What is Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Rangers footballing philosophy?

In a world of tactical ideologues and pragmatists, where do we place Giovanni van Bronckhorst?

The above quote, taken from his Europa League Final interview, aligns with either school of thought. Managers exist in the tension of this paradox; trying to maximise their team’s strengths and minimise the opposition’s.

Having arrived during the busy winter period and therefore unable to spend hours on the training pitch, video meetings were an essential and necessary part of the tactical changes that van Bronckhorst implemented mid-season. Now, he has what every manager desires – a pre-season and transfer window to embed ideas and recalibrate playing options.

But do we know exactly how the manager wants to play? Does he have a favoured system, as Steven Gerrard did? Is there a template for the type of football supporters can expect domestically this season?

When the Rangers Review wrote about the previous management team’s philosophy, it was somewhat more prescriptive. Michael Beale and Gerrard had a favoured formation with definable roles whereas to this point, van Bronckhorst’s methods appear far more variable.

Given the manager’s own admission of abandoning some ideas, it’s easier to break down his principles rather than dissect a favoured system. Which can reveal the type of Rangers team he is trying to create.

Principle one: Adaptability and variation

Van Bronckhorst adapts to the opposition, whether he is facing RB Leipzig or Dundee United.

Why? Because he believes tailoring his team’s strengths to the opposition’s weaknesses promotes the best chance of victory. Think of his success in European second legs after, in his own words, being able to study the opposition up close. Or consider the two different formations he prepared for the visit of Tam Courts’ United in December of last year, given uncertainty regarding the visitor’s own formation.

From using a back three in Europe…

...High full-backs and narrow wingers…

....And a more traditional 4-3-3.

Van Bronckhorst has varied his formation as well as personnel during his brief stay in Scotland.

Speaking in Marti Perarnau’s ‘Pep Confidential’, the inside story of Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge of Bayern Munich, the now Man City manager is quoted as saying the following: “I look at the footage of our opponents and then try to work out how to demolish them.”

Later in the book, readers are told of a conversation Guardiola has with former chess world champion Garry Kasparov, who said: “You wouldn’t attack in the same way from a mountain top as you would from a wide open countryside.”

Guardiola, arguably the great modern football coach, may be the best, but constantly innovates, adapts and evolves. He doesn’t always prioritise ‘plan a’ even though his team is the best, rather, they are in large part the best because of the unpredictability constant change creates. Staying in front by staying ahead.

Having spent two seasons without a striker, Guardiola’s City have just purchased a quintessential No.9 in Erling Halland. The manager has an overall style and clear set of principles, but they aren't exclusive to one formation.

Van Bronckhorst, who spent time working with the City group during a break from management, has adopted this flexibility.

The value of this principle was clearly shown in Europe. A formation change at home to Dortmund stemmed what appeared an inevitable tide while intelligent game plans exposed fragilities in the RB Leipzig camp. In-game adaptations also proved useful at home to Red Star Belgrade and a 3-1 home win over Braga, in which Rangers racked up 6.24xG, also featured a different set-up from the previous leg.

We’ve seen him approach Old Firm games with a plan to play over the press using Allan McGregor’s distribution and play through it with Jon McLaughlin’s.

The Dutchman clearly believes in the benefits of variation to get the very best out of his side from game to game.

Principle two: Creating one-v-ones and stretching the pitch

Rangers attempted 5.77 more dribbles per 90 under van Bronckhorst than they did under Gerrard last season in the Scottish Premiership, which comes as no surprise given the manager’s repetitive mentions of creating ‘one-v-ones’ during the initial games he took charge of.

Speaking after he introduced Scott Wright to provide natural width on the right, helping his side to a 1-0 win over Dundee United, the manager said: “When you’re playing against a team that is defending really deep with five defenders I always try to play with wingers who can keep the width and pace.”

In theory, by keeping wingers wide against a packed defence, the opposition is faced with a dilemma. Whereas most teams are happy to sit off full-backs and defend crosses, the one-v-one threat posed by a winger is often more problematic and requires the opposition full-back to position themselves aggressively, which in turn opens up central pockets.

All around world football, traditional wingers are back in fashion given their value in opening spaces, committing markers and breaking down defensive blocks.

Look at Xavi’s Barcelona, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s City. Under Gerrard, the full-backs were the widest players in the team. This was undeniably successful throughout his spell at Ibrox but teams learned to combat the approach. A fact Gerrard himself conceded last summer.

Take this example, from a 2-1 win against St Johnstone last season. Rangers are playing without the natural width of wingers and as a result, the home side can remain in a tight bank of five, limiting any space to play through.

