Your Rangers Questions Answered: Where does Jose Cifuentes fit?

While it's a pleasure watching Rangers again, it's quite clear the squad is imbalanced and short of real quality. Where are the funds coming from to back the manager in the transfer market?

The Rangers board certainly can’t be accused of not giving their managers the required funds over the last couple of seasons and the accounts for RIFC plc that were released this week detailed the spending power that Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale enjoyed. The concern, once again, is how those budgets were used and it cannot be argued that Rangers have witnessed value for money from a near-£40million investment in the squad in recent times. John Bennett tellingly highlighted the need for Rangers to improve their player trading structure within his chairman’s report and the appointment of a technical director will help in that regard. Progression in the Europa League could open up some cash in the budget, but sizeable acquisitions will surely involve the generosity of the investor group. It remains to be seen how deep those pockets are once again. Philippe Clement would not have become manager at Ibrox if he didn’t feel that there was enough in the squad for him to work with first and foremost and if there was not going to be funds available for him to strengthen the group in the stages and beyond. A squad that was assembled for Beale’s blueprint is not fit for Clement’s purposes and the forward areas still need work. A right-sided attacker who can play in the pockets or on the touchline is required, as is a striker to provide proper backup for Danilo. The January market is notoriously difficult to do business in and Rangers did well to recruit Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin earlier this year. It would be no surprise to see the bigger portions of the budget saved for the summer, however, and a couple of loan deals may be the best option for Clement as he seeks to haul this side over the finishing line.

Chris Jack

READ MORE: Inside Ross McCausland's Rangers rise: A vital trip home, modelling Davis and belief

McLaughlin, Balogun, Barisic, Jack, Lundstram, Roofe… Will any out-of-contract players be awarded a new deal?

Leon Balogun has performed well recently at left centre-back but his re-signing was always going to be a short-term option this summer. The Nigerian defender has a desirable skillset given his ability to match physical strikers, unlike Ben Davies, in one-v-ones and carries the ball effectively out of defence. Davies has played well in recent weeks, especially against Sparta Prague when he read the game impressively and provides the option of progression through passing rather than ball-carrying. Next summer, investment will be required in this area of the pitch but Clement will likely believe he has enough in reserve to survive the current season in defence. Borna Barisic has been relatively steady all season but in this writer’s opinion, it’s high time to evolve beyond the focus on crossing at full-back. Jon McLaughlin is firmly a back-up choice behind Jack Butland and Robby McCrorie, while Kemar Roofe’s fitness over the last two seasons makes any talk of a renewal unlikely at best. Ryan Jack and John Lundstram are the two names above that hold out the best hope of a new deal beyond 2023. Lundstram’s recovered form in recent weeks under Clement and always, in spite of his form, shows for the ball and gives his utmost on the pitch. The 29-year-old has arguably suffered at the lack of a ball-playing No.6 in the squad capable of opening up defences, leading him to play a pivot position which often slows the play against set defences. In matches with more open spaces, duels and running, Lundstram’s qualities box-to-box are clear and would leave a gap in the squad. Jack is in the same position as this time last year. At 31, injuries have been a fact of life for a number of seasons at Ibrox but there’s a reason Jack’s been kept around in spite of those frustrations. Even in spite of Nico Raskin, Clement will require another central midfielder moving beyond this season. Lundstram feels more likely to stick around at the time of writing although it should be stated that any renewal should not come as a trade-off for the guile and control still required in the middle of the pitch.

Joshua Barrie

Does Sima move to the right when Matondo is back fit? Or, will Cantwell, Wright and McCausland be our options on that side moving forward?

It is certainly a good headache for Clement to have. The Belgian has spoken about this squad and this side being like a ‘puzzle’ in recent weeks and he has made his feelings clear on the condition of the players that he inherited at Ibrox. The return of Matondo is a welcome boost for Rangers. Few would have said that at the start of the season but his impact in the opening weeks speaks for itself and is a credit to him. He could easily have downed tools and looked to have moved on, but he has stuck at it and the fine goals against PSV Eindhoven and St Johnstone offered insights into what he can bring to the side. He does, of course, still have a lot to prove. It is fine performing in flashes, but he is still not guaranteed a spot in the team and it would be a risk to move Sima from that left-sided slot that he has been so accomplished in this term. Given that Matondo clearly operates more effectively from that side, there is every chance that Sima will find himself on the move. He is more adaptable than Matondo and having both in the team at the same time would offer Rangers a threat that will cause defences problems. Cantwell has shown what he can do in that role but is going to be more effective centrally, while McCausland has earned his plaudits and will be involved over the remainder of the campaign. And that is before Clement gets the chance to start wheeling and dealing in January. Sima and Cantwell are the two who have to get in the team. The others can be used on a rotation basis and will have a fight on their hands to convince Clement they merit the jersey each week.

Chris Jack

Can Cifuentes force his way into the midfield two or does he maybe have a chance as a No.10 in the current formation?

Michael Beale believed that Jose Cifuentes could be a game-changer in midfield and the club’s move for the Ecuadorian was long-winded. Rangers hosted his representatives in the Directors’ Box for the win over Celtic in May and would eventually unveil their new No.15 on August 4. Having been thrown in straight away,  arriving from the MLS which had been underway for months, minutes have been limited since Beale departed. Although a knock picked up on international duty is partly to blame for that fact, Cifuentes doesn’t have an obvious place in Clement’s 4-2-3-1. Cifuentes is a central midfielder but rather than being an all-rounder capable of fulfilling many functions, he was clearly identified as the man to play the right-sided No.8 role. The midfielder is a creative passer who appears more comfortable on the ball in the final third than he is when receiving off defenders in his own defensive third. On the right, he's capable of running the channels and providing passes like this deep, fizzed cross Danilo should’ve converted in the away tie with Servette.

That game in Geneva showed a side to Cifuentes’ game that suggests a role in a midfield two rather than a midfield three isn’t obvious, if not completely unlikely. As was the case in a subsequent double header with PSV, the summer arrival has shown a tendency to switch off defensively or look a step behind when tracking runners. Some mitigation should be offered to an individual who was weeks into his Rangers career during Champions League qualifiers and is clearly still adjusting to the pace of play witnessed in the Scottish game. This writer would wager a narrow role on the right of midfield is more likely than a spot at the top of the midfield, and not only due to the strength in depth the squad enjoys in that particular area. Cifuentes’ ideal zone on the pitch is running forward in the right half-space facing the play, rather than pivoting to take the ball off of defenders or receiving with his back to the goal. There are clearly creative qualities to his game and an engine required to play in central positions. We’re still to see the defensive discipline that’s required to fill a role in the double pivot, however.

Joshua Barrie