Last night in Leith, Rangers picked up an important 1-0 win over Hibs to build momentum. Almost as important was the fact that while this was no perfect showing, continuing in a new formation, they looked like a team.
Danny Rohl deserves credit for that and Danilo’s goal spoke to some of the alterations he has made tactically. Two games on from Brann, things look a lot more hopeful.
Although questions remain about the depth of this squad at wing-back, something Rohl himself acknowledged last week, playing with a back three/five gives Rangers what the German head coach has branded ‘asymmetrical’ flexibility, the option of changing shape at different phases in the game.
Also benefitting from the more obvious structure of this back five system, Rohl’s side have looked a whole lot more cohesive individually and collectively. The rough 3-4-3 shape suits individuals. Connor Barron, penalty concession aside, put in his best showing for the club for quite some time. Jayden Meghoma’s effectiveness in the first period saw Chris Cadden withdrawn early. Every centre-back, Nasser Djiga last night and Derek Cornelius at the weekend, particularly, feels safer with two partners instead of one. Mikey Moore has been his brightest since arriving, now playing in central pockets.
Operating with wing-backs provides Rangers with more bodies in the centre of the pitch while still retaining constant width in possession. In the first period last night, when they looked in control, that detail afforded them the ability to pin back Hibs’ back five while still overloading the centre.
Notice Moore’s position below. Rangers are set up cleverly, as they often were in the first period. Three players, wing-backs and striker, ‘pin’ back the entire Hibs back five while Moore drifts wide to offer a free pass, something he can do because his team have slightly overloaded to the left (note Connor Barron’s positioning in the centre to 'pin' Moore's marker).
The extra man in the back line, given the shape, could drop into a back five, took the sting out of the home side’s press and dealt with long balls. Rohl said when asked about that detail by the Rangers Review post-match: “I looked at what the challenge was in this league. And today again, you always have to cover long balls in behind, and then it's good when you have a plus-one who is a little bit the free man and he can help each other.”
In defence and attack, there were bodies centrally to pack the box. That proved particularly important to crowd Youssef Chermiti as he held the ball up, a player who looked so isolated last week before this change in system. Although Danilo was often playing off the front, an extra striker in the starting 11 translates to greater goal threat.
There was a more obvious structure to this team. Most managers want to occupy five lanes of the pitch - either wing, either ‘half space’ or channel if you’d rather, and the centre. This type of formation means that instead of rotating in and out of positions to do so, you exist in these zones from the outset. For a team lacking in confidence, Rohl has simplified instruction. Perhaps just as importantly, an extra man in defence allowed Rangers to press forward instead of chasing the ball over their shoulders.
Rohl explained ahead of the match that playing with a back five also allows his side to set up “asymmetrically”. Meaning there can be a deliberate imbalance in the team. One wing-back is more defensive than the other and one No.10 is more attacking than the other, allowing Rangers to change shape in different phases of the game without making a substitution.
For example, in last night's first half, Max Aarons played deeper, while Meghoma pushed ahead and Danilo played closer to Chermiti than Moore.
All of these factors contributed to creating Danilo's early goal. Firstly, notice Rangers have a ‘plus one’ as highlighted by Rohl at the back when Hibs attempt a long ball. Nico Raskin wins a header ahead of his three centre-backs to clear danger.
As the ball works its way back up the pitch and eventually to Chris Cadden, two more important features stand out. Firstly, Rangers have a lot of central bodies ready to press in the most dangerous area of the pitch, while Meghoma has pushed all the way up into a nominal left-wing spot. Secondly, notice how vacant the far side, right, of the pitch is.
Why? This is where the asymmetry becomes important, as a different angle shows us.
Aarons has stayed deep to make a back four, while Meghoma is pushed high like a left-winger. Rohl's side can shift their shape to where the danger lies, instead of always keeping two players high and wide off the ball, flooding the middle instead and covering the spaces behind.
Below, they're pressing in a back four - the trade-off Rohl makes is that a central body is more important than a right-winger, who wouldn't be in the game in this moment.
Why? Simply because it’s a closer zone to the goal. And don’t forget, much like against Kilmarnock, this chance was created by pressing. Cadden makes a mistake because he has no passing options aside from travelling backwards, allowing Meghoma to intercept.
Notice Danilo in the frame below. The No.99 was playing just off of Chermiti, allowing him to make an untracked run in this scenario. In a game of limited chances, Rohl reaped rewards for getting an extra goal scorer on the pitch.
Of course, formations are just numbers, but this goal demonstrates how Rohl's new shape can very easily morph into a different recognisable set-up at different phases in the game.
Of course, Rohl’s side only left Leith with all three points thanks to Jack Butland’s excellent late penalty stop. The visitors created very little, but on a night where they made five changes to their starting 11, rotating ahead of an Old Firm semi-final, a win was so vital.
Although their possession dropped after the first 30 minutes of the game, and without Meghoma at wing-back, the team struggled, there has been enough evidence so far that Rohl’s emphasis on pressing off the ball won’t translate to his team being afraid to hold possession when the time is right. That was a balance never achieved under Philippe Clement, for example. Intensity does not seem to be traded off for football, too direct to control matches.
“[Two] wins in different styles, at home it was more possession, and playing forward today was more about the organisation of the unit," Rohl said post-match.
For too much of this season, Rangers have looked inhabited rather than liberated by their tactical set-up. A few games and minimal training sessions into the job, Rohl's come up with a formula that has everyone feeling a lot more comfortable.
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