Your Rangers questions answered: What future does Ryan Kent have?

What future does Matondo have? (Andrew Baillie)

He's a young boy. He's an international, played in the Bundesliga, played in the Belgian league, he's here for a reason. He's maybe having a crisis of confidence. He's our player, we trust him, we bought him for a reason and we will help him out the other side of it.

Michael Beale's comments in late December prior to the injury that kept Matondo out for months. He was on the bench for meetings with Hibs and Dundee United recently but seems quite far down the pecking order given Scott Wright has made a number of substitute appearances and he hasn't.

Matondo genuinely impressed in pre-season against West Ham but hasn't been at the races as a Rangers player since. You'd have to imagine that he will spend next season out on loan or, if he can be shifted on a permanent deal, sold. He was good in Belgium last year so there may be takers in that league.

You're always wary of players whose main asset is searing pace signing for Rangers. So often, it's just not worked because opponents sit deep and leave little space to exploit. My hunch is that Matondo isn't going to be part of the club's long-term plans.

Jonny McFarlane

With the players available, does 3-5-2 against them make more sense? (CG Mac)

Rangers' set-up against the ball worked well on Saturday. They created a slightly superior xG (0.87) to the hosts' (0.6) while failing to capitalise on a number of other potential attacking moments. Beale said pre-match he wanted his side to get "closer" off the ball and their pressure high up the pitch was notable, lining up in a 4-4-2 rather than the 4-3-3 seen at Hampden.

Tillman and Morelos blocked passes into Callum McGregor and the midfield marked up forward passing options. Rangers weren't exclusively man-marking, unlike trips to Parkhead under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and looked less vulnerable to the home side's rotations as a result.

READ MORE: Michael Beale's tactics explained - Why there's room for optimism ahead of Old Firm semi-final

This was a game decided by execution in the final third. Kyogo's two strikes derived from 0.15 and 0.12xG opportunities, Morelos' two chances at the start of the second half were both of a higher value, 0.16 and 0.17xG.

The difference here was not tactical. Unlike the cup final, no criticism could be levelled at Beale's team. He needed his forwards to execute chances and his defenders to avoid mistakes, that's what decided the outcome.

Joshua Barrie

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When are we going to recruit some solid, reliable defenders? (John McLean)

In the summer. There's no doubt Michael Beale is on the hunt for at least one no-nonsense, reliable defender. Any others will depend on departures. Leon King looks to have dropped down the pecking order from his elevated position under Van Bronckhorst and may benefit from a well-chosen loan move. John Souttar is a player Beale wanted to buy when he was assistant to Gerrard and will play a part if fit.

Fil Helander is on the books but it now seems certain he will depart without playing another game. A March return had previously been mooted but that's come and gone. It's an extremely sad situation because the big Swede is a brilliant defender and although he was limited with the ball at his feet, could always be relied upon when the going got tough. Someone of similar stature who relishes the art of defending would be ideal.

The larger problem is that Rangers don't need a player with these qualities for a large portion of their games. Ben Davies has faults but he's calm on the ball, and distributes like a midfielder. When he's on the pitch you know that with Goldson on the right and him on the left the ball will be zipped forward at a pace that will help disrupt tight defences. It's hard, or very expensive, to find a player capable of doing both. Perhaps a solution is to switch the defender next to Goldson in and out akin to what was done with Leon Balogun and Helander under Gerrard, depending on the opposition.

Jonny McFarlane

It's clear Kent is going so why persist when someone like Scott Wright/Fashion Sakala would have been more effective yesterday? (JRiH)

Before the last international break, the majority seemed to be siding with the notion of keeping Kent on. Beale himself has publicly stated that he wants the attacker to remain at Ibrox beyond the expiry of his current contract this summer.

READ MORE: The Rangers 7 whose transfer futures look bleak amid ongoing failures

Kent's performances have improved under Beale and, as written before, his role in the team can be misinterpreted at points. At the weekend he played wider than we've seen in recent weeks and struggled against Alistair Johnston. Also criticised for his decision-making early on, it wasn't a good day for a player who's decided these fixtures in the past. The case for keeping him undoubtedly took a hit.

As the manager said last week the end of this season will "shape futures" at the club. It's no secret that Kent's a favourite of Beale with the pair going all the way back to Liverpool's youth squads.

Therefore, the question is will Beale's mind be changed by games like the weekend when building for the future in relation to Kent? Taking him at his word, the Hampden Old Firm could decide that. 

Joshua Barrie

What does yesterday say about Antonio Colak given he was dropped over a guy who has made it obvious he doesn’t want to be there? (David Milne)

Colak looked like he would make the no.9 position his own after a deadly performance at Easter Road where he scored a brace. His form since then has taken a dramatic dive and his display against Motherwell at Fir Park was dire.

We've seen enough to know he's not the answer as the team's main striker and looks more of a fit for Van Bronckhorst than Beale - but he has shown himself to have goals in him. 

Will Beale feel that his system needs a player who's more consistently linked to the rest of the team? Possibly, but Colak is a fine finisher who could be handy over the course of a season. My instinct is to keep him around for certain games next term but he's nothing more than a squad player and a new striker is clearly needed to replace Alfredo Morelos. 

Jonny McFarlane

Where do you think is most obvious for where we need strengthening and what position do we need strengthening most in? (Scott McKelvie)

Beale spoke about "winning the boxes" before Saturday and simply put, Rangers lost the game because they were second best in those areas.

At one end, James Tavernier aside, the visitors were unable to make a tangible difference in front of goal. At the other, Celtic ruthlessly capitalised on any misdemeanours to earn a 3-1 lead after the break. 

Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin have brought a freshness to the midfield that's been lacking since the title win in 2021. And while Malik Tillman's performance was a source of frustration at Parkhead, he's clearly a player Beale wants to sign and work with beyond the summer. 

Domestically, Beale will know he needs a forward who can finish at a rate to decide matches. In Kyogo, Celtic have a played that's decided the outcome of the last three Old Firm fixtures. When was the last time Rangers had a forward with a record like that in this fixture?

A starting goalkeeper, no.9, centre-back to provide depth and competition alongside at least one more midfielder is a start this summer. In terms of priority, the forward line must take precedence. 

Joshua Barrie