Rangers show mark of champions but they need to address right wing conundrum - Derek Clark

Kemar Roofe’s 85th-minute penalty proved to be the difference on an indifferent night for the Light Blues performance-wise.

It truly was a mark of champions and van Bronckhorst and his coaching staff deserve great credit for what has been an obvious improvement but there are areas of the team that need some attention, none more so than the right wing department.

Given his lack of pace, it was perhaps a little surprising to see Ianis Hagi retain his place in Leith.

Now, this is not a Hagi-bashing piece, far from it, but Rangers need a better option in that area of the pitch.

The Romanian, like many of his teammates, wasn’t at his vintage best. He worked hard, as he always does but he isn’t as effective as he could be if he was played more centrally in the number 10 position.

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Technically, he is terrific but Rangers aren’t getting the best out of him as it currently stands.

The radar below highlights he is one of the top performers in the Scottish Premiership but when we look at his goal contribution, one in 22 attempts (not including the match against Hibs) isn’t the best return.

His contribution towards goalscoring chances has dipped also from last season, as we can see it’s gone from 0.26 Open Play xG assisted in 2020-21 to just 0.12 this term.

He just doesn’t look entirely comfortable on the right hand side of an attacking three. If we take Ryan Kent on the opposite flank, he offers so much more in terms of running at pace and ghosting past players. Hagi, on the other hand, looks like a Gladiator contestant running up the Travelator.  Bursting by defenders simply isn't his game.

Rangers need someone with pace to fill that void and they have ample candidates capable of doing so.

Nathan Patterson is one player who could provide more both in an attacking and defensive sense. Van Bronckhorst utilised the 20-year-old in that very position when he brought him on midway through the second half as Rangers beat Livingston on Sunday.

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Despite his lack of minutes in said position, he looked comfortable and, given his talent, is more than capable of performing well in that role. As we have seen recently with Scotland, he offers so much in an attacking sense and it’s clear van Bronckhorst is aware of this.

In his pre-Hibs press conference, on the issue of Patterson playing in that position, the Dutchman told me: “It’s an option to me, especially in games like yesterday and against Prague when you’re playing well and need to defend an advantage.

"In Nathan, you have a player who is defensively very solid. His combination with James is excellent and that’s an option to give the defence a little bit more solidity but keep the pace up-front when we need it.”

Other potential alternatives include Fashion Sakala and many supporters felt the Zambian would be given the nod at Easter Road given his blistering pace. He is nowhere near the finished article but his ability to drive and commit defenders as well as race in behind defences is certainly something to consider and you’d imagine he’ll get plenty of opportunities across the front three going forward.

Then there is Scott Wright. We’ve yet to see the former Aberdeen forward in the early stages of the van Bronckhorst era but given the Dutchman likes to play with wingers in the old-fashioned sense of the word, Wright may well be someone who will benefit from this style of play. Again, like Sakala, he likes to drive into space and commit defenders which is something Hagi lacks.

After starting the season impressively, Wright has struggled to cement a place in this Rangers side. He failed to grasp the opportunities presented to him by former boss Steven Gerrard and perhaps he’s just not the level required going forward but it would be intriguing to find out if he would be able to flourish as an out-an-out right winger.

That being said, with reports linking Hagi with a move away from Ibrox, van Bronckhorst may well be forced into the transfer market come January as he looks to put his own stamp on this Rangers team that he has, so far, re-energised.