“I PUT a lot of effort in the last days in showing my players how they have to play. With training sessions, with meetings, with images. But I think they handled it really well and they executed my game plan really good.”
Giovanni van Bronckhorst may only have had two days to prepare his Rangers team for the visit of Sparta Prague, but the changes he hinted at earlier in the week made a significant impact.
The performance was a far cry from the disjointed exit at Hampden on Sunday – as new individual roles and tactical tweaks ignited Ibrox. The xG trendline leaves no doubt as to which team deserved the victory.
What was apparent from the first minute was a change in shape, which brought real width to the attacking and defensive phase. The Ibrox side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with the ball and a 4-4-1-1 without it. This meant that Ryan Kent was able to receive the ball in wide, uncrowded areas and build momentum with the yards available as he drove infield.
Joe Aribo clipped the crossbar after five minutes thanks to this alteration.
Kent stays high and wide in possession and receives the ball from Borna Barisic. The angle from which the Englishman runs allows him to beat two men and enter the penalty box. How rare has it been to see him start moves so close to the touchline in recent years?
Because Sparta don’t have protection in front of the full-back, and the ball is moved quickly by the hosts to this area of the pitch, Barisic’s run creates the space for Kent to drive infield.
An immediate difference from the winger receiving with his back to goal – instead benefitting running at defenders one-vs-one from space. It's something The Rangers Review highlighted earlier in the season.
That width was evident whenever the home side was in possession. It of course had been painfully lacking at the weekend. This didn’t just provide different passing options, but stretched the opposition and subsequently opened up pockets of space all over the pitch.
"It is important for me to play with width," Van Bronckhorst told The Rangers Review in today's press conference. "It makes it hard to defend especially with the quality and pace we have in a one-vs-one situation. I think we can create a lot of danger in those areas."
Ianis Hagi’s position high ahead of James Tavernier here gives a wide passing angle, stretches the pitch and opponent.
Direct movements from out wide in behind was the causation of the opener.
As Hagi moves the ball backwards, Aribo is attracted to the space. By moving wide and retaining width, instead of moving towards the ball, he subsequently creates room elsewhere. Underlining the importance of stretching the opposition.
Tavernier finds Hagi and Alfredo Morelos opens the scoring.
Such direct play at times was hugely effective. Here, Hagi fakes receiving short before spinning in behind to set up Aribo for what should have been the second.
The chance had an xG of 0.45 - on reflection, a header may have proved more profitable.
This running caused Sparta more problems after the break. Kent could have scored twice as he revelled in the freedom granted by his manager.
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“At times I like to keep them in the wide areas, to create the one-vs-ones and overloads. When we have the right speed of play, we can get the ball really quick to danger zones,” Van Bronckhorst said when asked about that specific detail post-match.
In the below transitional moment (which also showed the benefit of each winger tracking back instead of remaining central) Kent again runs beyond, resisting the urge to come towards the ball.
The ‘right speed’ of play proves the big difference. Hagi's ball was directed into the path of his teammate as the entire team sprung forward.
Rangers' wider set-up created bigger gaps to play within as mentioned. "It also allows the full-backs to join in the attack," commented Van Bronckhorst. Kent was often supported by Barisic's well-timed overlaps and Aribo's intelligent movement in the left half-space.
On this occasion, because play is again moved wide quickly, the hosts have a three vs two overload.
Barisic draws away Wiesner with the mentioned overlap and Aribo finds himself free - having drifted across to the left. Kent plays a one-two with the Nigerian before unleashing a shot.
Kent's carry map backs up the eye test. Running diagonally inwards and scarcely picking up the ball in central pockets. He appeared liberated by this new system.
What then about the work without the ball? A component of the game that was equally as important in securing the result desired.
Calvin Bassey spoke post-match about defending as a team: “Because of the last few games when we’ve conceded first, [the manager] told us to be strong and it’s easier to defend with 11 players than seven or eight for example.”
Bassey was immense in a role he hasn’t played all that regularly, aggressive in his defensive duels but also composed to offer an outlet from the left of centre defence. As demonstrated by his pass map.
It was the defensive work of the wingers that was the most noticeable change to the team's off-ball work, however.
As a long switch finds Wiesner, Barisic is pulled wide, leaving a huge gap to the centre of defence. But Kent tracks the run of Haraslin to protect against a wide overload. He was involved in six defensive duels throughout, his highest total this season.
Imagine if Kent doesn’t make this run? The previous management team would have arguably had the side more compact, but the team has previously been so vulnerable to switches and wide overloads such as this move.
Haraslin did manage to create from this area, but the point is that the space was protected better than it has been.
Morelos was the matchwinner and looked on a recovery mission to find a 2019 performance. He was robust throughout, sitting higher up the pitch and rolling defenders. "I wanted him to play more towards the box,” Van Bronckhorst told BT Sport post-match.
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The hussle to earn a corner, and similar duel-winning moments throughout provoked as much excitement as each of his goals.
“He’s a piece of the jigsaw. If all the pieces are right then we are a good team,” added Morelos’ manager. The Colombian made 28 passes, arguably at times still dropping a little deep. But that is expected in his first game under a new manager.
His greater impact in the box was clear. An xG of 1.26 was more than triple the 0.33 average xG amassed in three previous group matches. He also contributed to over 50% of his team's xG - exactly what you want from your No.9.
Sparta ended the game with an xG of 1.02. However as outlined below, the majority of those chances came as Rangers sat in late in the game. A stunning double stop from Allan McGregor secured qualification.
Nathan Patterson's introduction alongside Tavernier excited fans.
"Today, you saw Prague push a lot of players forward so the left-back was almost playing like a winger so if you have two defending that space it’s easier because Nathan and Tavernier can defend. A winger would not be used to that so defensively," explained Van Bronckhorst, as visualised in the below second-half pass map.
Of course, some deficiencies were on show. At times Morelos wasn't in the right position to block a passing lane which allowed either Sparta defender to advance centrally, while the visiting side was extremely open throughout. Suiting the host's transitions to attack.
The details and information hinted at earlier in the week were carried out as well as the new coaching team could have hoped, however. This was an encouraging start to a new dawn.
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