A 12 o’clock game in Livingston with taxing European exertions just 60 hours in the rear-view mirror - the Toni Macaroni would have surprised few as the first stumbling block of the Giovanni van Bronckhorst era, such is the unique concoction of challenges thrown up by each trip East.

Perhaps it was a game that would have brought more trouble a month ago. However, aside from a spell at the end of the first half, Rangers’ 3-1 win felt relatively routine. The stamp already placed on this team by the new management was again the root of the success. The memories of a Hampden humiliation a week ago are fading fast.

Six days into his new job, Van Bronckhorst has already smoothed out issues that had dented the season so far and introduced fresh rhythms. As his opposition manager David Martindale told Sky Sports pre-match – “I can see the subtle tweaks”.

A trip to Livingston would arguably bring alteration regardless of the man in the dugout – as evidenced by both wins there last season. The percentage of long passes played and average pass length increased on either occasion.

A more direct approach and focus on attacking in transition had already been apparent against Sparta – some additional alterations would propel the side to their early advantage.

Glen Kamara was deployed as the sole No.6 with Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi wide on either flank. Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield both played beyond the Finnish midfielder and it was their respective free roles that brought both goals. Each moment ended a move that featured width and tempo – conducted at a pace that didn’t afford the home side time to bunker down in the space on show.

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Kamara had twice sprayed the possession wide to the right in the move preceding Arfield’s goal. This allowed James Tavernier to impact the game before the home block had slid across. The Canadian’s run beyond the defensive line on eight minutes was found by his right-back and a lobbed finish over Max Stryjek broke the deadlock.

Similar principles led to Aribo’s strike. This time play moved down the left, where Kent was so often in space, and returned infield at just the right time. The winger attracted two markers before finding Alfredo Morelos, his pass into Aribo was met with a swivel of the hips and swooping shot back across goal.

As was the case against Sparta, stretching the pitch in attacking transitions saw far more room available to the front five. Overlapping full-backs arrived when the time was right. Regular switches of play only protected the value of overloading when needed.

Without the ball, the team were admittedly more open - but that is a natural trade-off for the greater freedom afforded to the attack.

Kamara would drop into the backline to create a numerical overload when the hosts had a goal kick, solving the vulnerability felt against two strikers previously. His absence from that area was obvious as Bruce Anderson pulled a goal back. The former Aberdeen man stole in front of the otherwise excellent Calvin Bassey following a ball from open play which had allowed Alan Forrest to test Allan McGregor.

The 39-year-old would follow up his midweek double-stop with another goal-preventing save. Borna Barisic permitted a cross to come into the box far too easily and Forrest nipped in behind Connor Goldson. His effort was somehow prevented. 

“In the last 15 minutes of the first half we didn’t keep the intention of the play, the speed of play and our position on the pitch so we made it a little bit easier for Livingston to come back into the game at 2-1,” Van Bronckhorst told RangersTV post-match.

“The key message [at half-time] was to be more secure in our passing because we lost the ball too easily at times and we gave transition moments to Livingston. We did much better in the second half and kept positive with the idea to go and win the second half as if it was 0-0.”

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A number of nearly moments followed the break. Arfield could have had more joy from penalty box entries, Aribo tested Stryjek from the edge of the area.

The team did appear fixed in the muscle memory of their 4-3-3 shape at points, clearly still adjusting to the pace Van Bronckhorst desires on the break. But that will take more than a week to reach the level desired.

Fashion Sakala sealed the points from a corner. A superb, standing-start leap allowed him to beat Stryjek to the ball and spin away to another rendition of his ever-popular song. Nathan Patterson also came off the bench and helped to win the second period.

The performance provided a summary of Van Bronckhorst’s first week as manager at Ibrox. Building on the foundations that have already been put in place - while bringing change in areas it was overdue.

He has found solutions to plenty of the problems that have rumbled on in the background this season. 

Whether that be altering attacking positions to inject more pace, his side moving the ball with better tempo, solving part of the Patterson and Tavernier conundrum or improving Kent and Morelos. That's an impressive list to reel off at your first job check-up.

With another game three days away, time on the training pitch continues to be limited. On today's evidence that won't prevent Van Bronckhorst's implementing his image of this team on the pitch.