Joe Aribo's Rangers 'positional truth' that suggests Steven Gerrard got it right

Steven Gerrard’s comments when asked about Joe Aribo’s performance at left-back in a 3-0 win over Livingston last season speaks volumes.

The Nigerian played regularly in a flat midfield three, advanced on the left and right of a midfield trio, to the right of the front contingent and even in a back four during his first two seasons at Rangers. Gerrard always knew Aribo had the technical ability to dominate the Scottish Premiership and he appeared to continually create the perfect environment for that evolution to occur.

However, wedded to his 4-3-2-1 and dependent on the midfield to facilitate both No.10s attacking freedom, the system was never built around Aribo.

Therefore, it’s surely not coincidental the most consistent performances of the 25-year-old's career in Glasgow arrived during a short, pre-winter spell when Giovanni van Bronckhorst did just that.

When the Dutchman first arrived at the club, an overwhelmingly positive five-week period followed, in which Aribo demonstrated this noteworthy form. From November 25th to December 26th the club won eight of nine games, with solitary dropped points coming in the form of a 1-1 draw against Lyon. Qualification for the Europa League knockout stages was secured and the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership extended.

The second block of matches under van Bronckhorst, bookended by the winter break and current crop of international fixtures, has featured more bumps in the road.

A bruising Old Firm defeat and dropped points against Dundee United, Ross County, Motherwell and Aberdeen leave Rangers in second place; meanwhile, a stunning double-header against Borussia Dortmund and gutsy showing against Red Star Belgrade has the Ibrox side at the European quarter-finals stage.

READ MORE: Joe Aribo’s Rangers return ends AFCON-absence puzzle only his skillset could solve

Aribo's form fits into these 'before and after' categories. 

As shown by the below comparison, taking statistics from the Scottish Premiership, he was scoring a goal every other game before the winter break and setting the boundaries for a midfielder’s attacking output, demonstrated by strikingly high percentiles.

After New Year? The goals have dried up and Aribo’s Over/Underperformance, xG and xG Assisted compared to actual goal and assist return, has dropped from 0.27 to -0.08.

When the Rangers Review asked Aribo about his form since returning from AFCON in January with Nigeria, he gave an honest assessment.

"For me personally, I have wanted more numbers in terms of goals and assists,” he said.

"I've not been at my best compared to how I was before January but in football, you have these dips and forms and I will move past that by working my hardest every single day."

When van Bronckhorst first arrived, Aribo appeared to be the chief beneficiary of a ‘high and wide’ 4-3-3. He didn’t have to drop deep and progress the ball, benefited from fast attacks and caused havoc in the central pockets opened up by aggressively stationed wingers.

Although Gerrard adapted his midfield last season to give Aribo attacking freedom, with Glen Kamara and Steven Davis providing greater defensive cover, his role as a midfielder in the Christmas tree formation was structured and rhythmic, at times he was required to take the ball of his centre-backs while either full-back pushed high.

Van Bronckhorst’s more traditional adaptation of the 4-3-3 featured direct build-up play that didn’t require the Nigerian to link play and help get the ball forward. Although shapes fluctuated, he was given real freedom in the offensive third, leading to runs like the below at Tynecastle. A sequence that would have never been seen under the previous regime. 

However, since the 3-0 Old Firm humbling at Parkhead, the management team has generally favoured an asymmetrical 4-2-3-1 system, which offers a more robust midfield platform, greater numbers in the build-up and, at times, offers Aribo less positional freedom.

In the system, Rangers predominantly try and overload bodies on the right side of the pitch before switching play to the left, where Ryan Kent can attack full-backs in space and Aribo can occupy the space inside.

For all the early benefits of the direct play which led to goals against Hearts and Livingston, long passes from Connor Goldson and the high positioning of Aribo alongside Scott Arfield, teams learned that if they managed to stop the side’s single defensive midfielder on the ball, and didn’t leave adequate room for a ball in behind the defence, they could stop Rangers getting the ball forward.

Adaptation was needed and the right-sided overloads, complemented with verticality in attack, has generally worked well. Equally, it has also brought more structure, perhaps to the detriment of Aribo.

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His touch maps in the period before and after the winter break demonstrates a slight alteration.

Notice the midfielder is dropping deeper, less involved on the right and his actions are more generally isolated on the left-hand side of the pitch. The complete positional freedom initially granted within van Bronckhorst’s system seems to have eroded somewhat.

In Gerrard’s interview where he brandished Aribo a top player following his exploits against Livingston at left-back, he made a comment that perhaps reveals the truth: “If you think about it, he’s a No.10 and he’s just cruised it at left-back."

For his numerous qualities, ability to function within a structure and positional flexibility, perhaps Aribo is at his very best when given complete autonomy as any true No.10 would desire and the license to play outwith rehearsed rhythms and patterns.

He may be a top player “who can play anywhere”, but perhaps it's only when given consent to play everywhere that Joe Aribo's numbers in front of goal reflect his unquestionable ability.