Rangers managers scouted: Three left-field candidates

The only way to realign with the ideals of the community at large was to make a change at the top. Of course, not all blame should be solely attributed to the manager, as various departments let him down at the club at some point in his tenure. However, as conventional wisdom suggests, replacing one person or an assortment of departments and individuals is easier and always more logical.

During the Dutchman's time at Ibrox it wouldn't be much of a stretch to suggest that Rangers made teams like Dortmund and Leipzig look like Motherwell in Europe at times. Sadly, however, this notion was also often turned on its head domestically.

This mix of domestic underperformance and application on the pitch, best described as bland and, at worst, downright unwatchable, led to growing discontent, which even proliferated whilst the team was winning. If the Rangers support doesn't enjoy the offerings at Ibrox, your time is ticking down towards an inevitable conclusion.

Van Bronckhorsts's name will forever be associated with a Scottish Cup win and an incredible European run; neither, especially the latter, should be downplayed, but his failure to address the bread and butter of the league campaign left him struggling.

Many will rightfully look back and produce obituaries or dissections of van Bronckhorst's time at Rangers, but the club must look forward and address the conversation at hand- who's next?

With this in mind, let me introduce, assess and hopefully convince you of the credentials of three coaches I would support to take the reigns at Ibrox.

Kjetil Knutsen, Bodo/Glimt

For the past three years, few teams have seen their stock rise more significantly than the Arctic Circle's own, Bodo/Glimt. For many, their first experience with the Norwegian side came during their victories against Celtic and Roma in the winter of 2021/22. Those results culminated a prolonged progress and, eventually, success spearheaded by their coach Kjetil Knutsen and the club's savvy recruitment and youth development. Knutsen has been in charge of Bodo/Glimt for over four years, taking over the club from a lower division to the peak of Norwegian football twice while making waves in UEFA competition.

Above, you can see Bodo/Glimt's expected goal difference (xGD) trendline since their return to the Eliteserien. It took Knutsen and his side just a single year of adaption before they were primed to challenge the country's southern heavyweights. We can see some steady regression from his side that began in the second half of last season and continued until halfway into this campaign; however, that is mainly because Knutsen and co wrapped up last year's title early on, and they are now trending towards their best form since their return.

Knutsen’s sides almost exclusively line up in a 4-3-3, or at least that’s what the team sheet says. Out of possession, the side usually transitions into a 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1.

His side’s identity revolves around ball domination, positional play and intense counter-pressing. His team stays wide and uses space well but still retains the ability to maintain intensity and intimate communication that allows for their intricate in-possession shapes and moves. Bodo/Glimt’s in-possession play is intricate and effective, predicated by a capable goalkeeper and backline who can catalyse the movements. Their fullbacks progress high, and the general shape in possession is more reminiscent of a 2-3-2-3 or 2-3-5, depending on where possession is held on the pitch. This top-heavy alignment allows Bodo/Glimt to generate numerical superiority in the opposition half and exploit pockets of space.

Knutsen’s players will move and rotate depending on the state of play, with 8s, wingers and fullbacks taking on different responsibilities and positions in an attempt to carve open the opposition. When out of possession, Bodo/Glimt are aggressive, often seen in a high block and employ an intense counter-press, which usually leads to aggressive and effective offensive transitions.

All six of Knutsen’s offensive players are expected to pop up in the box. One of the characteristics of his sides is an abundance of runners in and around the box, with his 8s and wingers offering options alongside his centre-forward. Plenty of these stylistic comments can be seen in the graphic below.

One of the key facilitators of Knutsen’s Bodo/Glimt side is his attacking 8s, specifically Hugo Vetlsen. Vetlesen, as seen below, is an incredibly skilled attacking 8 who can equally orchestrate his side’s attacks and finish them off. His attacking movement and intelligence allow him to exploit holes in opposition shapes. He’s also a comfortable participant in the build-up, often tasked with roaming around the pitch and offering an option in the early build-up phase. He’s pretty much the type of player Rangers are already missing. Should Knutsen make the trip south to Glasgow, Vetlesen or a player of his like arriving will be pivotal to allowing his system to work.

Despite Rangers' current personnel and poor form, they could still field an eleven that could allow Knutsen to impart his blueprint, as seen below. A few arrivals would be pivotal to enable him to truly impart his game model. Ridvan Yilmaz would likely profit from Knutsen’s arrival as his skills and tendencies align quite well with the Norwegian’s demands from his fullbacks. Fashion Sakala could also thrive as his positioning is likely to improve under instruction, which could see him supercharge his output even further.

On the contrary, John Lundstram would struggle to satisfy Knutsen’s demands as he is not technically up to scratch, although that criticism could be afforded to a few other squad members. Outside of an attacking 8, a competent ball-playing goalkeeper would be a pre-requisite for success with Knutsen, as none of the current options satisfies his demands. His current keeper Nikita Haikin is a free agent as of January and has hinted at wanting to play in the UK; that would be a sensible transfer.

