Giovanni van Bronckhorst branded St Johnstone’s second goal on Sunday as “unacceptable” from a Rangers point of view.
Moments after bringing on an extra forward in a bid to turn the game, the deficit was doubled. Rangers never truly looked like restoring parity aside from John Lundstram’s long-range effort which hit the bar.
The strike that saw St Johnstone work a lead was difficult to argue with in isolation. Even if the Post-Shot xG, the likelihood of a goal after the shot has been taken, was only 0.12. The below StatsBomb graphic suggests Allan McGregor was positioned too far from his goalline, which made stopping James Brown’s strike all the more difficult.
Strike aside, the manner in which Rangers lost the ball and failed to retrieve it is a more pressing concern.
The move starts with Lundstram losing the ball cheaply and as has been discussed subsequently, reacting to that in frustration rather than seeking to regain possession.
There seems to be some mix-up regarding Fashion Sakala’s run, both players are caught between playing the ball to feet or behind the defence (outlined in red). After Lundstram under-hits the pass and fails to react, Adam Montgomery can intercept and start a counterattack.
As Montgomery plays a one-two infield, the two stills below show the issue. Rangers are so high and wide in possession, with both wingers and midfielders ahead of the ball and the full-backs not tucking inside, that James Sands is an island in the middle.
You can see in the pass network from game, which charts the average position from which a player made their passes, when Lundstram and Malik Tillman moved higher, the US international was at risk of being exposed centrally.
As a result of their shape in possession and preference to mark man-for-man without the ball, the team aren't compact and the midfield is unprotected.
Rangers are four-vs-two in defence but outnumbered two-vs-one a line up the pitch. That’s the root of the issue, with full-backs and wingers wide and two No.8s high, the structure behind the ball makes it far too easy for St Johnstone to progress up the park in the first instance.
If both or one of the full-backs were positioned higher in a central area, outlined in red, the visitors would be better placed to stop St Johnstone from reaching the box in the first instance.
Once the ball reaches the box, numerous errors follow. Although Tavernier initially wins his battle against Montgomery, with the defence narrower than in the first frame, he proceeds to give up possession right after.
The pressure from Sands and Lundstram is poor, allowing a pass into the penalty box. Despite the fact that Stevie May flicks the ball into Ben Davies’ path, possession is surrendered again.
Eventually, a deflected effort finds its way to Brown who also benefits from a lack of intensity with a Rangers player applying pressure, this time in the form of Ryan Kent, before finding the net.
The lack of tempo throughout the concession will frustrate the coaching staff. Too many teamwide and individual errors led to the visitors falling behind and never recovering.
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