Does Ianis Hagi fit at Rangers under Giovanni van Bronckhorst?

Ianis Hagi was more than happy to elaborate on his preferential position in the Ibrox press room after Saturday’s win over Dundee United.

“In the past, I’ve said I enjoy playing in the middle of the pitch. I get more touches of the ball, whenever the team has difficulties building up, I can get the ball and help the team up the pitch.”

The Romanian was talking after enduring a mixed afternoon. His man of the match award surprised all in attendance. But in a game lacking stand-outs, Hagi never hid.

As The Rangers Review explained, an over-reliance on Glen Kamara to get the ball through the midfield had proved detrimental on Saturday. “I think we lacked a bit of bravery, especially from the back to commit into midfield,” explained Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Moving Hagi infield from the wing at half-time, and allowing Scott Wright to stretch United by playing as a traditional winger from the right, helped matters.

Coinciding then with his preference to play centrally – where does Hagi's future lie under the new regime?

Is Hagi wasted on the right?

The last month has seen a number of role changes at Rangers. For the likes of Ryan Kent, attacking from wide areas has notably improved his game. Joe Aribo appears unshackled at the tip of midfield. Hagi is perhaps one of the few players to have not evidently benefitted in the short term.

He is not ineffective from the right - ever adept at creating space in tight situations by dragging a marker away, for example. As seen last midweek against St Johnstone.

You’d imagine he would prefer to occupy Aribo’s position and receive to feet. But a quick dart away provides the space necessary for the Nigerian to receive.

His two-footedness is undoubtedly an attraction to starting him wide. Being able to play from either side means he is difficult to defend. It was a factor in the build-up to Kent's goal against St Johnstone.

In previous games, against Dundee and St Johnstone, Hagi had more consistent width outside him than in that first half on Saturday. In those fixtures, Borna Barisic tucked infield and form a three-man build-up. The pitch zones looked like this.

Compare the deeper role of James Tavernier, infrequent involvement of Scott Arfield (who is also less comfortable going outside than Aribo) and you get the 45 minutes Hagi endured on Saturday. More isolated and less effective.

“We didn’t have the best positions on the pitch,” Van Bronckhorst reasoned.

When the rotation of players around him is fluid, or in Hagi’s words more runners go ahead of him, he looks better. His value is not in runs off of the shoulder or one-v-ones like Kent. But in-game intelligence, quick combination play and final balls.

READ MORE: How Rangers’ ‘big pitch’ space raiders have caused carnage under Giovanni van Bronckhorst 

In saying that, his dribble and carry On-Ball Value is second only to Kent in the team. But his contributions aren't the same. His value is not in running at the defence. But carrying the ball and then playing key passes. A key pass provides a shot for a teammate.

Comparison of Kent's key passes under Van Bronckhorst (top) to Hagi's is a helpful visual aid when considering their different roles. 

Very generally speaking, the former beats his man and cuts back, the latter likes to receive in pockets and play through.

Moving centrally at half-time allowed for more of these attributes to show.

Improving in centre stage

Although his man of the match award was ridiculed, Hagi was one of the more important performers on Saturday. He was behind only Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos in the xGChain.

His seven passes to Kamara had the second-highest pass xG. Detailing where his impact was felt. In the build-up phase.

Here, dropping in to momentarily form a double pivot his previously referenced movement is shown. After reversing the ball into Kamara to get Rangers past the initial Dundee United block, he continues to support the move higher up the pitch.

Taking the ball from Wright, he plays Kamara in again before moving ahead of Tavernier.

Where a second midfielder may look to hold their position, Hagi knows even if he doesn’t receive the ball from his run, it will subsequently create space. Sure enough, as Kamara finds Tavernier, Hagi’s run takes Scott McMann with it and opens the passing lane into Wright.

He and Morelos combine in between the lines before the ex-Aberdeen man misses a clear chance.

His space appreciation high up the pitch allowed the team to create overloads.

An intelligent drop of the shoulder here sees him drive infield and disguise a reversed ball that Morelos can’t quite swivel and hit.

With more runners, greater freedom and the ability to access central lanes, Hagi looked more comfortable. But is there room for him in the midfield?

So what is the resolution?

The 23-year-old is more suited to a No.10 role or as one of two No.10s (as under Gerrard) than as a false winger. But realistically, Aribo is at this moment in time a better player. The question is can the pair play as two No.8s consistently? The answer most probably is no.

Is Hagi defensively solid enough to accommodate himself centrally? Aribo may only defend 44% of the dribbles he faces successfully, but Hagi’s 25% is only higher than Kemar Roofe and Morelos. Arfield’s 46% is notably higher. Both Aribo and Arfield can play deeper, as they did at points against Hearts.

READ MORE: Should Rangers play Ianis Hagi more centrally? - video debate

The resolution is therefore found in those matches against St Johnstone and Dundee. Playing from the right and coming infield. If Hagi is going to become a key player in the new regime, it will be dependent on the structure that surrounds him.

Where does this leave him overall? If Van Bronckhorst decides pace is the requirement out wide, as he did by bringing Wright on to ‘keep the width’ and go around the defence on Saturday, there is no obvious role for Hagi.

Clearly, he is not a winger. His physical attributes have improved but in an ideal world, his involvement would come in finding runs off the shoulder rather than providing them. 

He had the highest xA of any Rangers player last season at 0.27 per/90. Albeit that number has dropped to 0.15 in 21/22. His goal and assist rate per/90 in 20/21 was bettered only by Kemar Roofe.

Undoubtedly not the finished article, might he, as Kent did and Aribo is doing, take until his third season to reach the output required at Ibrox?

“The way he thinks about football - I love it. I just really enjoy it. I’m not taking everything for granted. Every second I’m trying to learn and being open to playing new positions,” Hagi added on Saturday of playing under this new regime.

He sees himself as a creator, not a complimenter. For now though, his role may be limited to forming part of the puzzle that the likes of Aribo and Kent are having built around them. 

*all stats are from the Scottish Premiership