Knutsen ticks almost all of the boxes. In my eyes, the main reason why he may not assume the manager’s job at Rangers is not due to his skills or CV, but rather he may be intelligent enough to realise that he can get a move to a club with more stable risk/reward dynamics, as it will be sink or swim from the off at Rangers.

Marti Cifuentes, Hammarby

Marti Cifuentes has earned his stripes across Europe, yet he is still young, hungry and unknown by your average fan. Cifuentes lived a relatively regular life until hitting his late 20s as he completed an undergraduate in business and law before entering the orthodox job market.

His path to football was made clear when he entered and eventually graduated from the John Cryuff Institute with an MBA in Sports Companies and even got to know the man himself. Cifuentes then worked in several countries with the intention of learning and living their respective cultures. This saw him work at both Ajax and Millwall. After returning to Spain, Cifuentes moved north, managing Sandefjord in Norway, taking the reigns at Aalborg in Denmark, and finally completing the tour in Sweden with Hammarby.

We can see Cifuentes’s success in his two most recent managerial jobs in the graphics below and above, respectively. The Spaniard’s presence is a net positive over his time at both clubs, with even his worst periods of performance either on par or better than the more positive periods each club experiences whilst he was absent. Cifuentes himself may even reject the idea of appraising performance and results in isolation with xGD as he places the enjoyment of all parties: fans, players and coaches, and how his team wins on the same level as winning itself.

Cifuentes’s sides almost always line up in a 4-3-3 or some variation of it. Most often, it’s a 4-3-3 with one defensive midfielder and two more advanced central midfielders; this usually takes the form of a 6/8/10 trio with all three occupying differing vertical lanes.

His system starts with a highly competent ball-playing goalkeeper responsible for engaging in the first phase of build-up and offering an out ball if a reset is required. Ahead of him are two centre-backs; both have to be capable on the ball and take responsibility in the build-up. Aside from them are the fullbacks. Cifuentes employs inverted fullbacks on each wing who are well-rounded going forward and maintain limited defensive commitment. His fullbacks are expected to roam centrally and on and wide to link with their wingers and central midfielders; this often creates a plethora of triangles and trapezoids across the pitch, which lead to quick interplay, overloads, and switches.

In the midfield, Cifuentes’s 6 assumes a heavy load and responsibility in possession and maintains concentration across the 90 minutes. Ahead of him are usually two attacking-oriented goalscoring midfielders, who often join the front three to make an impromptu five, maxing use of the width of the pitch and offering passing options galore. Hammarby’s front three consists of an all-round centre-forward who can interplay with the central midfielders and wingers motivated by goals above all else.

Two Cifuentes quotes, above all else, describe his approach to the game and the identity of his teams: “When I was asked how I could improve Hammarby’s defensive qualities, I said by attacking better, and that has been the key”, and “When we score the first we keep on pushing on for the second, and when we scored the second we keep on pushing for the third because this is the sort of team we want to be”.

These claims can be seen in Hammarby’s data profile from this season, where they appear to be amongst the Allsvenksan's best sides in both penalty boxes. Cifuentes is a strong proponent of the counter-press, which is in large part why he likes his fullbacks to invert, as the more centrality a side has, the easier and quicker they can win possession back. The graphic below shows that Cifuentes’s Hammarby ticks all the boxes of an elite team, effective, short build-up, effective in front of goal, and disruptive out of possession.

Darijan Bojanic has proved to be one of the central tenants of this Hammarby side. His presence as an 8 in Cifuentes’s side cannot be underappreciated. The Swede’s mix of goalscoring, ball progression, and chance creation is pivotal to his side's success, just a coincidence that this is the exact profile we’ve been crying out for.

When asked about his game model going from club to club, Cifuentes highlighted the importance of philosophy as opposed to a specific game model, saying: “Philosophy is always the same, but the game model is something that will change as I manage at different places and adapt to the personnel.”

Despite this admission of the need for pragmatism, the current Rangers squad is a competent ball player in goals and a true goalscoring 8 away from being ready for Cifuentes's optimal setup. Nonetheless, Rangers can still field an 11 that would allow for the Spaniard to succeed, which is seen below.

Sakala and Yilmaz would profit from the tactical transition from Giovanni van Bronckhorst to Cifuentes, as their strengths are prioritised in the latter’s system. Traditional wingers like Ryan Kent and Scott Wright would likely be “incompatible” with the system as neither is a consistent goalscorer and are too old to transition into one.

Antonio Colak’s fit would also be awkward - as long as he scores goals he would be fine, but his game outside the penalty box may leave a lot to be desired.

When moving from club to club, Cifuentes retained few staff members and brought none from Aalborg to Hammarby, as far as I am aware. This shows his willingness to work within existing frameworks which is encouraging from a budget point of view. Additionally, the Allsvenskan has finished for the season, so it would be a convenient juncture for him to move for all parties. However, it may prove challenging to tempt him away, given that he’s only been in Sweden for a season.

