CHIP OFF THE LOW BLOCK
Nich: Teams have sat deep v Gers for 50 years.. Gerrard now has options to break them down
FOOTBALL’S hipsters have rebranded it as the low block.
But Jimmy Nicholl has been around it long enough to know deep-lying defences are no new phenomenon in Scottish football.
The Northern Irishman faced them as a player for Rangers in the early part of Graeme Souness’ Ibrox revolution.
And he was charged with helping break them down as assistant boss to Graeme Murty three years ago.
So he knows all too well the frustration felt by Steven Gerrard and the Rangers support as two points were shipped against a Livingston side that barely scraped 20 per cent of possession on Sunday.
Despite their domination, Gers mustered only three shots on target in a 90 minutes where space was at a premium inside the final third.
Gerrard’s failure to deviate from his preferred formation of one up front – Alfredo Morelos – with two wingers in support has been the centre of much debate.
The arrival of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten in a double transfer swoop means the options are now there for a two-pronged frontline.
But Northern Ireland No.2 Nicholl warned that just throwing an extra striker into the mix isn’t enough – the players have to take it upon themselves to work out a way of breaking down the resistance.
He told Record Sport: “It didn’t
work against Livingston. The big thing is Steven has got options now.
“He might think about playing two up front. He could go 4-1-3-2 or 3-5-2 , it doesn’t really matter as he has full-backs or wing-backs that will throw balls in the box anyway. “So yes, he could go with two strikers if that’s what he wanted.
“But Kilmarnock are up next. Who’s to say they won’t go and win 3-0 with the same formation?
“Teams sitting deep is nothing new – it’s been going on for 40-50 years. It’s a certain type of player you need in that situation and a certain type of ball that has to go in the box.
“They’ve got Hagi and Kent, they need their clever players on the ball
to do something inventive that’s going to cause problems.
“It’s not all about having two strikers – you have got three midfielders there.
“They’re not going to score by running beyond the defence where there’s no room so they have to time their runs into the box better.
“Can they shoot when they’ve got the opportunity at the edge of the box? Can they make better use of their set-pieces?
“There’s loads of things to look at. It’s not just about how many strikers are on the field.
“Some people automatically think a little and large front two is the way to go but it’s not always like that. The best partnerships when you think back was probably wee Robert Fleck and Coisty and then Coisty and Mo Johnston.
“Steven has a decision to make on a game to game basis but it’s far too early to panic.
“It’s as if everything has gone belly-up because of the Livingston draw. That’s what cracks me up.”
Former Manchester United, Rangers and Northern Ireland star Nicholl doesn’t buy into the clamour for Gerrard to go back into the market to freshen his midfield.
But he does think the injured Joe Aribo was a huge miss at Livi.
Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield failed to serve up a cutting edge to break the banks of five and four sitting in front of them and Nicholl said: “Last season up until Christmas Rangers were playing 4-3-3 and the midfield was magnificent.
“They had Steven Davis, Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara playing well in the middle of the park. You couldn’t have told me who was the sitting midfielder in that three, they were all over the place.
“Davis was pulling the strings, Jack was constantly up on the edge of the box and Kamara was on top form.
“People have to go and get themselves in that final third and pose problems again.
“I saw Rangers against Motherwell when they won 4-0 in the close season. They were great to watch. “Aribo was brilliant. He’s strong, does things to get past people and gets himself in the box. He was a big miss at Livingston. “Listen, Steven has options now which he maybe didn’t have before. “It’s about finding solutions and if that’s sticking two up top and flooding the box with crosses then great. But it’s not always that simple. “If the players on the park keep doing the same thing without end product then that’s just bad play and nothing to do with the system.”