ON a continued trajectory of rediscovery - Alfredo Morelos' Tynecastle showing was another step towards 'El Buffalo' of old reappearing consistently.
The 25-year-old made 21 passes in Gorgie, of which 18 were successful. When the ball was played into the forward, he was robust with Craig Halkett on his heels. When he did drop into the midfield, there was always a quick return to the top of the pitch.
Under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rangers' build-up play is changing. As teams continue to adapt to new methods, diagonals in behind and out wide have proved particularly effective of late.
Meaning, when a quick back-to-front move occurs, the No.20 is in the right place at the right time. As witnessed on Sunday.
For all of the positive early signs under Van Bronckhorst, there remains an area of his centre-forwards game that could be improved to great effect - cutting off passing lanes and protecting the space.
On occasion, John Souttar was able to waltz into midfield a little too easily for the liking of the Dutch boss who at times voiced his frustration to the team over this detail. And with justification - of the 75 ball carries Souttar made, only five were pressurised.
Morelos only made nine pressures in the game, on occasion not sufficiently blocking central space which Souttar was then able to run into.
Here, the forward could shuttle across quicker to stop Souttar's progression.
A similar situation arose earlier in the game.
READ MORE: How Rangers’ ‘big pitch’ space raiders caused carnage at Tynecastle
It could be that the forward is instructed to neglect the defensive phase, given both wingers have a responsibility to trackback.
However, with the team's pressure map demonstrating a lack of central protection, Morelos could make a big impact by making small in-game alterations to block passing lanes.
Kemar Roofe is skilled in this area. Against Lyon, he is not exerting energy to regain the ball but blocks Da Silva's route back across the defence. His lane to stretch the ball left.
Morelos is undeniably a hard worker constantly involved in physical battles and increasingly running into space again. He can help his team remain compact from the top end of the pitch without increasing his workload.
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