TERRACES and social media feeds were awash with talking points after Rangers’ draw with Hibs yesterday afternoon.
Red cards, penalties, early substitutions and refereeing controversy. Whatever your topic of choice, Hibs 2-2 Rangers served it up.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side earned a first-half lead through James Tavernier from the penalty spot when Rocky Bushiri was adjudged to have pulled Antonio Colak down in the box. 15 minutes into the second half, Martin Boyle and Tom Lawrence had exchanged goals before John Lundstram cynically scythed down the Hibs goalscorer. As the whole stadium paused in expectation of the obligatory tactical foul yellow card, Willie Collum brandished a red. Despite the fact a similar Jake Doyle-Hayes tackle earlier in the game, of which Lundstram was the recipient, escaped similar reprimand.
Before the end of the game, Collum would flash the same colour again. This time correctly in the direction of Alfredo Morelos. After five months out, the forward let his teammates down and left them with only nine men for the game’s remaining 20 minutes. Josh Campbell’s late left-footed equaliser put an end to any hopes of victory.
All of the headlines yesterday and this morning focused on Collum’s calls, and justifiably so. Discussing decisions and achieving the right ones is imperative and the Rangers Review dissected the big calls in detail yesterday.
To only focus on such moments would paper over concerning cracks, however. This was another domestic performance that gave cause for worry. Put simply, if Rangers want to regain the Scottish Premiership title come May they need to improve and do so quickly.
As was the case against Livingston and St Johnstone, van Bronckhorst’s side were playing but hardly present before the break. They worked overloads on the left to good effect and disrupted Hibs’ structure sufficiently to provoke two 27-minute substitutions from Lee Johnson, but created very little. Johnson said his team "didn't lay a glove" on their opponents during the first 30 minutes. Despite having control of the ball, neither did Rangers.
In four Premiership games, the Ibrox side have scored 10 goals, eight of which have come after the restart. Digging deeper, excluding Tavernier’s penalty yesterday, they have averaged 0.43xG in the first half of those four matches to date. For context, Celtic have recorded 1.1xG on average in the first half of league matches and at the time of writing, before today’s clash with Hearts, Ange Postecoglou’s side boasts an xG per 90 of 2.34 to Rangers' 1.63.
Van Bronckhorst's side look to have benefitted from extended time on the training pitch over pre-season. Build-up play beyond pressure is more methodical and the team’s overall structure more recognisable. Particularly during the second 45 yesterday, the side was able to rely on patterns of play to get up the pitch and progress the ball forwards, something that constantly hampered domestic fixtures last season. Recruitment has also added goals to the squad from midfield and Lawrence’s header yesterday, just like Malik Tillman’s early showings, provide evidence of successful squad recalibration.
A contradictory viewpoint from yesterday’s fixture could suggest the away side was in the lead at the point of dismissal and, just like they did against Livingston, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock, would’ve grown in strength with the game.
Based on the way van Bronckhorst has utilised his bench in recent games, introducing three goalscorers in two previous home league ties, such an opinion is valid. In addition, nobody would be surprised if, against the odds, a win in Eindhoven on Wednesday night was secured to earn Champions League qualification.
Bluntly, however, the relentless intensity and tempo required to continually break down defences and earn points is still to be seen this season. Rangers have shown they can overwhelm teams consistently in Europe and demonstrated a continual ability to go the distance towards the end of last season. Do they simply need to release the handbrake and go for the jugular with greater regularity in the league?
Competent officiating is the vital component of a football game and yesterday, Lundstram’s unfair dismissal tipped the momentum in Hibs’ favour. But Rangers will control their own destiny this season. They must show more earlier in matches to avoid the loss of control experienced at Easter Road.
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