Glasgow Rangers made it four wins in succession in all competitions with a comfortable 3-0 win over Ross County away from Ibrox on Sunday.
The Light Blues are now unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions, winning six of those, and head into next Sunday’s League Cup final clash with Celtic with confidence.
It has been an impressive run of form after it had looked like Philippe Clement was on the verge of losing his job at Ibrox, following the defeat to Aberdeen at the end of October.
Football Insider reported on the 1st of November that the Belgian head coach was ‘one match’ away from being relieved of his duties, due to the team’s poor start to the campaign.
The outlet claimed that the board were left surprised by the club’s form and that they were prepared to part ways with the former Monaco boss if they lost another game quickly after that defeat to the Dons.
Instead, Rangers are unbeaten in the eight games since that loss and the form over several players has played a key part in that, including Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi.
Hamza Igamane's form for Rangers
The Morocco U23 international did not score in his first nine appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues but has emerged as a star in recent weeks for the Scottish giants.
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He has found the back of the net four times in his last four appearances in all competitions, with his latest coming in the 3-0 win over Ross County.
Jefte passed the ball to the versatile forward, who started on the left flank, on the edge of the box and Igamane unleashed a powerful shot that took a slight deflection and looped into the top right corner, to put the Gers 1-0 up on the day.
That came after he scored a goal and created a ‘big chance’ in the 6-0 win over Kilmarnock in his previous outing in the Premiership for Rangers, which means that he has two goals in his last two games.
His breakthrough performance in a Light Blues shirt came before those two matches, however, as the summer signing caught the eye with his terrific display against Nice in the Europa League.
Igamane scored two goals, the second of which was a terrific solo run and finish, and provided an assist in the 4-1 win for Rangers in France.
These statistics show that he has offered a big threat at the top end of the pitch for the Gers and played a big role in the recent success for the team, by causing opposition defences constant problems with his quality as both a scorer and a creator.
Ianis Hagi, meanwhile, has come in from the cold to also play a part in the Rangers revival under Clement, both as a midfielder and as a winger.
Ianis Hagi's form for Rangers this season
The Romania international started the season in the B team as he had a clause in his contract that would have seen him earn a pay rise after more appearances in the first-team.
It was reported that pressure from the board and from several senior players in the squad led to the issue being resolved and Hagi being restored to the squad.
The 26-year-old midfielder recorded an assist against St. Johnstone on his return to action in October, only to be sent off for a late challenge later in that match.
Since the November international break, Hagi has returned to the team and made his presence felt with a string of impressive performances, whilst being selected in a deep-lying midfield role, as a number ten, and on the wing.
Starts
3
Key passes
8
Assists
2
Shots
11
Duels won
14
As you can see in the table above, the Romanian wizard, who can take corners with his left or right foot, has produced 19 key passes and shots in just three starts over the last four games.
This shows that he is constantly popping up in the final third to make things happen for Rangers by taking risks with the ball and being inventive.
Whilst Igamane and Hagi have been excellent in recent weeks for the Ibrox giants, the real hero saving Clement’s job at the minute is Brazilian centre-forward Danilo.
Why Danilo is saving Clement's job
The former Feyenoord striker has missed a whopping 46 matches through injury since the start of last season and his injury issues prevented him from being a regular option for the manager at the start of this term.
Cyriel Dessers had been leading the line for Rangers with mixed success. The Nigeria international has scored six goals in 14 appearances in the Premiership and struggled with the pace of the game.
Danilo is more mobile than the former Serie A marksman and that means that he offers more to Rangers with his all-round game, because he can close down defenders and the goalkeeper, as well as providing a threat in behind to make defenders second guess what he is going to do.
His work in the pressing game was on full display against Ross County as he closed down the goalkeeper and got the block in before tapping into an empty net to make it 2-0.
Appearances
6
14
Minutes per game
42
61
Goals
3
6
Shots per game
3.5
1.9
Shots on target per game
1.7
0.9
Touches per game
23.5
16.9
Big chances created
3
2
As you can see in the table above, Danilo has made a far greater impact at the top end of the pitch in comparison to Dessers in his limited time on the pitch.
Despite averaging almost 20 fewer minutes per game, the Brazilian marksman is averaging more shots, more shots on target, more touches, and more ‘big chances’ created per match.
This shows that the dynamic sensation is getting more involved in matches, both in the build-up and inside the box, and that is down to his superior athleticism and technical quality, which has created a more fluid attacking set-up for the Gers to break down stubborn defences.
Rangers have won four and drawn one of the five Premiership matches he has played since returning from injury, which speaks to the impact his impressive play in the final third has had.
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Therefore, Danilo has been the real hero for Clement in recent weeks because he has come in to solve a big problem – Dessers – in the starting XI and is helping the team to thrive with his performances.