The Moore/Curtis chat always seems to get framed like Rangers have to pick one and park the other on the bench. I don’t really buy that. There’s a set-up where both can be on the pitch, and it might actually make us look a bit less predictable in the final third.
Moore’s best work comes off the striker
For me, Moore looks most effective when he’s not pinned to a touchline. Give him that free role in behind the striker and you start seeing what he’s about. He can drift, pop up in pockets, and he’s got the engine to cover the messy bits of the pitch where games are often won and lost.
That space between the two wings is massive at this level, especially when teams sit in. You need someone who can shuttle over, offer a short pass, and then drive beyond it. If the striker is holding it up and bringing bodies into the play, that’s where Moore can attack the gaps. Not just standing waiting for it either, but arriving with intent.
Where Curtis fits, and what he still needs
Curtis can play that same central role as well, and you can see why it might appeal to him. It keeps him close to goal, gives him freedom to come inside, and lets him influence play without always starting from deep.
But I do have a wee question mark over the engine side of it. That role isn’t glamorous. It’s repeat runs, covering for your wide men when they go, pressing the first pass, then doing it again. Curtis might get there, but it feels like something he still needs to grow into rather than it being his ready-made job every week.
If you want the simple fit right now, the left wing suits him. From what I’ve seen, he’s better there, cutting inside and making defenders turn. It’s a natural lane for him.
The knock-on effect out wide
Then you’re talking Skov Olsen on the right. That’s your balance. A left-sided player who wants to come in, a right-sided player who can hold width or come inside depending on the phase, and Moore connecting it all from that inside channel.
Of course, it squeezes others. If you’re building a front four with Moore, Curtis and Skov Olsen all getting minutes, the likes of Gassama, Antman and Bajrami become harder to place. And truth is, that might be fine. If the money’s right and offers come in, Rangers probably have to be ruthless and accept that not everyone can be kept happy or even kept involved.
It’s not about writing players off. It’s about making the attacking unit make sense as a whole.
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