Alfredo Morelos still undergoing Rangers deprogramming as Scott Wright fits the GVB template

Goals from the ever-impressive Joe Aribo, a Ryan Sweeney own goal and an Alfredo Morelos strike was flattering to the Dark Blues who had Adam Legzdins to thank for keeping the scoreline down.

Rangers were in control from the first minute to the last and the stats reflect this.

The Ibrox men had 27 shots on goal with an xG of 2.95 so they slightly overperformed in terms of the goals they did score despite it appearing on Saturday that they should’ve scored several more.

It was van Bronckhorst’s fourth successive win since taking over, the first manager to do so since Willie Waddell in 1969/70.

Speaking to the press afterwards, he said: “I’m very happy with the performance. As I said to the players, in home games we have to be dominant, we have to show the opponent there is nothing to get here and I think we showed that from the first minute.

“Overall performance, we are creating a lot of chances and I think the 3-0 score is only there because their goalie had an excellent day with some great saves. We didn’t give any chances away. When we were 3-0 up we were pressing really high and not giving them space to play so I’m really happy with the performance and, of course, with the result.”

READ MORE: Joe Aribo's Rangers liberation and the midfield simplicity that is blowing away Steven Gerrard era rigidity

The line, “we have to show the opponent there is nothing to get here” is one that has enthused supporters and, looking at the data, his words are certainly having an impact.

James McPake’s men posted a cumulative xG of 0.61 and as we can see from the chances they created, they didn't really pose any danger to Allan McGregor and the Light Blues backline until the game was far beyond them.

The champions broke the deadlock nine minutes before the break courtesy of the Man of the Match Aribo as he moved inside from the flank and shuffled onto his left foot before firing a shot, aided by a deflection, into the back of the net.

READ MORE: Detailed Rangers player ratings as Joe Aribo dazzles to down Dundee

As we can see, the level of difficulty in the shot is there for all to see with an xG of just 0.04, if it wasn’t for the deflection, however, it’s likely Legzdins would’ve saved.

Aribo continues to impress and is, arguably, the player of the season so far. As we can see in the graphic below, he took up various positions both deep-lying and more offensively and as much as he occupied the left-hand side for large parts of the game, his goal came from a brief foray on the right.

It’s this versatility that causes problems for opposition defences and it’s something van Bronckhorst commented on when he was posed the question by myself after the game.

“I’m a coach who wants his players to keep their positions but when they change it is also difficult for the opponent but what’s important is the positions are taken in. Today I think we did really well in changing the sides and creating the overloads. For me, it’s most important that we keep the positions on the pitch as a team to be dominating.”

Rangers went in at half time one goal to the good with some grumbles in the stands that it really should’ve been more given the chances passed up by a misfiring Morelos.

The opportunity presented to him when played in by Fashion Sakala is one, statistically, he should’ve tucked away but fired straight at Legzdins when through one-on-one.

There wouldn’t have been too many complaints had the Colombian been replaced at half time. Despite van Bronckhorst looking to use him in a more advanced position, it appears as if he’s still trying to deprogram from what was asked of him during the previous regime.

As we can see, he was dropping deep often on Saturday and although his link-up play was generally ok, it’s when he’s rolling defenders and playing on the shoulder when he is most effective.

In saying that, Morelos was much improved in the second half and repaid the faith shown in him by the manager with his third goal in four games as he somehow managed to bulldoze his way through the centre of the Dundee defence before slotting past Legzdins.

Another interesting takeaway from Saturday was just how much every player in the team, barring McGregor, was involved in the play. As the chart shows below, perhaps surprisingly Joe Aribo was involved less frequently than the remaining nine outfield players but it highlights just how fluid and hard-working this Rangers team is under van Bronckhorst. It highlights a willingness from every player to get involved and influence the game.

To put it into context how much Rangers dominated the game, if we look at Dundee’s passing network you get a sense of just how much of a mismatch it was.

The Ibrox crowd got the opportunity to see Scott Wright in action for the first time under van Bronckhorst and he made an instant impact on the right-hand side as he burst past a Dark Blues defender before racing towards the byline. This is something Rangers lack with Ianis Hagi occupying that position. As we can see from the two charts, Wright looked to hit the byline and cut the ball back on four occasions in just a 35-minute spell while the Romanian did so just once during his time on the pitch.

Whether Wright is the long term option on the right side of the front three remains to be seen but he certainly fits the mould in terms of the system van Bronckhorst is looking to play.

All in all, it was a dominant display from the champions that adds to the optimism surrounding the new management team and a group of players that look revitalised and re-focused on defending their crown.