“THREE points and we go home – sometimes football is like that.”
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s assessment of yesterday’s 1-0 win over St Johnstone was particularly apt. It wasn’t a game that taught the supporter anything new or offered much in the way of entertainment. The appetite for a ’90 minute performance’ remains as do tactical concerns which have festered since the turn of the year.
The pitch at points looked unplayable and a team carrying too many minutes in their legs appeared burned out by the full-time whistle. However, all that matters at this stage is points and having not picked up nearly enough of them recently it was imperative Rangers did so at McDiarmid.
The evening kick-off followed a day laced with anger and outrage after the club confirmed their participation in the Sydney Cup – a tournament featuring the first Old Firm on foreign soil and built on a marketing strategy that enraged the majority of the support. The near-unanimous social media condemnation translated into either stand and ‘stick your friendly up your a***’ was sung repeatedly into the Perthshire abyss. A banner in the North stand read ‘money over morals, no derby friendlies’.
READ MORE: Where were van Bronckhorst's Rangers substitutions? - Video match report
Aside from opposition, the pre-match noise was muted, as if Sunday’s missed opportunity against Motherwell had struck off the final slab of the support’s current morale. Having attained 13 points from 24 since the turn of the year and without a league victory away from home since early December, few travelled without a hint of reservation.
Glen Kamara’s strike on three minutes went some way to lifting the mood. His run matched Alfredo Morelos’ midfield overload and a pendulum-esque movement quickly capitalised on space created in the home defence. Kamara doesn’t score many but when he does, his composure outlines why van Bronckhorst is comfortable fielding him higher up the pitch than his predecessor.
From there the side laboured. A surface that bobbled and cut up played a part, as did the gradually increasing tiredness evident from every lost duel and half-committed pressure. Control was fleeting and although Allan McGregor remained untested, the slender lead and scar tissue of recent results created a tense viewing experience.
At times familiar problems resurfaced. John Lundstram, playing at the base of midfield, struggled to take the ball off of his centre-backs and if a pass into Morelos wasn’t on creativity was limited through the pitch. The best moments of a slow opening 45 minutes ran through the Colombian; a shot onto the post, clever reverses into Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo. Arfield had a golden chance to add a second after the break, somehow contriving to instead fire wide of the target when one-v-one.
READ MORE: Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Rangers Q+A in full: 'Three points in the bag and we go home'
Moments weren’t taken, much to the frustration of van Bronckhorst, and the situation remained delicate. Against Ross County, Motherwell and Dundee United crucial ground in the Premiership title race had been lost in both boxes, last night felt eerily reminiscent as possession constantly turned over and chances were left unconverted.
Subsitutions felt inevitable to every viewer. Arfield was exhausted, Aribo didn’t enjoy a winter break due to AFCON commitments and that is showing, Morelos and Ryan Kent have returned good numbers recently but played every three days within a relentless schedule.
Surely, having made only one change at the weekend, van Bronckhorst would introduce fresh legs? Fashion Sakala could've injected some pace on the counter, and James Sands cover in the middle. Is Kemar Roofe so far down the pecking order that he couldn’t replace Morelos, playing his fifth 90-minutes in 14 days?
“I didn't feel we needed a change,” the manager said.
“I was so focused on the game to get the win after 90 minutes so I didn't think about any changes.”
To his credit no significant chances were conceded but does the move suggest a lack of trust in his squad players?
Rangers continue to fight on three fronts and have an injury list featuring key individuals. They need to work smart as well as hard over the next two months to ensure the drop in energy witnessed last night doesn't repeat.
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