Rangers rounded off their pre-season preparations with a 0-0 draw against West Ham.
Derek McInnes’ side, who beat St Étienne 2-1 at Ibrox on Wednesday night, now turn their attention to Friday’s Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Dundee United at Tannadice.
Below, the Rangers Review dissects the big talking points.
Pre-season ends as the season looms
McInnes’ side produced a brighter first-half display than their showing against St Étienne in midweek, finding some success playing through the West Ham press and working their way up the pitch. Clear chances, though, were hard to come by. Too often, moves broke down on either flank or caution crept in at the wrong moment, leaving gaps in the visiting defence unexploited.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side tested Ivor Pandur with a James Ward-Prowse free-kick, and captain for the day Dujon Sterling had to produce an excellent last-ditch tackle to prevent Keiber Lamadrid from racing through on goal unopposed. Other than that, this was a tie played largely in the middle third of the pitch before the break.
Cammy Devlin injected energy with his off-ball work and Thelo Aasgaard provided some nice touches in midfield. That aside, it was a quiet outing from the front three of Djeidi Gassama, Ryan Naderi and Findlay Curtis. It was no surprise to see a triple change at the sharp end of the pitch, with Oliver Antman, Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti coming on at the break, as Dan Neil also joined the action.
Rangers switched to a back three at the break, and West Ham started to enjoy a little more control in the minutes following the interval, until Diomande headed straight into the arms of Mads Hermansen from close range. Aasgaard then stung the palms of the visiting goalkeeper with a fierce free-kick from range. Shankland also went close with a header directed goalwards from a Tuur Rommens cross. Rangers had the better of the closing stages without finding the back of the net.
Why additions are becoming ‘pretty pressing’
You would expect a few of the names who started on the bench at Ibrox this afternoon to make Friday’s starting line-up, Shankland, Chermiti and Neil being the obvious contenders.
The shape and system McInnes started with here, a rough 4-4-2, was again altered somewhat against West Ham, as Aasgaard dropped in to form a 4-3-3 in possession. There was a better structure off the ball than in midweek, helped by Devlin, and routes forward in possession were smoother. But that half-time change to a back three showed an attempt to offer genuine width and get two strikers on the pitch.
For his team to function as he really wishes, there are a couple of obvious gaps that still need filling. A right-winger who can cut inside is one of them. Should a lack of real cutting edge be a concern today? Perhaps it just serves as a further reminder that the options currently available will not fulfil that brief. Indeed, speaking pre-match, McInnes admitted getting bodies in the door in certain areas - attacking ones - was “pretty pressing”. No open play goals against St Etienne or West Ham would support that statement.
McInnes hoped to have two new players in for today’s game, with Thursday’s arrival Vanja Dragojevic prevented from being involved due to a visa application not yet having come through. With an additional signing hoped for by Friday, having extra options in the final third feels of paramount importance ahead of the meeting at Tannadice.
A new plan to deal with issues out wide?
At half-time it would have been fair to surmise, as the Rangers Review wrote pre-match, that McInnes’ side had the look of a team who have predominantly refreshed in defence and midfield so far. With Shankland their only attacking signing, that lack of quality in wide areas especially continued to show.
Gassama often drew the ire of McInnes for slack decision-making or a poor end product when space opened up ahead of him, while Curtis looked uncomfortable on the right, unable to chop inside to his favoured right foot. Naderi felt a yard off the pace and struggled to bring his side up the pitch when operating with his back to goal.
It was unsurprising to see McInnes shift shape at the break again, as he did in midweek. Unlike matching up with St Étienne in a box midfield, the Rangers manager shifted to a back three, bringing on Antman to operate as a right wing-back and pushing Rommens up a line. With more than enough in the centre of midfield, and given his preference to play with two strikers, it may not be the last time we see McInnes utilise this shape in the coming weeks, as he awaits reinforcement in wide positions.
Did anyone take their chance to impress?
Any pre-season game offers the opportunity for individuals to stake a claim and earn a starting spot.
As in midweek, Devlin was busy and industrious during his 45 minutes on the pitch. It feels likely the Australian partners Neil at the base of midfield later this week, given his experience of these fixtures.
Read more:
- The transfer area Rangers have addressed and the one they haven't yet solved
- Inside Dragojevic deal: Studying Rangers matches, captain profile and midfield role
Aasgaard, who came off with a shoulder complaint just after the hour mark, was bright again too. While he can sometimes fall back into safe rhythms, when the Norwegian does trust his technique and isolate a man, that blend of size and ability is tough to deal with. His uplift in confidence since returning from the World Cup has been obvious.
Sterling moved to centre-back during the second half, although his cameo at right-back was stronger than Ross McCrorie’s in midweek. Ben Godfrey, too, looked sharper than he did during his last outing at Ibrox, marking tightly and quick to jump into midfield.
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