You’d have been forgiven for thinking that Michael Beale had been on the end of a 3-0 defeat during his post-match press conference last night.

Rangers were comfortable winners against Motherwell as they continued their 100 percent start since his appointment, but the message reaffirmed in media rounds featured a healthy dose of frustration. Beale wanted more from a performance that lacked control despite the commanding margin of victory. 

“It’s three points, a clean sheet, that was it,” he said with a shrug of the shoulders.

“We were disjointed again, It wasn’t free-flowing, I won’t sit here and pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. It wasn’t what I wanted it to be. If you had said to me we would take 12 points from these four games, with a couple of clean sheets leading into the next game, I would have taken it but I would have liked us to be playing with a bit more rhythm.

“January is a huge month, there’s a derby, a cup semi-final, a big cup game away, and we know we need to improve. Right now I would take results over performances but I know, over time, that we have to play better. The fans want to be excited and entertained. The players want the same.”

Since arriving, Beale’s highlighted the need to be performance-happy as well as results-happy. Every good team needs to grind out a win at points, as long as such occasions are irregular. You only need to look back at Rangers’ matches before the World Cup break for proof of the opposite reality. And while every game under the new manager’s tutelage has featured flashes of quality, an outplaying of new ideas and generally sounder structure, there’s been little satisfaction results aside.

When Scott Arfield scored twice in injury time to secure three points at Pittodrie Beale was stone-faced. Last night there was far more criticism than praise in his critique. Supporters will likely enjoy this honesty and appreciate the driving of high standards which is a necessity at Ibrox. 

“It is clear we have work to do and it is important I am honest with them. As a group we are not where I want to be right now,” Beale added.

“Four wins on the bounce is good for any team so you would think we are moving forward. My honesty might sting but I am trying to push towards the standards they have set themselves previously. The team I left had lost one in 52 in the league and they have lost one in 48 at home. But, we want to play with more swagger, with more style and more control.”

Last night’s showing featured some bright, if inconsistent, moments on the ball. Malik Tillman continues to be a difference maker while Alfredo Morelos scored and led the line with strength. Borna Barisic earned two assists on his return and Ryan Kent looks emboldened, if still not at his best, playing a free central role.

Rangers Review:

READ MORE: Michael Beale must fix Rangers' key vulnerability despite comeback

It was in defensive transitions, as was the case against Aberdeen, that issues were experienced.

There were so many passes played out of touch, and unforced turnovers that could’ve been punished on another day. A team’s off-ball style is imperative to hamstring the opposition and facilitate their own attack. It was this area Beale chose to highlight ahead of the upcoming Old Firm next Monday.

“We are giving away the passes unopposed,” the manager said when asked why the midfield felt so open.

“That is a concern because it’s leaving us vulnerable. It’s not something I expected so it’s an area I have to work on in the next three or four days. We need to find some rhythm quickly or we need to be much better out of possession.”

Rangers were often handing over possession of the ball with their full-backs high and the team’s structure primed to attack. As such, there was more space for Motherwell to transition through which made the hosts more “vulnerable”.

Although unexpected, is this perhaps a natural consequence of such dramatic change in style for the squad? Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers played wide and marked up man for man, Michael Beale’s Rangers should play narrow and move in a more compact shape. It's a real shift in circumstance. 

Perhaps the manager felt, given the bulk of this squad’s previous stint with him on the training pitch, that a translation of his ideas onto the park would've occurred quicker. Did he expect the muscle memory of that solid, dependable structure previously trained to kick in immediately? 

It’s easier to fix things when you’re winning and throughout this run of four victories, confidence reserves will have gradually topped up.

Expecting too much too soon was always a danger when Beale arrived. Although, his reaction last night suggests the feeling is mutual in and outside the dressing room.

While the rhythm and identity he craves take time to arrive consistently Beale knows specific attention must be paid to an 'unexpected vulnerability' off the ball, to ensure the points keep on coming.