THE BIG KICK-OFF
Sportsmail special on the new SPFL Premiership season
JOE ARIBO enjoyed a Rangers debut season brimful of promise. Abundant potential and occasional flashes of raw brilliance are not synonymous with grinding out championships.
On the evidence of this dazzling pre-season, however, Aribo has announced his intention to be a major and consistent influence on a serious Premiership bid that Rangers hope begins on Saturday.
Lauded as a future English Premier League talent by a host of knowledgeable judges when plucked from Charlton Athletic last summer, at times it was easy to see why.
But a settling-in period to the club featuring form dips was understandable on a huge step up in only his fourth full season in the senior game.
Aribo has returned from the lengthy, enforced break a more robust and physical figure ready for the rigours of a long winter in Scottish football.
His skills have not gone missing amid the other improvements, as witnessed yesterday when he netted the opening goal in a fourth successive pre-season victory.
Coventry boast a defensive unit well drilled by Mark Robins’ assistant, Adi Viveash, and they were proud of the league-best 30 goals conceded in 34 games last term.
They did well to stifle until the 50th minute when failing to hold out any longer to Aribo and a host team implored by Steven Gerrard at the break to improve their final-third threat.
The Nigerian answered the call. He scythed through the Coventry resistance by prompting an intricate exchange with Alfredo Morelos before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.
‘Joe has come back in a fantastic place,’ noted Gerrard. ‘He’s fitter, focused and all I ask is that he takes his pre-season performances into the season. If he does, then he’s going to be a major help for us.’
With Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent the support acts closer to Morelos, Aribo has dropped down a line in the early examples of Rangers trying out a new scheme designed to break down defences with greater regularity.
That problem reared its head again in several frustrating games early in 2020 when the wheels came off their title bandwagon.
Gerrard added: ‘We’ve picked certain teams to play as we knew Mark (Robins) would come and have a really organised shape behind the ball and challenge us in that area.
‘Joe is more than capable of playing anywhere you put him as he’s so talented.
‘Another reason we’ve dropped Joe down a line is to get more creation in the XI, to try to solve these problems as teams are going to come and set us a challenge.
‘At times, it will be difficult but we’ve got to believe in ourselves and we do believe we have the talent on the pitch to find the answers.’ Coventry were seven points clear of third place with a game in hand when League One clubs voted to terminate their season, their promotion not deemed among the contentious issues of calling that division early.
Robins fielded former Kilmarnock midfielder Liam Kelly as his skipper and Scotland Under-21 defender Dom Hyam in a three-man central defence for a scoreless first half.
This was a second empty Ibrox event for Rangers following a 4-0 defeat of Motherwell.
Their visitors have a recent history of being detached from any home comforts, mounting their promotion campaign from Birmingham City’s St Andrews having previously spent a year at Northampton Town.
A minute’s silence for former Rangers winger David Hagen was observed before kick-off, after which Coventry were pinned back by the pace and energy of Rangers.
Yet Jordan Shipley’s spin on James Tavernier and 20-yard drive was the first test for either keeper, Allan McGregor back in action after Jon McLaughlin featured in midweek.
And striker Matt Godden slid the ball past the Ibrox No 1 on the stroke of half-time before being frustrated by the offside flag.
While Aribo looks lean, mean and primed for Pittodrie, Morelos is taking longer to come to the boil.
Morelos spoke to a radio station in his homeland to pledge that, despite forever being the subject of transfer rumour and stating interest in advancing one day to an elite European league, he would continue to sweat for the Rangers shirt.
There was sweat and toil for nothing here. Tavernier did his utmost, serving a delicious delivery met by a Morelos diving header that failed to hit the target.
Declan Drysdale threw himself in the way of multiple Morelos shots in a successful personal battle to keep out the Colombian before the striker made way for Brandon Barker after 62 minutes.
While the Sky Blues made a host of changes at the break, Gerrard stuck with what could be his starting Pittodrie team until the hour.
That was the cue for Filip Helander to make his first outing since the Betfred Cup final in December.
A foot issue kept the Swede sidelined and with Nikola Katic now out long term, Helander’s return and the signing of Leon Balogun are significant squad additions.
In truth, it was Coventry who needed their fresh legs in the second half as the sharper attacking menace and movement of Rangers imposed its will on the visiting defence.
Second-half keeper Ben Wilson threw himself across goal to deny Kent then produced a blinding one-handed block to deny Hagi.
Yet Wilson wasn’t even close to the towering header from Connor Goldson that sealed victory for Rangers, the centre-half brilliantly guiding Tavernier’s free-kick into the far corner of the net.
Tavernier, with a back-post header, and Greg Stewart could have made the margin of victory more comprehensive but Rangers continue to impress with, potentially, one more bounce game on Tuesday afternoon before the real action returns.