Rangers picked up their most impressive result of Steven Gerrard’s reign against Villarreal.
Rangers winger Daniel Candeias has been in and out of the starting XI so far this season due to inconsistent form, but just about did enough against Villarreal to deserve a reprieve and further opportunities moving forward.
The Light Blues earned an excellent 2-2 away draw in Spain on Thursday in the Europa League group stages and had to fight back from behind on two occasions to pick up a point.
Steven Gerrard’s side proved they belong on the European stage and they had to dig in defensively for large spells against La Liga outfit Villarreal.
Candeias, 30, did struggle to impact the match going forward after starting the game and he also left right-back James Tavernier quite exposed defensively.
The Portuguese wide man has struggled with his final product so far this season under Gerrard and is not playing with the same freedom as last year during his first campaign at Ibrox.
But he sprung into life with an assist for a Scott Arfield equaliser against Villarreal, as he picked him out in the penalty area to level the game at 1-1 at the time.
Candeias should receive a major boost from his assist and Gerrard should avoid pulling him out of the firing line because of his limitations, but instead back him to return to top form.
The 5ft 8in ace does have healthy competition in the Rangers squad for his starting position and just needs to rebuild his confidence.
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