Michael Beale's Rangers midfield decision didn't add up

Yesterday he made the wrong call in midfield and then waited too long to change things from the touchline as Rangers succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Celtic in the Viaplay Cup Final. It was an afternoon which felt all too familiar for those in the Rangers end, watching too many individuals fail on the big stage once more. Losing an Old Firm is painful and even more so when a trophy is on the line.

Beale opted for continuity in the middle by playing Glen Kamara and John Lundstram, rather than selecting January arrival Nico Raskin or Ryan Jack.

Admittedly, throwing the Belgian in for just his third start would’ve been bold but so too, as it materialised, was not selecting a midfielder this squad quite clearly requires. It was a collective performance that demonstrated why a player of Raskin’s profile was signed and a later individual cameo confirmed he was ready. Jack too provided an upgrade on what went before in the Ibrox engine room.

Given Beale’s January window was spent reiterating the need for starters who would grow and not shrink under pressure, arriving ready to hit the ground running, the fact no new signings started didn’t quite add up. Even if the rationale behind that decision was sound.

“Since I’ve come back in I’ve tried to supply some consistency and clarity in terms of messages the team are comfortable with,” the manager said on the topic after the game.

“That’s the same team that played ever so well in the Old Firm at new year and gave the best performance in terms of 90 minutes since I came back against Hearts. We had our goals on the pitch.

“Malik Tillman and the front three have been in fine form since I have come back with over 20 goals in the team that was there since I’ve come back in. You’ve got two players [Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin] coming in who have played two and a half games each against opponents where you’ve got the ball.

“There was a little bit more in terms of what we needed to do off the ball defensively and also match legs. I just felt at that moment I needed to shake the tree and change something. We were stronger after that because we scored, but we scored from an isolated moment before I actually made those changes.”

The result had a predictability about it, with Rangers never really gaining a foothold in the game. Celtic’s rotations down either side were constantly effective and eventually, they worked a free man to set up Kyogo for a close-range finish. Their second goal, before the hour mark, wasn’t all that dissimilar.

Raskin and Cantwell cannot save this squad individually and there’s no proof they definitely would’ve altered the score yesterday had they played from the start. But they represent something new, not carrying the battle-wounds teammates all around them do in this fixture and domestic cup competitions.

Until the triple change on 64 minutes, when Alfredo Morelos halved the deficit from a free-kick, Rangers were present in body but not spirit. Raskin’s impact was immediate from the bench alongside Jack at the base of midfield while Cantwell provided more energy behind the striker.

With the injection of confidence brought by a goal and the energy a triple-change granted, the Ibrox side arrived for a period. Passes were chased down, balls moved forwards quickly, passages of play put together that mustered some hope, which had gradually eroded away in the Rangers end all match.

Ultimately, it was all far too late and this will go down as another missed opportunity for this side at Hampden in a wider series of events. Rangers started playing when they were behind and never managed to haul their way back level.

Of course, in the wider context, Beale has still started well, spoken well and fixed plenty of the issues he inherited. It's to his credit that expectations have risen so quickly since he arrived. But the wider situation he inherits, with this squad's recent failings in this fixture and solitary Scottish Cup in the last number of years, sets the backdrop. 

“The job was always going to be big regardless of this result. It’s important we bite down on the gum shield and take out medicine,” Beale continued.

“It doesn’t taste too nice right now but when I look at the team with the promise that Malik Tillman, Raskin and Cantwell have shown there is enough for me to be super optimistic about the future.

“Is it going to be plain sailing? Of course it isn’t. If we had won the cup final today would everything have been rosy? No, we would still have that work to do and it’s my job to do that from tomorrow.”

As Celtic added another trophy to the cabinet, that future Beale highlights needs to come soon.