Joe Aribo squeezes a pass into the feet of Kemar Roofe in this example, but given the tight lines St Johnstone have set up in, their defence can recover.

The right-wing back, Shaun Rooney, can remain so tight to his right centre-back, James Brown, and minimise the distance Roofe has to attack because a full-back outside him attacking one-v-one is less threatening than a winger, with three centre-backs ready to defend crosses.

Compare the above example to an Aribo goal at Tannadice after the managerial change lasts season. This time it’s a winger out wide by the touchline and as a result, Dundee United’s full-back marks Ryan Kent tightly. 

The attacker slides a ball through to Bassey who can cross unmarked given United have doubled up on Kent, most importantly, notice how stretched the right side of their defence is.

In compensating for the threat of Kent receiving and attacking the defence in space, central pockets have opened up.

Aribo has room to arrive in the box and finish.

Full-backs in wide areas can prove hugely effective, but by the end of Gerrard's tenure, their threats had become too predictable. 

Not only does van Bronckhorst vary his approach more regularly, but he also favours wide wingers to stretch defences and open up gaps.

Principle Three: Defending man-for-man 

Arguably the most recognisable trait of van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side is their approach without the ball.

Gerrard’s Rangers defended in a compact, impenetrable shape that guarded the centre of the pitch religiously. Players moved in unison, hunted in packs and always showed the opposition out wide.

Again, teams combatted this approach far more successfully last season than the campaign prior, given their familiarity with the approach.

Van Bronckhorst’s structure without the ball differs greatly from his predecessor. 

He prefers to mark up man-for-man and focus on individual battles, a style that arguably carries greater risk and reward. In the Scottish Cup semi-final, for example, his side went three-v-three at the back all game with Bassey stepping into midfield and marking Tom Rogic.

This allowed left-winger Kent to join Kemar Roofe in pressing the centre-backs and midfielder John Lundstram to leave his central perch and pressurise right-back Josip Juranovic.

It’s a risky ploy that can leave the team exposed if one line of pressure is broken, as demonstrated by this sequence against RB Leipzig.

The Germans break through the pitch to create a three-v-two after Bassey and Ryan Jack are both side-stepped, meaning seven outfielders are bypassed.

Only superb individual defending from Connor Goldson keeps them out, buying time for Jack to make a recovery tackle.

It’s hard to question the aggression and intention behind the principle. Indeed, shots generated by this high press rose from 3.3 to 4.4 in the league last season as a result of this change.

To play this style you require players comfortable in one-v-one duels. That’s why the likes of Bassey and Lundstram have become cornerstones of the new era, in place of Steven Davis and Filip Helander who while both excellent individuals are far less dynamic. 

READ MORE: Rangers' key passing trends: Identifying the origin of creative locations 

Principle four: Attacking quickly and building directly

Ever since Scott Arfield and Aribo made lung-busting third-man runs against Livingston in van Bronckhorst’s inaugural league game, it’s been clear that the Dutchman wants his midfield to act aggressively, unlike Gerrard who favoured ambitious full-backs covered by their midfield counterparts.

However by the end of last season, those two advanced No.8s and one No.6 became one No.10 and two No.6s, in part to free up James Tavernier and strike the balance between defence and attack.

In the below pass network against Dundee, notice a No.10 (Arfield), an inverted winger to facilitate Tavernier's forward movement (Aaron Ramsey) and double-pivot of Lundstram and James Sands.

We know the manager favours a physical focal point up top and likes his defenders to progress the ball into attacking areas, aggressively stepping out with the ball and finding outlets in high areas.

While Gerrard’s football was controlled and methodical in getting the ball beyond pressure, van Bronckhorst’s can often seem more chaotic. Goldson’s long-range distribution has increased in importance and while Alfredo Morelos is still dropping deep, he is doing so more as a target man than a deep-lying forward.

Goldson and Bassey, van Bronckhorst's most common centre-back pairing last season, had the second and third highest xGBuildUp ratings come May, reflective of their influence in building play.

At times, this can leave Rangers too reliant on quickly punching the ball into the attacking third. However, van Bronckhorst will hope that a full pre-season and summer transfer window will improve fluidity in this area.

A pragmatist and ideologue?

Van Bronckhorst’s footballing philosophy has pragmatic and ideological themes. His man-marking style is an example of a risky ploy he believes in and perseveres with, but varied formations and game plans represent a willingness to adapt and change. 

His football is flexible and fluid but as demonstrated, holds defining principles evident in every game.