The Rangers tweaks that can expose Lyon's 'exploitable weaknesses' as Steven Gerrard plans further Ibrox glory

The French giants are a side with plenty of European pedigree, having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League just two seasons ago.

24th in the UEFA coefficient, only Porto and Villareal rank higher from previous opposition faced in Steven Gerrard's tenure.

But throughout his three-year spell, high-class European opposition has consistently struggled to leave Ibrox with a win. 

Last season, late goals conceded in both ties with Benfica meant memorable victories were not achieved against the Portuguese side. Nonetheless, progress was sealed by winning a group in which Rangers were seeded third.

They have beaten opposition of similar quality and given the start to the season Lyon have made, along with exploitable weaknesses, a home victory is a realistic prediction.

The season so far

Lyon have played five matches in Ligue 1 this season, losing once, drawing twice and winning on the other occasion.

Within those four games, they’ve conceded seven goals in which some trends can be identified. Two similar near-post headers from corners were conceded while three goals against came in transition.

READ MORE: Rangers boss Steven Gerrard's concern over Fil Helander and waxes lyrical after James Tavernier worldie - points from the presser

Offensively, the French side has some undisputable top-level talent to choose from. Moussa Dembele, Houssem Aouar, Xherdan Shaqiri and Karl Toko Ekambi to name a few.

Despite defensive deficiencies, Peter Bosz' team have amassed an xG total of 7.8 in their previous three league fixtures. Offensively, they look threatening and possess a real blend of athleticism and talent.

How will Lyon try to play?

Normally lining up in a 4-2-3-1, or 4-3-3, Lyon may be able to cause Rangers problems through direct attacking play, diagonal runs made by wingers and wide overloads. Often, the two wide players in their formation will dart infield to become shadow forwards or combine with full-backs.

As has been well covered, Rangers defend central areas and often afford control of wide areas in European matches, but against Lyon they’ll need to be vigilant that their defence is not pulled across the pitch through vertical movement or that an opportunistic opponent doesn't exploit their offensive-minded defensive template.

The five domestic games Lyon have played so far offer a good indication as to how they fare against a range of opposition and game plans.

In a 3-0 defeat to Angers, they were unable to cope with a high-energy and aggressive opponent who bossed transitions throughout.

Interestingly, Angers' manager Gérald Baticle was the assistant at Lyon until this year. Therefore, his game plan offers excellent insight into Lyon's weaknesses.

In a 3-3 draw with Clermont, Bosz' side was excellent offensively but lost a two-goal lead and two goals from corners. They managed to fashion plenty of chances due to the width of their attack and the narrow block their opponents deployed.

A 1-1 draw with Brest demonstrated why a 4-4-2 mid-block could be an effective tactic without the ball for Rangers this week, due to its success in limiting Lyon's attacking play.

On Sunday evening, Dembele scored a sublime individual goal in a 3-1 win over Strasbourg but Lyon again looked weak defending transitions and were outperformed on xG, 2.37 to 1.68.

What a goal Dembele!! 😳

Great chest control and then the finish on the half-volley 🥵

Pure 🔥🔥from the captain! pic.twitter.com/ULip8I51er

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 12, 2021

Should Rangers change their block?

Let's look at two different styles of defensive set-up that Lyon have faced this season.

In the first example against Clermont (a 3-3 draw), the wide midfielder is too slow to put pressure on Lyon defender Dubois, because Paqueta drifts wide he can then create an overload against the full-back.

Soon after in the same game, Lyon could play through central spaces of the mid-block and create an overload on the right channel.

Against a team who overloaded the centre of the pitch in a narrow mid-block, Lyon retained numbers out wide and looked dangerous throughout. 

As the Rangers Review has analysed at great length, Gerrard's team can be vulnerable when opponents bypass central ball progression and instead attack down either wing.

Opponents can create two-on-one scenarios with the three Rangers forwards remaining high and midfield shuttling to either ball side.

Both Malmo and Slavia Prague created goals this way in 2021 by keeping two men wide.

When in the defensive phase and not pressing their opponent, perhaps Rangers should tweak their mid-block on Thursday as they have done in previous years to restrict this space out wide.

Compare Brest's set-up to that of Clermont's above. A 4-4-2 block allows for more cover and a slightly wider midfield to combat a side that can play wide attackers. 

Below, the player highlighted in pink is able to temper the threat of the full-back creating an overload.

If he were to stay high in a 4-3-3 mid-block, the third midfielder in the highlighted chain would be tasked with supporting the left-back when possession is switched over.

Brest had a PPDA average of 35 in this game, meaning they stayed in their shape and rarely if ever tried to press, which shows the defensive structure they deployed contained their opponents successfully.

On occasion, Gerrard has made this change to a 4-4-2 in-game, to prevent teams from gaining success through switches and overloads.

To use the highlighted example again, in this instance Scott Arfield is limiting the impact of overloads on the Rangers right, instead of the wide midfielder (Steven Davis) in a midfield three from shuffling over upon a switch of play.

The 4-3-3 mid-block has become a fantastically effective tactic at Ibrox, but there are times when it gives the opponent too much room to play in.

Against Lyon, it would perhaps make sense to select a team that can switch to a 4-4-2 block in-game to offer more protection against Lyon's threats out wide.

This may mean Rangers are easier to play through, but given the blueprint both Malmo and Slavia gave for attacking Gerrard's men through wide overloads, it would be a decision that makes sense on the surface.

How will Rangers try to hurt Lyon?

Angers' game plan against Lyon showed where the weaknesses lie in Bosz' side.

In the first half, Angers defended in a high-block and at points pressed aggressively, dominated transitions throughout and sat off the game in the second period before adding a second and third goal.

A PPDA average of 6.6 led to an opening goal which came courtesy of a turnover achieved through high pressing.

What was most impressive about their performance was how they earned a lead through this aggressive approach but then protected it.

Angers were far more impactful in transition than their opponents to protect against counterattacks.

Just look how quickly they were to get men behind the ball here, with Slimani on the ball in the first frame.

Four seconds later, six Angers players have recovered in transition.

When protecting a lead, a 5-3-2 block allowed protection against wide attacks and gave full-backs license to form a front five in possession.

This transition-based approach will suit Rangers perfectly. Lyon have conceded on average eight counterattacks per game this season, their structure without the ball is exploitable.