Rabbi Matondo: Is the Welsh international the missing piece to Rangers’ right-wing puzzle? – scout report

With eleven caps for Wales and various transfers to different environments, Rabbi Matondo (175cm/5’9”, 66kg/145lbs) is a 21-year-old with plenty of experience already. After departing Cardiff City’s academy for Manchester City at the age of 16, Matondo displayed good performances in teams involving Barcelona’s Eric García, Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong, and Wolfsburg’s Felix Nmecha to name a few. Starting the 2018/19 season brilliantly, terrorising defences at Premier League 2 level and in the EFL Trophy, Schalke 04 paid a reported £8m fee for the Welshman.

However, this move to Germany has not fulfilled the initial hopes for both the club and the player. Matondo struggled to cement a starting role, lacking consistent minutes as he was deployed all across the front line. Meanwhile, Schalke transitioned from Champions League qualification to Bundesliga relegation. Joining Stoke City on loan for the second half of the 2020/21 season, Matondo experienced Championship football whilst his parent club were relegated from the Bundesliga. Once again, he encountered sporadic game time on the right-wing, his potential position at Rangers.

Last season was much improved for The Gers new signing. Top scorer for loan club Cercle Brugge in the Belgian Pro League, Matondo notched up over 2,000 league minutes as a key player in the Groen en Zwart team that secured a midtable position. In this tactical analysis in the form of a scout report, we will take a look at Rabbi Matondo’s style of play and influence at Cercle Brugge, alongside assessing his suitability for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers.

Versatility

Matondo is a right-footed forward with the versatility to play several positions in the attack and wide areas. As mentioned above, his role at Stoke was often on the right-wing in a 4-2-3-1. Matondo also played as the wing-back in a 3-5-2, a role he’s played before for Manchester City in the 2017/18 UEFA Youth League. However, this is not his strongest position and is highly unlikely to be seen at Rangers. At Schalke, he frequently operated as a shadow striker/attacking midfielder off a more physical target man like Guido Burgstaller or Michael Gregoritsch. His appearances for Wales are similar to club level, with inconsistent minutes spread across multiple positions, mainly used in the forward line.

At Cercle Brugge, Matondo has played his best and most consistent football at senior level. Mainly deployed as a left-winger, he has experienced different approaches and formations from managers Dominik Thalhammer and Yves Vanderhaeghe.

As the above heatmap from Matondo’s 2021/22 season shows, he occupies spaces on the left wing and naturally drifts inside as a right-footer. However, one of Matondo’s strengths displayed last season was his fitness levels, which allowed him to play different roles in different games. From his 23 league starts, Matondo completed 19 full nineties. Combining his endurance with his pace, another strength of his, meant he was often moved across the attack to centre-forward and right-winger in the latter stages of matches. Here, he would utilise his dynamism to relentlessly stretch opposition defences and attempt to exploit weaknesses in the final minutes.

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