Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Rangers striker Cedric Itten looking forward to playing at "special" Fir Park

sportsmole.co.uk, 16 January 2021, 10:20

Cedric Itten had never seen a team line up without a striker before Motherwell tried it last month.

But the Rangers striker says he is ready to break through the Steelmen's massed ranks all over again if new boss Graham Alexander takes a leaf out of Stephen Robinson's controversial tactic book.

The Swiss forward came to Gers' rescue last month as Well threatened to heap more frustration on Steven Gerrard 's team following their only defeat of the season so far.

Four days on from being dumped out of the Betfred Cup by St Mirren, the Light Blues found themselves a goal down at home to Robinson's side despite the fact the visitors were lining up in a bizarre 5-5-0 formation.

But Rangers refused to panic and Itten's close-range header put the runaway league leaders in front late on after Kemar Roofe had equalised.

While Gers went on to win the game 3-1 and continue their seemingly relentless march towards the title, Well have been forced to bring in former Scotland defender Alexander after Robinson resigned following a nine-game run without a win.

Now former St Gallen striker Itten is looking to heap fresh misery on Well this Sunday as he returns to Fir Park, the scene of his first two strikes for Rangers back in September.

Recalling last month's showdown, the 24-year-old said: "It was a little bit different.

"I've never played against a block like that before.

"The players here told me that usually it's not that (many) in the block - but against Motherwell it was a five-five block.

"So it was really different, but I was just happy that we could break the block at the end and win the game.

"I always looking forward to every game, but Motherwell is now a good team for me and hopefully I can play well against them on Sunday and maybe even score.

"It's good memories and for sure it can help if you go out with good feelings on the pitch.

"Fir Park was a little bit special for me. It was where I scored my first goal for Rangers and I'm really looking forward to playing there on Sunday."

Alexander kicked off his Lanarkshire reign with a 1-1 draw away to St Mirren last week and Gerrard expects to see the former Fleetwood boss take a different approach to his predecessor.

He said: "A manager always goes in and looks to put his own stamp on things.

"Normally you get a bit of a bounce and a boost and you galvanise your players and people normally get a fresh start.

"I'm not sure how they saw their result against St Mirren, but to go away from home in this league and get a point seems like a positive result for a start.

"I'm sure they will be doing everything they can to derail us and be the first team to beat us from a league point of view.

"So we expect a tough challenge. We'll certainly respect a new manager going in and things being slightly different. We have to be ready to adapt to whatever is throw at us.

"But our focus and our preparation has been majority on us and where we're at to get the three points."

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs.