Ridvan Yilmaz's 'best Rangers showing yet' was owing to two factors

Philippe Clement, speaking after his side’s 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox yesterday, is never one to go overboard with individual praise in the press. The performance of his 22-year-old left-back impressed him sufficiently to crack a compliment this time, however.

Ridvan was awarded man of the match as Rangers entered the winter break with a win. The defender’s assist for the game’s third goal capped, arguably, his most promising performance to date at the club.

Since arriving from Besiktas in the summer of 2022, he’s been unable to usurp Borna Barisic at left-back. Questions over the player’s physicality have been levelled and at times when thrown in for the odd fixture here or there, games have passed Ridvan by.

That wasn’t the case against Kilmarnock as Ridvan was aided by two key factors that haven’t always complimented appearances. The game arrived following a run in the team and Rangers' style of play suited him down to the ground. The task handed out suited Ridvan's capabilities and qualities.

Yesterday was Ridvan’s fourth consecutive start in the league. In his 18 months at the club that’s only the second time he’s played as many league games in a row. The other occasion? The final five fixtures of last season when all hopes of the title had been written off.

Ridvan is not like fellow left-back Barisic - in fact, he’s almost the opposite profile. The latter was a perfect fit for Steven Gerrard’s Rangers given he is happy providing width, overlapping, solid when defending one-on-one in wide spaces and possesses elite delivery.

Ridvan is comfortable operating inside the pitch, better in combination than when isolated and capable of carrying and passing the ball forward. Unlike Barisic who will naturally float wide and hug the touchline, Ridvan wants to move inside the pitch and play closer to the goal and his teammates.

Look at where the left-back received passes yesterday (left) compared to Barisic’s last league home start (right), a 3-1 win over Dundee in December. Although only one game, the two pass maps show off key themes.

Barisic rarely received the ball in the half-space, only twice in the final third to be exact compared to Ridvan’s 11 in that area. Ridvan was on the end of fewer vertical passes from his centre-backs, instead often rotating infield.

Rangers often overload the right-hand side of the pitch in possession, in part because Barisic is more effective when isolated as a crosser rather than involved as a combiner.

Yesterday that was different. As demonstrated in the below pass network charting average passing positions, Todd Cantwell joined Abdallah Sima to form the left-sided triangle while Kieran Dowell assisted Ross McCausland and James Tavernier on the right.

With Kilmarnock regularly man-marking, Clement needed maximum movement and rotations from his full-backs unlike in other games recently where Rangers’ build-up has attempted to go around the opposition. Plenty of rotations and freedom to interchange and combine with teammates is the type of football that suits Ridvan.

There was variation in either wide triangle. At times on the left, Cantwell dropped to form the base while Ridvan hugged the touchline and Sima ran behind the defence, on other occasions, the left-back moved infield while Cantwell shifted wide. If Cantwell drifted towards possession on the right, John Souttar stepped forward or Dowell changed sides.

Ridvan’s stats for the game are reflective of his overall impact. Risky and adventurous on the ball, capable of going past his marker one-on-one, susceptible to losing a duel himself when defending a winger and progressive with the ball.

- 6/10 defensive duels won

- 80 percent pass accuracy 

- 3 progressive runs 

- 4/7 successful take-ons

Let’s look at a few examples of Ridvan's performance to understand his impact on the game.

Here, after 29 minutes, the ball is worked wide to Sima by the touchline as the visiting back five are stretched. Dowell, having swapped places with Cantwell, is making a third-man run beyond the defence while Ridvan has moved to occupy the left half-space.

Ridvan checks his shoulder as Sima moves infield to see space at the edge of the box. His positioning creates uncertainty in the defence, given he isn’t moving forward like a striker but peeling off the centre-back. He opens up Kilmarnock with a smart reverse pass into Dowell whose following cross is turned away.

A few minutes later, Ridvan’s outplaying one-on-one helped create a good opening Rangers couldn’t maximise.

Having received a header from Souttar while under pressure from Armstrong, Ridvan quickly lifts the ball over his marker’s head and in the next motion fires a ball into the feet of Cyriel Dessers as Rangers created a dangerous attack.

Some moments didn’t quite come off. Ridvan can be guilty of being too ambitious with passes and forcing turnovers even if the intent in moments like the below, travelling with the ball from deep before trying to open up the defence, are designed to break down a block.

The left-back also played an important part in the goal after finding a route out from pressure deep in the pitch. Ridvan is a forward-thinking player who wants to progress more than he wants to retain.

During the second half Sima hugged the touchline far more frequently enabling Ridvan to move inside and assume these types of positions. 

It was the game’s third goal, scored just after Kilmarnock halved the deficit from the penalty spot, that showed off Ridvan’s impact. Not only in the creation of the goal but the creation of the chance.

With Tavernier also moving inside the pitch, having fulfilled a not-dissimilar role to his fellow full-back on the right, Sima shifts wide while Ridvan makes an inverted run.

Armstrong is forced to move inside while Wright has to shift wide and pick up Sima.

The point of a rotation like this, especially against a side man-marking, is to create separation, free up passing options and move the defence. Sima achieves good separation from his marker and is well-positioned to drive forward on his first touch after a well-timed pass from Souttar.

Rangers now have the upper hand with Armstrong forced to confront Sima, but Ridvan has already escaped the winger’s attention. From here he receives Sima's pass and plays a perfect low cross into the onrushing Cantwell.

Although Ridvan’s final ball in this instance was impressive, often it was not necessarily what he did with possession but his movement without it against Kilmarnock that stood out.

The full-back's pace and movement to unsettle and open up defences was well evidenced on Tuesday. Unlike Barisic, he can receive inside with his back to goal, plays forward quickly and because of that, offers his side greater variation in possession. Sima can only pull wide in this example knowing Ridvan is capable of occupying the half-spaces.

There’s a reason overlapping full-backs have been phased out of high-possession teams in recent seasons with wingers back in fashion. Against packed penalty boxes, ball carriers from wide with underlapping runs from full-back opening up space are often the favoured option of managers.

Ridvan’s showing wasn’t perfect. On occasion, he was beaten too easily one-on-one and was also guilty of giving up the ball too readily. There is obviously good reason that three successive managers have tended to favour Barisic who’s been a great servant at Ibrox, has a wealth of experience and unique skillset of his own.

However, as Clement mentioned yesterday, Ridvan is “one of a number of players who are growing”. 

Whether that trajectory will lead to the first-choice left-back slot remains to be seen. Ridvan’s task is now to deliver signs of promise consistently to make the shirt his own.