Rangers hammered Marseille 4-0 at Ibrox on Sunday.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has told The Scottish Sun that he thought Daniel Candeias was ‘outstanding’ against Marseille on Sunday – but wishes he’d been him play more like that in the last year.
The Gers were back in action at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon as Marseille came to town in a game which was set up to show just where Rangers are at right now.
Remarkably, Rangers turned in another 4-0 win just days after beating St Joseph’s by the same scoreline, but beating a team of Marseille’s calibre so easy has turned heads.
Candeias struck twice in the first half to put Rangers 2-0 up, before Connor Goldson and Jermain Defoe added second half goals to wrap up a 4-0 win.
It was particularly important for Candeias to make a real impact. The Portuguese wide man was left out of Rangers’ squad to face St Joseph’s, not for injury or suspension, merely selection issues.
With Sheyi Ojo and Jake Hastie – two right-sided wingers – signed up this summer, some had wondered whether Candeias may be the odd man out at Ibrox, two years since Pedro Caixinha brought him to Ibrox.
He hit back in style on Sunday though, and Gerrard praised him for an ‘outstanding’ display, believing that was the best 45 minutes he’s seen from Candeias – even if it was only a friendly.
Gerrard added that he wishes he’d seen this kind of display more regularly from Candeias, and added that he’s trying to raise the bar for everyone, including the Portuguese wide man after a ‘decent’ season.
“He was outstanding for the 45 minutes he was on the pitch. That’s not a surprise,” said Gerrard. “I have been around Daniel for 12 months now. I wish I’d seen more of that on a consistent basis. That was probably the best 45 minutes I’ve seen from him. You have to take into account it was a pre-season friendly.”
“It’s impossible to pick everyone in squads of 22, 18 or the starting 11. People are going to be upset when they are left out. Of course, you expect them to be professional and give you the right reaction. But it wasn’t a surprise. Daniel is a great professional, he is in first every morning. He is robust and always available. He had a decent season for me last year, he scored a handful of goals and provided a handful of assists. But I’m always trying to raise the bar. I’m looking for players in those positions to get double figures in terms of those numbers and that’s the challenge for all of them,” he added.
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