“WE KNEW beforehand we had to defend on set-pieces where they’re very strong and also on crosses. And they scored two goals out of these situations."
Those were the comments made by Brondby manager Niels Frederiksen offers a good picture of Rangers’ 2-0 win last night at Ibrox.
They maximised their strengths while limiting the opposition. The result was most important - but equally significant was the solid 90-minute performance.
Rangers entertained for the most part on a lively night in Govan. Twice hitting the woodwork while Joe Aribo also had a clear penalty denied.
It was a near-complete European outing - and the cornerstone of it all was an opportunistic set-piece goal.
Leon Balogun’s first-half header gave a crucial advantage and was complimentary of the side’s preparation.
Steven Gerrard celebrated enthusiastically with technical coach Tom Culshaw after the ball hit the net, and rightly so. His team got ahead by near-perfect exploitation of Brondby’s zonal marking setup.
Rangers have their first Europa League goal of the season!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 21, 2021
James Tavernier whips in a perfect delivery and Leon Balogun powers home the header! 💥
The smile on Steven Gerrard's face! 🤩#UEL pic.twitter.com/UXIZ8sCNsP
It was a commanding header on the surface. However, more detailed revision shows pre-planned coordination.
Anatomy of a goal
Notice the setup as James Tavernier releases the ball. The visitors have six players protecting their six-yard box.
The three centre-backs and centre-forward (Maxso, Heggheim, Rosted and Pavlovic) guard the six-yard line. Uhre and Gammebly occupy the front and back zone of the same area.
If the ball is delivered into this area, the Danish side are well covered.
Five-foot-seven Morten Frendrup is focusing his attention on Balogun.
The three-v-two in Rangers' favour at the penalty spot shows Brondby are anticipating contesting the ball in the six-yard zone - not outside of it.
The two players at the edge of the area, Ben Slimane and Frendrup, are stationed to disrupt the momentum of Balogun and Connor Goldson.
It's their role to disrupt whatever runs either defender intends on making into the six-yard box. Rangers' plan all along at this set-piece was for the two to never reach that point.
Tavernier is focused on hitting the targeted area – the sweet spot that takes Brondby’s defensive setup out of contention.
Focus on Frendrup's body shape. He is the only player in the entire box standing straight-on instead of side-on. His role was not to contest the header with Balogun, but blockade the Nigerian's route to goal.
Instead of delivering into the congested six-yard area, Rangers exploit the few free yards just outside of it.
Balogun’s run-up allows him to generate the power necessary to score. Notice that no Brondby defender is even contesting due to the quality and precision of delivery. The space from Balogun to Maxso underlines both the precision of Tavernier's cross and holes in Brondby's setup.
The four players highlighted here are the main ariel threats going by the original setup. Not one of them is close to challenging.
An interesting sidenote to the routine was the movement of Alfredo Morelos - who snuck around the back of the setup. Remember his goal at Parkhead last season?
Here, Heggheim anticipates Morelos will attack the ball. But the Colombian ghosts behind the defender, he knows where the delivery is going before its intended target is obvious to the Brondby defender.
If Balogun’s connection had finished up at the back post as it did in the aforementioned Old Firm game, the forward would gave been free to score.
The roles of Morelos and Balogun were very similar to those fulfilled at Celtic Park.
READ MORE: What Rangers must learn from Liverpool throw-in coach to stop wasteful 'worst advice' strategy
Small details, but both examples show why set-piece routines are so vital.
Goals from these scenarios are a case of small margins that make the difference - the fact that Rangers are earning a reputation for them is a testament to the coaching staff.
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