Rangers salvaged a deserved 2-2 draw after clawing back a two-goal deficit against Hoffenheim in Germany.

Goals from Pavel Kaderabek and Ihlas Bebou in the first half left Michael Beale's men with a mountain to climb after an error-strewn defensive showing.

But things improved in the second half and parity was restored by a James Tavernier penalty and a lovely move was finished of with a deft Sam Lammers header.

Here are the key talking points from the game.

Full-back concern 

James Tavernier and Ridvan Yilmaz appeared nailed on to start against Kilmarnock next week but both delivered sub-par performances here. The full-back area will be a major concern ahead of the season opener at Rugby Park, with Yilmaz culpable for both goals against the Bundesliga side. After initially recovering well to temporarily thwart the danger when Johnly Yfeko was dragged out of position, Yilmaz wasn’t strong enough in the challenge and Hoffenheim scored. For the second goal, Andrej Kramaric simply stood up Yilmaz before easing past him to square for Ihlas Bebou to tap home. The Turkish international was again caught out at the start of the second half when he was guilty of ball-watching and Hoffenheim would’ve added a third if it wasn’t for Leon Balogun’s excellent last-ditch challenge. 

While the main focus will be on the issues at left-back, Tavernier was also miles off the pace in the first half and he continued to be slack after the break. He was caught out twice from poor defending in the opening 20 minutes with Jack Butland bailing out his captain with saves. The captain has enough credit in the bank to allow for a sloppy 45 minutes and he stepped up after the break to score from the spot and provide an assist. As for Yilmaz, there’s little doubt that he’s a sound football from a technical perspective - his ability to split the lines with his passing remains an asset and he displayed this during the first half. But serious questions marks persist over his defensive acumen, with his physicality repeatedly under the spotlight and he’s probably slightly fortunate that Dujon Sterling has yet to return to full fitness after injury.

Lammers leading man

Sam Lammers has been the shining light across pre-season. The versatile Dutch attacker has integrated quickly and all signs point to him being an integral part of Beale’s plan next season. Although he was deployed as a striker, Lammers intelligently found pockets of space and he produced some lovely touches.

The 26-year-old possesses incredible technique and he capped off another impressive display with a clever glanced header. Lammers will be one of the first names on the teamsheet next week. 

Formation switch

Michael Beale admitted pre-match that his team selection at centre-back was merely the ‘last men standing.’ But he adopted a different tactic against Hoffenheim, deploying a 4-4-2 formation. Beale has preferred a 4-3-1-2 since replacing Giovanni van Bronckhrost and the expectation is that he will stick with that shape next season. However, Beale has targeted hybrid players to allow for fluidity and he tweaked his formation this afternoon. John Lundstram and Nicolas Raskin played in central midfield with Todd Cantwell on the left and Abdallah Sima on the right. Cyriel Dessers led the line alongside Sam Lammers, with the latter afforded more freedom and he constantly dropped off to link play. There were moments of promise with Lammers prominent but it’s still not clicking in attack for Rangers with only four goals - including two penalties - in pre-season. 

Danilo debut 

Danilo arrived amid much fanfare on Friday and expectations are high for the Brazilian striker. Rangers problems at centre-forward last season were well-documented and Danilo will be tasked with firing Rangers to glory this season. Winning the penalty aside, Cyriel Dessers looked off the pace this afternoon and Danilo injected some energy after his introduction. It would be unwise to draw conclusions after a 25-minute cameo but the early signs appear promising. 

Pre-season summary 

The entertaining draw in Sinsteim signalled the end of the pre-season campaign. The extent to which results, and performances, are judged during this period sparks debate amongst fans, but the important business starts next week at Kilmarnock. It would be remiss to ignore some concerns during pre-season, particularly defensively, but those will be forgotten about if Rangers start the season well with huge Champions League qualifiers on the horizon. Beale has worked his players hard next season to establish strong fitness levels, which will be imperative to success across a gruelling season.