'We did a lot of background check on them' - Rangers' Nigerian starlet after draw vs Arsenal

Published: July 17, 2021

Calvin Bassey was undoubtedly one of Glasgow Rangers standout players as they were forced to a 2-2 draw by Arsenal at the Ibrox Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Named in the starting lineup by manager Steven Gerrard, the former Leicester City fullback did a fine job of staking a claim for a place in the starting lineup in the upcoming season by showing his attacking quality and also defended well in 62 minutes of action.

Goals from Leon Balogun and Cedric Itten were cancelled out by Nuno Tavares and Eddie Nketiah, as both sides shared the spoils in an entertaining pre-season friendly.

Even though it was a friendly, Bassey highlighted that the Scottish Premiership champions did their homework on the Arsenal squad.

Speaking to Rangers TV post-match, Bassey said : "It was good, it was a good test, I think they were a very good team and you know we did a lot of background check on them, making sure we were well prepared and I think the results showed that.

"It was a great match for us to go into, we're confident".

In terms of playing a strong English Premier League opponent, it was a good preparation for Rangers ahead of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers coming up in a couple of weeks.

"Definitely that's what we needed, a good game like that, and I thought that we'd done well as a team.

"We tried to be composed and try to go in it as a big club as well and credit to all the players, the staff coming through. It's good to get a draw with them," added Bassey.

In his first season in Scotland, Bassey recorded 15 appearances in all competitions, logging 703 minutes.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : rangers.co.uk

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