THERE IS a nasty familiarity about the way Rangers have stumbled into January.
The pre-break momentum and the post-break lull have distinct echoes from the early evolutions of Steven Gerrard’s team. It’s like being made to watch a terrible film on repeat.
The 3-3 draw in Dingwall on Saturday highlighted some of the best and worst of the team under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The level of possession and intensity for most of the second half was welcome and should have been enough to win the game. This is a Rangers team set up to control the tempo of the game. Gio is feeling his way into Scottish football management, but all indications suggest Rangers are at their best when taking control of the game.
The absolute worst of the match came in three waves and all three resulted in Ross County goals. Individual errors gifted the home side a way back into the game and then cemented their point at the end. It was a shambolic final chapter and there’s no way points should have been dropped from that position.
Wednesday’s Old Firm has the potential for it to be the club’s biggest game in recent years. I would argue that as of today, Rangers have relinquished the tag of favourites for the title. Only two points separate the teams and the momentum sits with the men in second place.
A defeat on Wednesday would compound that opinion, a draw allows some breathing space, but a win could be a comprehensive turning point.
Wednesday’s game is so important due to the ultimate prize of the league title and £40 million Champions League jackpot. The impetus a victory in this game could create for either team could be crucial for how the next three months transpire.
With all this in mind, Rangers look likely to depart this transfer window with loan signings of James Sands, Amad Diallo and perhaps a third loan signing in James McAtee. All players appear to have their distinct qualities and raw potential, but questions remain over their suitability to improve Rangers and boost our title chances.
Sands has failed to leave his mark on his two appearances thus far, but Amad showed some potential during his showing in Dingwall. Sands is in a different boat as he is playing for a permanent move, but the likes of Amad and potentially McAtee are young, their priorities are elsewhere and their parent clubs are in this for their development. When the parent and loanee clubs’ priorities click, that’s great but it’s Rangers that will take the fall during a pressure-filled end to the season when inevitable learning curves and inconsistent patches occur.
READ MORE: How error-strewn Rangers conspired to drop two vital points in Dingwall
The squad is starting to show signs of wear and tear and being at odds with Gio’s ideas. Glen Kamara arguably suited Gerrard’s flat midfield three more than he suits his new number six position. The number eight position takes on a new level of importance now, yet there is no alternative to Scott Arfield who struggles to stay fit all season and is 33. James Tavernier is incredibly reliable, but someone will be playing out of position to replace him if he needs to come out of the team. Is there someone to keep Ryan Kent on his toes in the wide-left position or is he certain to play through indifferent form due to a lack of other options? Gio has been lauded for some of the changes he’s made, but he now needs the personnel to implement the style in the long term.
Rangers over-invested to bring 55 home and the brakes have been on ever since. Emotionally, stopping 10-in-a-row was vitally important, but financially, 2021-22 is as important as any other title in our history. It is a leveller against the reserves Celtic have built up over recent years and allows Ross Wilson and van Bronckhorst to plot a full squad rebuild.
It looks unlikely any significant change will take place between now and the end of the window, but to go with the status quo is taking a big gamble that this squad can see off Celtic. The mitigating circumstances of Covid and continued losses are obvious, but in months and years to come, we could look back at this exact moment as defining in the title race.
The money brought in for Gerrard and Nathan Patterson looks to be allocated to balancing the books, but one more twist in the transfer market could have been what makes the difference for this squad. It would also likely be taking place in advance of the summer because whether Rangers finish first or second in the league, signings will inevitably come in and making one of them now could have been a difference-maker.
Regardless of incomings and outgoings, the task at this stage is an entirely different proposition from the start of the season and it's important to remember a win on Wednesday could blow the nerves out the window and usher in some stability following a shaky January.
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