Daniel is an experienced football journalist and editor at Football FanCast with over a decade of experience covering the EFL, Scottish football and the wider professional game. Since beginning his career in 2015, he has developed extensive expertise in data-led analysis and original football features.  

Daniel began his career at Fresh Press before writing and editing for publications including Read Norwich, Read Celtic and Anfield Watch. Throughout his career, he has interviewed football figures including Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former striker Adebayo Akinfenwa and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Since joining Football FanCast, Daniel has contributed as both a writer and editor. His specialist knowledge has also seen him contribute to BBC Norfolk and assist DAZN with commentary research. A Norwich City season-ticket holder, he combines professional reporting experience with first-hand knowledge of the English and Scottish games.

Glasgow Rangers turn their attention away from the Scottish Premiership as they take on Aberdeen in the semi-finals of the League Cup this evening.

The Light Blues beat their city rivals 3-0 in the last round of the competition and are the highest-ranked team left in the last four ahead of their clash with the Dons.

Derek McInnes is looking to become the first Rangers manager since Philippe Clement in December 2023 to win a major trophy, and beating Aberdeen would give him the chance to do just that in the final.

His Gers team will need to improve after their 2-2 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle last time out, though, if they want to progress through to the final this weekend.

Where Rangers most need to improve after their draw with Hearts

Despite conceding two goals, it is not defending where Rangers most need to improve. Instead, it is their use of the ball and how they build up play to create chances.

The Gers opted to go long too often at Tynecastle, playing 73 long balls, and they gave up more chances defensively because of how many times they kicked the ball back to Hearts, which gave them more opportunities to build attacks.

On top of that, McInnes made the wrong selections in the wide areas as he played Min-su Kim on the right as a right-footed player and played an underperforming Djeidi Gassama on the left.

Those selections contributed, alongside the constant long balls, to the team's lack of creativity on the night, as the pair combined for one key pass for the Scottish giants.

Neither of them were able to be a Ryan Kent-esque figure for Rangers on the flanks by providing a regular source of creativity, and adding more creativity to the team is where McInnes most needs to improve his side ahead of this clash with the Dons.

McInnes must unleash his own Ryan Kent vs Aberdeen

Kent racked up 56 assists in 218 appearances for the Gers in all competitions, including 21 assists in his last two league seasons with the club, and there is a player warming the bench who can follow in his footsteps.

McInnes benched Badredine Bouanani for the trip to Tynecastle because it is a three-game week and the Stuttgart loanee has not played regular football this season.

That decision, although it may have been a logical one from a fitness perspective, turned out to be the wrong one because of the lack of creativity that it left Rangers with out wide.

The Scottish head coach, now, must bring the 21-year-old attacker straight back into the starting line-up for the match with Aberdeen after he warmed the bench for most of the game against Hearts.

He is similar in style to Kent, despite being a left-footed player who plays on the right, because he is a direct forward who likes to dribble at opposition defenders to create chances to score goals and create goals for his teammates.

The Algeria international has scored one, created two 'big chances', and supplied one assist in three Premiership starts since joining the club on loan from Stuttgart at the end of the summer transfer window.

Bouanani is already one of the most creative wingers in the Premiership, based on per 90 metrics, as no other right winger in the division averages more than 0.59 xA per 90.

These statistics show that the forward, who scored his first goal for the club in the 2-2 draw with Dundee, has a Kent-like ability to consistently create high-quality chances for his teammates.

It was not a coincidence that the Gers started to look more dangerous in possession after the left-footed ace came on to replace Gassama against Hearts on Wednesday night, as he took four shots and created three chances in just 36 minutes of football.

Bouanani's well-placed set-piece towards the back post also provided the assist for Olwethu Makhanya's late equaliser, which highlights the kind of impact he can have on a game offensively.

Whilst he may not go on to play over 200 games for Rangers, as Kent did, Bouanani has all the attributes to be McInnes' own version of the English winger, and that is why he must be unleashed ahead of Gassama against Aberdeen this evening.