The Rangers goals that show Jon McLaughlin's attacking on-ball value

It has been a facet of the team’s game that Giovanni van Bronckhorst was keen to refine across his first full pre-season as Gers boss this summer, with the fruits of that labour exemplified in the impressive 3-1 win over West Ham United last month.

Translating that improvement into games against domestic opponents has been more difficult given the paucity of teams that provide Rangers with the conditions to play out successfully from deep areas of the pitch.

However, Ross County’s aggressive approach in Glasgow certainly provided the platform for the home side to exhibit their deep build-up patterns.

Van Bronckhorst’s men opened the scoring following a neat move that began with Jon McLaughlin evading pressure inside his own penalty area.

As Connor Goldson picks up the ball in his own defensive third below, he is pressed into playing a pass back to the Rangers No.1.

The County attacker continues to press McLaughlin, who shows nimble footwork to skip past his opponent.

The goalkeeper’s two obvious passing options – James Sands and John Lundstram - are blocked by County’s aggressive man-orientated defensive press…

 …Forcing him to release a risky pass into Malik Tillman in midfield.

However, the Bayern Munich loanee uses his body intelligently to turn his marker.

He carries the ball forward towards the halfway line, evading a cynical challenge from a Ross County defender in the process.

Malky Mackay’s side recover goal-side of the ball, although their left-hand side is visibly underloaded.

The ball is shifted out to Borna Barisic on the left, who proceeds to feed Ryan Kent and continue his overlapping run.

Kent, meanwhile, deliberately slows his own progress and, as Kazeem Olaigbe sprints back to provide assistance to his full-back, checks inside as the County’s winger’s momentum takes him in the opposite direction.

Having selected an attack-minded team which included Tom Lawrence and Tillman ahead of one sitting midfielder, Rangers are able to attack the penalty area with five bodies (with James Tavernier out of shot). This pins the opposition into their own 18-yard box, leaving space at the edge of the penalty area for Lundstram to receive a pass from Kent and place a shot towards goal.

From back-to-front, van Bronckhorst's side moved the ball through the thirds diagonally and exploited County's aggression.

The hosts rounded off the scoring in Govan with a similar move that was sprung by the side’s capacity to use their goalkeeper and escape pressure.

READ MORE: How Rangers' wingers exploited Ross County's high-wire act in domestic dismantling

As half-time substitute Leon King has the ball in defence here, a combination of County’s aggression and his body orientation renders both McLaughlin and Goldson inaccessible for a pass.

Similarly, County are marking up both Lundstram and Barisic.

However, Steven Davis drops in from his high starting position to offer a wall pass. He quickly bounces the ball back to McLaughlin to play around County’s first line of defence.

McLaughlin moves the ball onto Goldson first-time and Rangers are successfully out of County’s high press, with the defender allowed to stride forward in possession into acres of time and space.

Neat dismarking movement between Scott Wright and Tavernier allows the Gers captain to receive down the right-hand side.

The speed of passing down the right prevents County’s midfield line from recovering goal-side of the ball.

Tavernier then directs a pass into Lawrence, who intelligently dummies the ball for Davis to arrive at the right time to stroke the ball into the bottom corner. “The movement of Tom was excellent, throughout the whole game,” van Bronckhorst said after the victory.

The seeds of Saturday’s performance and result were laid in pre-season, with the flowers beginning to bloom in August.