It was difficult not to sympathise with Jack Simpson, a player whose Rangers career hasn’t quite taken off yet, when his goalbound header was stolen at the last moment by Kemar Roofe as the Gers added a sixth goal in their demolition of Motherwell last weekend.
“Sorry, the back gate was open…,” Roofe jokingly apologised to the defender on Instagram. Given the nature of Roofe’s goal haul at Rangers, Simpson likely won’t be the last player he is begrudgingly forced to apologise for snatching goals away from.
If we take a closer look at his goal from Fir Park, it has Roofe’s DNA all over it. The identification of space, the off-the-ball movement while the attacker makes initial contact, and the positioning of the body during the finish.
It is three elements which have tended to distinguish Roofe’s goals as a Rangers player. Although his final season at Leeds United was of a similar nature in terms of goalscoring, the forward has shown impressive adaptability to tailor his game to the environment in which Rangers operate in, while appreciating that the searing pace which characterised his game during his early years is on the wane.
Attacking space
When sensing out opportunities, it is clear how proficient Roofe is at attacking space in the penalty area.
In the example below from the 2-0 victory over Livingston in the Premier Sports Cup, watch how Roofe spots the developing gap between the Livingston defender as they get attracted to Ianis Hagi in possession and Nicky Devlin (circled) fails to narrow his position.
The forward is then able to anticipate the destination of Hagi’s cut-back and tap the ball into an empty net.
There was a similar theme for his headed goal in the 4-1 Old Firm triumph at the end of last season. There are fewer gaps in the Celtic defence as Borna Barisic prepares to cross into the penalty box than the aforementioned Livi defensive set-up, but Joe Aribo’s run (circled) creates a knock-on effect for Roofe.
Aribo’s movement drags Kristoffer Ajer forward and, reacting to the flight of Barisic’s delivery, Roofe is able to attack the space and power his header beyond Scott Bain.
Game awareness
Roofe is able to marry this penalty box intelligence with an ability to read developing situations.
His goal in the 4-0 away win over Ross County last season typified his situational awareness, latching onto James Tavernier’s cross to score.
In the lead up to the goal, Roofe is scanning the move as Rangers pull County’s left hand side apart. In the meantime, the forward positions himself between County’s two central defenders – Iain Vigurs has dropped back from midfield to form part of the pairing – with an open body position.
As Tavernier is released by Steven Davis in behind the County backline, Roofe has already begun his movement, which allows him to position himself goal-side of Coll Donaldson and meet the cross.
In another example, Roofe shows his ability to read Barisic’s intentions – although it is likely to be a move choreographed on the training ground – to net against Kilmarnock last season.
Roofe uses the run of Cedric Itten as a decoy, dropping back into the space vacated by the Swiss to meet the Croatian’s cut-back in acres of space.
This also translates into his ability to read defensive lines. In the example below from his strike against St. Mirren last season, he positions himself intelligently to avoid being caught offside.
As Hagi evades his marker, Roofe pins himself to a St. Mirren defender.
This prevents the St. Mirren defensive line from being able to push up, allowing Roofe to peel off Conor McCarthy and latch onto Hagi’s through pass from an onside position.
Finishing variety
What marks Roofe out from his peers, however, is the variety of his instinctive finishes. The forward is often able to contort his body depending on what the situation requires, allowing him to divert the ball goalwards despite not being optimally positioned.
The example below from Rangers’ victory over Aberdeen on trophy day last term illustrates this perfectly.
As Ryan Kent races to the byline in order to pull the ball back across the face of goal, Aberdeen are positioned well to thwart the danger. Andy Considine is guarding the front post area, while Jack MacKenzie is travelling at speed to track Roofe across the goal.
Kent’s cut-back is blasted across goal, but Roofe expertly uses the pace on the ball to guide his finish past Joe Lewis, using the outside of his boot.
However, there is perhaps no greater – and more famed – example than Roofe’s chested finish against Celtic last season.
As Kent scuffs his shot from the edge of the area, Roofe reacts instantly to the trajectory of the ball, using an unorthodox part of his anatomy – his chest – to divert the goalwards and leave Bain rooted to the spot.
Steven Gerrard spoke about Roofe’s capacity to “run through the goal” when describing his performance against Brondby in the 2-0 win at Ibrox, which alluded to his tendency to make runs across the penalty box in search of those one-touch, instinctive finishes.
Roofe has become a firm favourite of Gerrard’s, with his ability to sprinkle gold dust in front of goal when opportunities arrive.
Fitness has been the forward’s biggest obstacle during his Ibrox career, often missing swathes of last season as he rebuilt his fitness following constant injury problems.
However, there are few players in the country who possesses the same level of penalty box nous as Roofe and, as Alfredo Morelos’ performances continue to leave Gerrard scratching his head, it is helpful that there is another pure goalscorer in the ranks.
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