Why Rangers are struggling on the road and how Antonio Colak's 'clue' can help

After another demoralising defeat in Europe last time out, Giovanni van Bronckhorst continues to need more than just results. At the risk of repeating a well-made point, performances hold almost equal priority.

The win against Aberdeen garnered the reaction it did for that very reason. Although Rangers have won by more convincing margins this season, they hadn’t won with such a convincing performance. It was exciting, aggressive and forward-thinking – but how much of that was down to the variables?

“I think also the way Aberdeen played, they gave us a lot of space to play which is not usually the case at home,” van Bronckhorst said.

“With Aberdeen coming to press us really high so we used the space we had in that game very wisely. That is why we had a very convincing win.

“We are likely to face a low lock on Sunday so we have to make the right decisions and make sure we attack the right spaces.”

And while all of that is true, there was another element which made all the difference. Speaking after the win against Jim Goodwin’s side, van Bronckhorst admitted he’d placed an added emphasis on starting fast.

“I put more focus on our start. Told the players to start really well and really aggressively in the first 15 minutes, every time we start on the front foot it’s not only the beginning, you take it with you for the whole game.”

As the manager concedes the benefit of a fast start is felt for the entire game. The intensity Rangers played with is what Antonio Colak branded the “clue to a successful game” on Friday.

“The intensity is the clue in the first step to have a successful game, this is the most important thing,” he said.

“We have to be intense and win the duels. In the Scottish league, it’s the most important thing to show who’s the man on the pitch.”

Intensity is a buzzword but anyone who has watched the league campaign this season will argue its importance.

However, looking ahead to tomorrow's trip to St Johnstone, intensity is only half the battle. Performance-wide Rangers have suffered an away-from-home slump that will result in dropped points at some point if not rectified. 

The radar below shows their xG, goals and OBV in the Scottish Premiership at home (red) and away (blue) this season. Remember the higher the percentile rating, the better.

READ MORE: James Sands' story: How Rangers' 'not flashy' American was schooled in football's fundamentals

So, what does this tell us?

• Rangers have averaged 2.47xG per 90 at home in the league, marginally higher than Celtic’s 2.43.
• Away from home, that number is cut in half. While Celtic’s xG shoots up to 2.57xG, Rangers’ drops to 1.18, lower than Hibs’ 1.25.
• Their On-Ball Value (OBV) which is explained in depth here, is again the league-highest at home. The drop away from Ibrox is again more dramatic than Celtic. Their 2.61 trumps Rangers’ 1.81, which is lower than Hearts’ 2.25.

So, having established that on basic underlying numbers van Bronckhorst’s side have struggled on the road, it’s important to ask why?

In simple terms, they’re building play and progressing the ball into the final third differently. Either by choice or due to the aggression of their opponents. With territorial dominance not a pre-requisite, last season's Scottish Cup winners are spending less time in the final third. The below possession radar illustrates this point.

What is this radar telling you? Away from Ibrox…

• Deep completions, the number of passes within 20 metres of the opposition goal, drops by 56 percent.
• Passes inside the box, a self-explanatory but nonetheless important statistic, drops by 60 percent.
• Deep progressions, passes, dribbles and carries into the opposition's final third, drops by 32 percent.
• Possession, possessions and accuracy, over 100 fewer passes are played, eight percent less possession is held and dribbles also fall marginally. 

Of course, playing away from home is traditionally more difficult. That shouldn't necessarily translate to such a drop-off, however. 

If van Bronckhorst is to build any momentum pre-break he not only needs to demand the intensity that Colak regards as the clue. The slump away from Ibrox must also be stopped before points are dropped.