Rangers are rising over a bumpy spell – but defensive fragilities remain a worry

Victory in the Highlands yesterday saw plenty of offensive play click and equal measures of defensive output give some cause for concern. 

Like in midweek, Rangers made a game far harder than necessary with some lax defending – a trend that has been present in nearly every game they’ve played this season. This could have been a game that returned more goals to really set light to their season, there is evidently still a few gears this side can go up.

Coincidently, the last time Rangers enjoyed the backing of supporters away from home was in Dingwall before the first lockdown. On that day Gerrard’s side underwhelmed and relied on a big Allan McGregor performance to ensure a deflected Ryan Kent goal was enough during a rocky spell.

Suggestions of reminiscent fragility have overshone the early season optimism that had accompanied everything coming out of Ibrox in pre-season.

READ MORE: Ross County 2-4 Rangers: Steven Gerrard has reasons to be optimistic ahead of Europa League and Old Firm clashes

It led to a game that should have been routine becoming near-disastrous against Alashkert – Rangers were beating themselves until they recovered to win 1-0 with 10 men. Three of four goals conceded against Malmo came curtesy of backline errors.

However, mistakes are more manageable than underlying issues. Steven Gerrard’s team’s bottle was very much in question at half-time in midweek and could too have been questioned if leads had been lost in the Highlands given recent results.

But the response against Alashkert and performance yesterday displayed a bounce-back ability that wasn't there in 2020.

Plenty of differences exist between this trip north and the aforementioned match in 2020 – despite both having a ‘must win’ feel due to the context of previous matches leading up to both.

This team are now champions who have responded to countless setbacks - not every sticky patch can be attributed to an outright mental weakness that has been disproven many times. The tempo was regained but a lack of solidity made this match far more of a contest than the balance of play suggested.

The first 10 minutes weren’t all that exciting, a couple of forays down the right was achieved but otherwise, the visitors retained possession.

Against a back three, Rangers had too many players involved in build-up play and not enough around Alfredo Morelos.

Joe Aribo pushing up beyond Glen Kamara and Steven Davis led to some dangerous attack play, the Nigerian had a shot which was blocked momentS before he received in a dangerous area and curled a goal into the far corner.

Pressure was retained and Rangers went for more. Connor Goldson was next on the scoresheet, powering home at the back post with a header from a routine that had so nearly worked moments before. Steven Gerrard celebrated by fist-bumping set-piece coach Tom Culshaw.

This was the side supporters expect to see, incisive and intentional in possession and aggressive out of it. Morelos was dropping deep to create overloads in the midfield, James Tavernier was providing width, Ryan Kent was enjoying a more profitable game than has been the case recently and Glen Kamara dictating the tempo from deep.

Not far away was a test however, the home side were first to a second ball following an Allan McGregor save and pulled a goal back with their inaugural foray forward. Going in at half time the question Rangers needed to answer was, can you regain and reset the tempo?

The answer was yes. Much like in midweek it took a few minutes after the break for an improvement with the ball - soon after Morelos had a sniff at goal he restored a two-goal lead, finishing low into the corner. Tavernier should have scored when Aribo sent him one-on-one soon after, but he put his effort over the bar.

This goal on 56 minutes led to the home side’s best spell of the match, they clipped numerous balls down Rangers’ left and garnered some success that way – taking advantage of the space afforded by a high line, there wasn’t enough pressure on the ball from Gerrard’s frontmen to protect the defence. A goal would come from the penalty spot after County again profited from a second phase of possession, Jordan White scoring.

A high line limits the space the opposition has to work in, squeezes the game and keeps the ball further away from the goal. But if one clog in the wheel isn't working, a highly functioning element of the team's play can be undone.

Again Rangers rallied and sought to put out a potential fire. Seven minutes later Scott Arfield sealed victory after entering play, along with John Lundstrum, who started the move Arfield would finish. 

“Much more like us” was the judgement of the manager on RangersTV, followed up with an admission that his side “will improve” as the squad becomes more settled and the season rumbles on.

With such a pivotal week now in play, that improvement will be needed to ensure supporters are pleased come early afternoon next Sunday. But the signs are there that a sticky spell is on the way out. More attention must be turned to fine-tuning elements of the side that have been rusty to this point. 

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The individual performances of Aribo, Morelos and Kamara were all encouraging. The latter in particular is so vital to all aspects of his team's play and having served his European suspension, he can now kick on. 

Morelos too looked sharp, his interplay and link-up were excellent, while Kent used the ball far better than in midweek.

This team are at their worst when there is not intensity. There is no benefit to Morelos creating overloads or Kent stretching the game if possession is slow. When those qualities and more are complemented with a zip in possession and solidity out of it - Rangers beat teams with and without the ball.

Gerrard added: “I still think we can get better, I still think we can go on and get five and six. That’s the way I want my teams to pay I want us to be really organised and hard to play against – that’s the base.

“Of course, I want it to be wave after wave, I've said it many times. We want to be relentless and as ruthless in the box as we can be, that’s what Rangers teams should look like.”

Gerrard’s image of his team is not nearly at its peak this season, but the second half in midweek and 90 minutes in Dingwall signifies that they are back on course to a version of their best self.