Michael Beale naturally kept his cards close to his chest when discussing how Rangers will set up tactically during an unveiling in the Blue Room.
The 42-year-old highlighted the importance of playing on the front foot and fostering a style that’s exciting to participate in and watch. Beale also referenced “running forward more off the ball and playing together” in a nod to the compact, cohesive shape he’ll implement at Ibrox.
A line near the end of his 20-minute televised interview expended on the topic of tactics, with Beale adding: “I'm excited to get the attacking players to operate with my ideas because I think they are capable of doing more.”
Having already spoken of the need to “release the handbrake” and develop a style of football that “excites and reconnects the fans”, Thursday’s press conference provided a hint of the methods that the club’s 18th manager hopes will help change this squad’s fortunes.
But what will that look like in practice?
Firstly, it’s important to note that Beale caveated his statement by affirming the responsibility the players must assume. He will hope that his ideas mixed with the encouragement echoed can combine to improve their environment.
As covered in the Rangers Review’s long read on Beale’s tactical philosophy and our piece hypothesising what his system will look like, the tactical template implemented could differ significantly from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s.
Beale held influence as Steven Gerrard’s first-team coach and his ideas were well-known during a previous three-and-a-half-year stint at the club. Alongside the 22 games he managed at Loftus Road, we can gauge generally how he will look to set up his stall at Ibrox.
But now the main man with a slightly different squad, an altered approach from the Gerrard era should be expected.
When speaking about improving the attackers by using “his ideas”, the manager is referencing an overall framework that should in his opinion, better harness the potential of the squad’s attack.
“Us coaches are a little bit overrated, we give a nice roadmap for the players but they’ve got to go out there and they’ve got to play the game,” he added.
What are these ideas he makes reference to? While van Bronckhorst placed heavy emphasis on wingers winning one-v-one duels and attacking midfielders running beyond the striker, Beale’s footballing vision appears to focus more on overloads, aggression in possession and getting forward players close together.
It’s likely his Rangers team will be more compact when they press the opposition and also visibly closer together in possession.
Take this pass network from his QPR side’s 3-0 win over Cardiff as an example.
This charts the average position from which a player makes their passes. Meaning, it shows the position from which they were impacting the game in possession.
Notice his midfield and attack all playing extremely close together, overloaded to the left side of the pitch. With the full-backs, Paal and Laird, providing the width.
Forming the attack in a narrow shape allows for combinations, players starting at closer proximity to the goal and ensures they are working in dangerous areas of the pitch.
Towards the end of Gerrard’s era, this often translated negatively into a lack of width, with opponents crowding the centre and thus decreasing the value of attackers playing in these pockets. However, with a little more ‘variety’ as Beale also referenced at his press conference, he will hope that his Rangers side won’t be quite so predictable.
Often under van Bronckhorst in domestic games, Rangers’ wingers and full-backs played on the same line. The midfield never felt truly suited to breaking down opposition defences, always seeking to run beyond.
Take this example from the 1-0 win against Hearts just before the World Cup Break. Notice the huge gaps between the midfielders and wide players, as well as the unoccupied zones down either side of the midfield three.
Beale’s Rangers team will more often than not keep one player wide on each side and ensure the other is tucked infield, in a bid to provide central passing options.
Here’s an example from one of Gerrard’s final games north of the border, which could serve as a rough structural template for what Beale will implement.
Taken from a 4-2 win in Dingwall, notice full-backs stretching the pitch, a well-spaced front three occupying the half-spaces and plenty of central options.
The new Rangers manager admitted he wasn’t going to give too much away on his fourth day in the door, adding that supporters should be excited to come and watch the team play.
He will hope his team's more compact, aggressive shape in possession will be conducive to the attacking football Ibrox expects.
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