Tynecastle cauldron will put Gio to the test
STEVEN GERRARD’S decision to leave Rangers for Aston Villa mid-season had the potential to seriously destabilise the club. Quietly and subtly, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has managed to settle things down. Defensively there has been an obvious improvement in the team. I was impressed by how they dealt with the strong attacking threat posed by Lyon on Thursday, but I need to qualify that assessment.
With both teams already qualified in first and second place, the final Europa League group game was a little sanitised and sedate.
You won’t be able to say that about Tynecastle today.
Hearts will provide a totally different challenge because they are a team capable of big results, especially at home where they love having that crowd behind them.
The pressure from the crowd and the team can cause Rangers problems and they will feel it.
I do, however, think the changes made by Giovanni will make them more ready for that.
There are certain venues where the Old Firm get tested a bit more. Easter Road, Pittodrie and Tynecastle are traditionally tough.
If Rangers get through today’s match with a victory it will build confidence. But, equally, Hearts will be disappointed not to win. It’s set up to be a really good game.
Giovanni will have learned a lot from watching that semi-final where Rangers allowed Hibs to get into dangerous areas too easily.
When he officially took charge the next day, the team hadn’t had a clean sheet in six games. In his first five they have only conceded two.
They look more compact, more disciplined out of possession.
Maybe it’s just a case of trying to build confidence and rediscover the solidity that was the bedrock of their title win last year.
They look a wee bit happier out of possession — they aren’t tearing after the opposition and leaving themselves exposed. There are now two sitting midfielders as opposed to just the one with an outand-out No10 ahead.
That gives an extra body in front of the back lot and there is also an added responsibility on the full-backs to be better defenders.
Both Borna Barisic and James Tavernier still have their moments to get forward and show their quality but they aren’t gallivanting as much. There’s a bit more thought to their starting positions and they are playing a bit more alongside their centre-backs.
The way Gerrard’s team played was a carbon copy of Liverpool. The front three was narrow and the width was all provided by the full-backs.
Under Giovanni, the wider attacking players are holding their width much more. There’s still a responsibility on them to join in at the right times — Scott Wright did that for his goal on Thursday — but Ryan Kent, in particular, is playing much more like a winger now.
He’s playing with more discipline and that naturally gives the full-back more protection.
Ianis Hagi played as the No10 on
Thursday and I don’t think that’s perfect for Rangers. A No10 has to be able to run in behind at times and also join in as a proper midfielder and be competitive to try and win the ball back.
And if you have a striker like Alfredo Morelos, who is not quick, the speed has to come from the one in behind. With Hagi and Morelos there is not enough speed.
The problem Hagi is going to have is that if he is not the No10 he will be asked to play wide and his natural inclination is to play from out to in.
By the looks of it, Giovanni wants his wide players to keep their boots on the touchline.
Joe Aribo was outstanding when he came on in Lyon. He can get forward, he can be the midfielder the team needs when they don’t have the ball and looks tailor-made for that No10 role.
Overall, the team looks a bit more structured. At their best under Gerrard, Rangers were freeflowing, the full-backs rampaging forward, the front three crossing over and causing mayhem.
In full pomp that was so difficult for teams to deal with. But if you are not getting the results from those attacking players there is a trade-off at the other end.
Gerrard had them top of the league, in a cup semi-final and doing well in Europe. But by his own admission they were not doing as well as last season.
They were poorer in both boxes and losing goals on a regular basis can drain confidence.
A new manager has come in and made those subtle changes and, while I don’t think they have been as dominant, they do look more efficient and pragmatic.
If they can withstand what Hearts throw at them today it could be a significant moment in their title defence.