Rangers' new approach under Michael Beale can end League Cup wait

Their performance that day against Celtic and form around that period merited silverware. The momentum built since an Old Firm league defeat earlier in the season seemed to preempt a changing of the guard moment that never arrived.

No fault could be thrown at their performance which created more than enough chances in a match where the big moments went against Steven Gerrard’s side. Christopher Jullien scored an offside winner and Alfredo Morelos missed an all-important penalty. The domestic cup difficulties which hamstrung the whole of Gerrard’s era in Glasgow would continue.

Ultimately, the subsequent month’s 2-1 win at Parkhead failed to spur Rangers onto that season’s title but did start a run of seven unbeaten Old Firm encounters and a 55th league title. 

Now, the club are at the start of a new era, even if the teamsheet may not look all that different come Sunday when compared with the 2019 cohort. Michael Beale takes his side to the national stadium for a Viaplay League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen this Sunday and the competition’s significance is huge.

Nine points behind in the league, winning something is imperative this season and winning early can form good habits that will define Beale's spell at the club.

A bump in the road is inevitably on its way at some point, but after five wins from six and a controlled showing at Tannadice last Sunday, this weekend’s game doesn’t feel like that fixture. And that’s in a large part thanks to the new manager's big-game approach so far. 

Against Aberdeen last month, Dundee United last week and the New Year Old Firm, he opted to play with an extra goalscorer and keep Malik Tillman in the midfield, rather than pushing the American up a line and making the midfield more of a battleground.

“I see Malik as a goalscorer, so rather than picking between him and Fashion Sakala we pick both,” Beale said speaking at the weekend.

He previously cited the importance of his coaching staff when going to places like Pittodrie and resisting the urge to set-up with greater caution.

“It's nice to have new eyes around me in the football club because I came back with a lot of preconceived feelings and thoughts and opinions from my previous spell,” Beale explained.

“It's very handy to have the experience around me that are new. Maybe I have to explain how tough it is to go up to Pittodrie and they can be a bit freer in their thoughts and be a little bit different to myself.”

At times under Gerrard, big games felt too guided by emotion. Of course, he inherited a very different situation to Beale who, although walking into a dressing room low on confidence, walked into a club in a far better state than the summer of 2018.

The Scottish Cup win in May ended a wait for cup success which had exceeded a decade. Rangers hadn’t won that trophy since 2009 and haven’t won Sunday’s competition since 2011, when a certain Nikica Jelavic had the final say.

Speaking before the game, captain James Tavernier highlighted the importance of that victory in May, following so many cup failings.

“We’ve obviously won the [Scottish] cup last season, but this is a cup that most of us haven’t won and it’s something we want to win,” he said.

“It gives everyone who was here last season a taste of winning the domestic cup. You want to have those days to share it with your fans and family. It can be a special day.”

“It's an early cup you can win and you want to get your hands on the trophy as early as possible so this is a great opportunity to do that. When you're playing for Rangers you need to win trophies and we're doing everything we can as a team to do that.”

First impressions are important because they form opinions and the start made by a manager is no different.

Beale wants to play like the big team and returning silverware early on would meet that description. By resisting preconceived thoughts from his previous spell in Glasgow, he can continue to build healthy foundations for a new era on Sunday.