Rangers boss Steven Gerrard says maturity is taking Alfredo Morelos to new heights

The road travelled by Rangers and Alfredo Morelos from flaky combatants to disciplined pace-setters these past seven months began with tempers that frayed just once too often according to manager Steven Gerrard.
Rangers' Alfredo Morelos shields the ball from Christophe Berra during last season's match against Hearts at Tynecastle. Picture: SNSRangers' Alfredo Morelos shields the ball from Christophe Berra during last season's match against Hearts at Tynecastle. Picture: SNS
Rangers' Alfredo Morelos shields the ball from Christophe Berra during last season's match against Hearts at Tynecastle. Picture: SNS

Whatever happens at Celtic Park this afternoon, the Ibrox club will have the opportunity to end the weekend on top of the Premiership when they face Hearts in Edinburgh tomorrow when they will be spearheaded by a Morelos who yesterday was handed his first player of the month award.

For Gerrard, named manager of the month for leading the Ibrox men to the summit of the top flight, Rangers and Morelos are benefiting from having learned harsh lessons about the need to retain their composure. The tipping point he considers came with the 2-1 defeat by Celtic in March last season. That afternoon, Morelos was sent off for elbowing Scott Brown, Andy Halliday shown a red card immediately following the final whistle, and Ryan Kent later handed a two-match suspension for lashing out at the Celtic captain.

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Across Gerrard’s first season in charge, Morelos was shown red five times - one later rescinded – with his team collecting 12 in total. That contrasts with the red card shown to Jordan Jones in the derby loss last month being the only one suffered by the Ibrox men this season.

Alfredo Morelos with the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month award for September. Picture: Ross Parker/SNSAlfredo Morelos with the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month award for September. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS
Alfredo Morelos with the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month award for September. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

“It wasn’t just that red card [for Alfredo Morelos] but it was about us as a group. There was Ryan’s incident as well and it was a case of enough’s enough,” said the former Liverpool and England captain. “I think we lost control too many times last year. It wasn’t acceptable and it was my responsibility to address it and improve that as a group. That’s what we strive to do and the players are buying in to it.

“That’s not to say we will be perfect. There will be times when yellow cards happen and I’m sure someone will make a mistake along the way. But we needed to show a vast improvement to last season over discipline.”

Morelos has not simply stepped up his game over the issue of self-restraint but when it comes selflessness. His value to Rangers cannot be measured simply in the currency of goals but his willingness to put his shoulder to the wheel for his team-mates, which hasn’t prevented the 23-year-old bagging 14 goals, while the man who shares central striker duties, Jermain Defoe, has netted 12 times.

“It’s not a surprise he’s been rewarded. It’s fantastic for him,” said Gerrard. “He deserves it. He’s been hot in front of goal, scoring heavily. He and Jermain have been in sensational form. Alfredo has evolved under us as a staff and with this group of players. He’s listening and taking tactical information on board more.

“At times when we first came in we saw a player who played for himself. He’s been much more thoughtful about the team and his responsibilities, being more accountable. We’ve seen a maturity on and off the pitch in the last four or five months and it’s been reflected in his 
performances.”

Even in facing up to a Hearts side that Rangers have beaten in each of their past seven meetings, Gerrard preaches caution about staying ahead of their title rivals Celtic over the weekend, having hit the front before the international break. A development he said he wasn’t seeking to “play down”.

“We’re happy to be there and we need to enjoy being there,” he said. “But we’re in October, there’s tons of football to play. We know the teams below aren’t going to go away. We’re there to be shot at, and there’ll be many more twists and turns.

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“It’s important to be respectful and humble and realise we’re going to have to work even harder to stay there. That’s got to be the challenge for us, to forget everybody else talking about it and focus on the next challenge and that’s going to Tynecastle.

“The fans are right on top of you, the energy and the atmosphere means you never feel like you’re out of pressure there. It’s a small, tight pitch and Hearts never go away. The two times we’ve been there we’ve played ever so well but they’ve fought right till the end. They don’t let you breathe.

“So we’re expecting another tough game. They’ve turned their corner in terms of getting a big win against Hibs, which was obviously well needed from their point of view and which has given them a bit of confidence and a bit of belief.

“I’m sure they’ll try to build on that with a result against us so we have to be ready for the challenge. I don’t think the challenge is how it looks on paper in terms of where the teams are in the league [with Hearts ninth]. I think it’ll be a lot tougher than that.”