, unlike Kent, the new arrival is more effective when cutting inside and shooting on his right foot, as demonstrated by the location of his goals last season.

In this example, Kent would be far more likely to follow the yellow line and cross on his left foot, however Matondo possesses the speed to jink inside and shoot on his right foot.

While often starting wide, much of Matondo’s involvement when starting of the left came infield, given his team were a mid-table side and therefore often playing in transition.

This fact feeds further into the theory that Rangers are acquiring him with a right-sided central role in mind. He appears stronger on the right touchline than the left, given the player is comfortable coming infield onto his strong foot or cutting around the outside when playing from the former flank.

Granted freedom from the left side, Matondo was very dangerous for Brugge. In this scenario, he’s drifted into the centre and carries the ball, committing three men using body feints at high speed prior to testing the keeper.

Below is one final example of a lung-busting, tackle-evading run that takes Matondo’s side considerably closer to goal.

The decision making at the end of Matondo’s runs often leaves plenty to be desired, with erratic shots from outside the area not uncommon. However at 21, this can be refined. Just as Rangers academy product Alex Lowry must choose when to play a pass that risks a turnover, Matondo must finesse his decision making, knowing when to lay off the ball instead of attacking another defender. 

A goal that demonstrate the value of the Welshman’s tendency to drift infield can be found below. Against Mechelen he drops off to receive from the wing, plays a give-and-go before using his pace to sear in behind the backline and score.

Will he be a success? 

Questions of course remain about the signing. Given Matondo can sometimes overrun the ball or dribble with his head down, how will he fare against the concentrated spaces Rangers are faced with in Scotland? And if he does play from the right, can he replicate his goal threat displayed from the opposite flank in Belgium?

For those unknowns, there exists definitive truths that should excite the Rangers support. In this writer’s opinion, Matondo could excel from the right under van Bronckhorst, particularly given his comfort going both ways when playing from his favoured foot. Infact, it’s not uncommon when watching clips from last season to see Bruggee take a short free-kick in the winger’s direction, such is the trust in his one-v-one ability.

While Matondo is not the most potent of creators, Tavernier will provide from the same flank and Kent’s underlying creative numbers shot up in the second half of last season on the opposing side.

Rangers need goals and direct players to take advantage of the space the more direct football in place at Ibrox creates and Matondo should provide that. For the fee and given the context, this deal has the possibility to be hugely successful for Rangers.