WRIGHT VALUES VICTORY OVER POSSESSION STATS
JORGE SAMPAOLI, the former Chile national team manager who now coaches Sevilla, once compared dominating possession in a football match to flirting with a woman in a bar, only for her to leave with another man. The woman’s decision to go elsewhere didn’t bother Sampaoli as, in his own words, he had been ‘in possession for most of the evening’ — and that’s what really mattered. It’s an interesting analogy and he used it after his Chile side had lost 3-0 to Uruguay, despite having had 73 per cent of the ball. It’s not a theory St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright would ever be likely to agree with. Wright is a firm believer that it is not how often you see the ball in a game, but what you do with it that really counts. Such is the style of football that Rangers play, Wright expects Mark Warburton’s side to enjoy the lion’s share of possession when they visit McDiarmid Park tomorrow night. That won’t bother him, though, as he plots to end the Ibrox club’s run of four consecutive victories in the Scottish Premiership. ‘I like possession football, but it’s not the be-all and end-all as it’s not always the team with most possession who wins,’ said Wright. ‘It’s the same in every league across the world. ‘Yes, Rangers rely on possession, but not many teams other than Celtic have dominated us this season. ‘I like possession, but when we played Motherwell at home recently, we had 65 per cent of the ball and drew the game. So it’s all about where you have possession and what you do with the ball. I think we’ve got enough in our squad to cause Rangers problems.’ Wright has watched with interest as Warburton has tweaked his tactics on occasion to play long to Joe Garner in recent weeks. It is a switch that has resulted in the Ibrox side’s best form of their league campaign to date. After a sticky start, the Saints boss believes Rangers are the most likely side to claim the crown of best-of-the-rest behind runaway leaders Celtic. ‘Rangers have tried to get the ball into the opposition’s half quicker and gone a bit longer with their passing at times,’ added the 53-year-old Northern Irishman. ‘They are a good side and, if you let them play, they can hurt you. Martyn Waghorn is back scoring, as well. ‘They have won four in a row, which is a good stat if you’re at another club. But, at Rangers, it’s just a stat because they’re expected to win every single game. ‘I do think they will finish second, but Aberdeen and Hearts will have something to say about it. If you look at the resources Rangers have, they should be second, but it’s not all about that.’