Francesco Farioli, Alanyaspor

Last but not least is my favourite choice to take the reigns over at Ibrox. Farioli spent his late teens and early 20s at university in Italy studying and graduating with an undergraduate philosophy degree, later adding a Sports Science postgraduate to his CV.

It’s easy to see the philosophical undertones of Farioli’s approach to football, its purpose and its joy, with this quote summing up his approach to football and his side’s style best: “It’s the only football I am able to provide to my team because it’s the football that comes from inside. As a coach, you cannot coach something which is outside yourself.”

Farioli’s first steps into the game occurred in the lower reaches of Italian football, where he honed his skills as an assistant and goalkeeping coach before moving to Qatar, eventually heading up the goalkeeping at the world-class Aspire Academy. Roberto De Zerbi then poached Farioli to be his goalkeeper coach at Benevento and Sassuolo. The Brighton coach’s influence is evident in Farioli’s football, which is a positive in every aspect of the word. He then moved to Turkey to be an assistant at Alanyaspor before taking the manager’s job at Karagumruk. He completed the circle and returned to Alanya, this time as head coach.

The rolling xGD graphics found above and below don’t do justice to the fundamental transformation in playing style that Farioli oversaw at both clubs, especially in his first job at Karagumruk.

He built sides that could go to the likes of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce and dominate possession and the tactical side of the game, although ultimately being overpowered on a personnel basis. His time in Istanbul was mediocre on a pure xGD basis, maintaining  slightly better numbers than the periods before and after him. His time in Alanya xGD wise has been far more successful as he has led his club to new heights, whilst the lowest lows are comparable to the highest highs of the previous regime, an undisputed success.

Over his spells at both clubs, Farioli has mainly used some variation of the 4-3-3, generally preferring the 4-2-3-1 above all else.

He is yet to enjoy a ball-playing keeper during his time in management but would no doubt, in an ideal world, appreciate such a player. A Farioli fullback enjoys great creative and territorial freedom but is expected to progress the ball and create chances for his teammates.

In possession, they often invert and play centrally to add extra options in the build-up and facilitate interplay. His centre-backs must be comfortable on the ball and able to step out of defence whilst maintaining security in possession. His midfield two comprises a 6 (single-pivot) and an 8. The 6 is expected to be secure in possession and shuttle around, and pressure passing lanes when out of it. But above all else, the 6 is pivotal in the build-up.

(Image: NQ)

Farioli’s build-up, much like De Zerbi’s, is predicated on attracting possession often by staying static and goading the opposition press before rotating, establishing overloads and finding them. In front of them is a goalscoring 10 who needs to be versatile enough to deal with constant rotation within the centre of midfield between the 6, 8 and 10. Ahead of them are two mobile all-round wingers who are expected to be adaptable and do a bit of everything. These wingers often play high and wide stretching defensive lines and creating gaps for teammates to exploit.

Leading the line for his Alanyaspor was Famara Diedhou, who is a classic target man. A strong finisher, capable link-man and strong aerial presence, very much in the mould of Colak.

A Farioli side is one that is possession based and attempts to optimise shot quality through quick and effective interplay. This can be seen in the graphic below.

Here we can see that Alanyaspor, above all else, appears a highly fluid and effective side in possession, which translates into the penalty area, but a slightly leaky one. This is primarily due to personnel deficiencies. We must remember that Alanyaspor is not near the top of the food chain in a league with many dangerous attacks. Alanyaspor doesn’t exactly press high, but they are a proponent of the counter-press and attempt to win the ball back immediately after a turnover of possession. Something that might excite you is that Farioli and his team are methodical in their use of all set-pieces - free-kicks, corners, goal-kicks and even throw-ins.

Alanyapor’s right-back Juanfran proved to be a vital contributor as his creative influence enabled much of the sides fluidity. However, in all honesty, Farioli’s time at Alanyaspor is characterised by his ability to supercharge his players' ability and performance.

I believe that Rangers have the bones of what could be an effective and attractive side under Farioli. That team, based on what Rangers have currently, can be seen below. However, a few key transfers would need to be made.

First, the arrival of a better ball player in goals would be critical, as well as the recruitment of a more technical 6, as I don’t think Lundstram has the ability in his locker to play that role for Farioli. What Rangers do have is a carbon copy of Emre Akbaba at the 10 in the form of Tom Lawrence. Akbaba has been one of Alanya's best performers and provided an essential stream of goals. Rangers also have a back four that would satisfy his needs.

Farioli brought some of his staff from Karagumruk to Alanyaspor; however, all of them were Turkish nationals or based in Turkey, so I doubt he would require their presence to move to Rangers if it proved impractical for the club. Of course, poaching Farioli from Turkey’s turquoise coast would cost money but it would be some of the best business Rangers could do in any department at the club.

READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR:

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• Rangers transfer scouting: Seven goalkeepers who could provide 2023 succession plan