Why Motherwell's Rangers roadmap matters as Morelos' poaching returns

“It wasn’t what I wanted it to be. If you had said to me we would take 12 points from these four games, with a couple of clean sheets leading into the next game, I would have taken it but I would have liked us to be playing with a bit more rhythm,” he said.

On the basis of chances created this was a routine victory to the outside observer. Upon closer inspection, it’s clear to see why the manager knows Rangers “aren’t where he wants them to be” yet.

Beale was particularly frustrated with his side’s proclivity to give up possession “unopposed”. Although the visitors didn’t capitalise on the spaces vacated, the Ibrox side will have to be far improved off the ball in Monday’s Old Firm tie.

“We need to find some rhythm quickly or we need to be much better out of possession,” Beale added during his post-match press conference.

On the basis of chances created, StatsBomb measures Rangers’ win probability at 77 percent. The 2.0xG created was slightly below a home average of 2.42.

Rangers’ shot quality, measured by xG per shot, stood at 0.11. A decimal point higher than their 0.10 league average.

Alfredo Morelos’ opening goal was the highest-value chance of the match (0.32xG) and Rabbi Matondo’s late one-on-one the second (0.31xG).

Morelos peeled off behind Ricki Lamie in the build-up to his opening goal as Borna Barisic prepared a cross. Allowing the forward to get a free run with Lamie’s eyes fixed on the flight of the delivery and unable to keep tabs on the forward.

The Colombian left the pitch due to muscle tightness and having played such little football since his return from injury, peak sharpness still feels some distance away. However, two poachers' goals under Beale indicates a healthy trajectory that all concerned will hope continues trending upwards.

Connor Goldson added a second soon after the deadlock was broken. Having scored once direct from a corner under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 15 league matches, Rangers now have two corner goals in four league games under Beale.

Goldson’s header derived from an inswinging corner, which had dropped dramatically in place of outswingers prior to Beale’s arrival. Rangers were able to isolate Goldson and Ben Davies at the back post with Malik Tillman and Morelos running towards the front.

Motherwell rarely tested Allan McGregor, with a few dangerous transitions halted before the final action. Luca Ross’ late opportunity from close range (0.17xG) was their best effort of the evening.

However, their ploy to try and create chances is worth closer inspection. The visitors vacated the middle when they had the ball and attempted to exploit spaces down the side. 

Notice in their pass network, which charts the average position a player made their passes from, there's a complete lack of central ball progression. 

A chance in the first half shows this playing out. Steven Hammell’s men play to the left with Rangers’ defensive shape overloaded on the right…

Before managing to pull the entire home side to the left and find space on the right for a shot…

The sequence of this move is shown below.

In some ways, it featured similar themes to the best opportunity Ross County created last Friday. The Highland outfit also switched the ball, dragged the defence over and then created a shot on the original side they'd held possession. 

It’s moments like this that Beale has branded “red flags” since taking over at Ibrox. He knows while Rangers continue to find their identity on the ball under his management, they have to be more dependable off it.

Of course, teething problems will exist after any managerial change, especially when injuries and form have been so drastic upon arrival. But with an Old Firm just days the need to improve out of possession is pertinent. 

The sight of Tillman, Alex Lowry and Ryan Kent on the teamsheet had dominated the pre-match conversation. As demonstrated by the hosts' pass network, Lowry and Tillman played on either side of the midfield while Kent tucked behind Morelos in his customary free role.

Rangers looked to build play on the left and attack down the right. That saw Lowry dropping into the space vacated by Barisic as he rotated forwards, while on the other side Tillman and Tavernier pushed high up the pitch.

The trio’s combined performance featured flashes of quality, while not helped by the game’s overall disjointed nature. 

Points are more important than performances at the moment. Rangers would far rather have secured the former in recent games, knowing the latter will come in time. Beale's challenge over the next month is to retain a winning record while striking a balance between the two.