When the Steven Gerrard era was coming to a close, there were some statements that were difficult to argue with about this Rangers squad.

Goldson’s head was away and it looked close to inevitable he would be gone in the summer, if not sooner. Tavernier’s attacking ability remained absolutely pivotal and outweighed the defensive mistakes he would inevitably make. Morelos’ time at the club was petering out and his appetite had departed. Steven Davis remained Rangers’ best midfielder and was critical to the team’s style.

All of these things were difficult to deny. There were months of evidence to suggest all of the above. Goldson, Tavernier, Davis and Morelos were the four pillars of Gerrard’s tenure at the club. The defensive leader, the captain, the influential midfielder and the no.9; each were taking immensely different routes as the defence of the title started to heat up.

Fast forward two months and each of the four pillars’ directions at the club have drastically changed. When Giovanni van Bronckhorst was touted as the replacement, a compelling argument for the swap was the similar style and shape he deployed and how the apple cart simply needed straightened up and not rerouted.

Yet the tweaks throughout the team have certainly suggested that Gio’s Rangers are going in a different direction now, and all evidence suggest it’s the correct one.

Connor Goldson has returned to the steady head at the back that all were desperate to see. He is leading a defence alongside a relatively rookie centre back in Calvin Bassey to an extremely impressive run of defensive results. In nine games of football, Rangers have conceded an own goal in Lyon and kudos to Livingston’s Bruce Anderson who remains the only player to score a goal past Allan McGregor since Gio arrived. Rangers haven’t conceded first in those nine games after a run of six games doing so, and Goldson deserves a lot of praise for his role in turning that around.

The big defender received a lot of criticism for his post-match interview after the Hibs defeat, but I wrote at the time about how I admired the honesty and that it may have come at the right time. All evidence suggests Connor is now as hungry as ever. He may still leave Ibrox at the end of his contract, but his new direction under Gio has helped the defence and saved him from a messy potential divorce from the Rangers fans.

Like under every other manager during his time at Rangers, Tavernier has seamlessly transitioned into what his new boss has asked of him. It remains bizarre to watch Rangers games and not see Tavernier occupying the final third, but his performances have been exceptional and his game has evolved.

The tactical style gives Tavernier more time when defending against wingers and isn’t rushing himself into mistakes when recovering. The captain looks composed and defensively solid, something that couldn’t have been said of him earlier this season. It’s a reverse of what he excelled at under Gerrard; his defensive work is strong but his open-play threat has been slightly dulled. Inevitably, both can’t be as strong as each other. Those that are overly critical of Tavernier should be mindful of this in future, the captain is leading by stunning example once again and cannot be expected to always fill two roles adequately.

READ MORE: Rangers have psychological title edge - Jonny McFarlane 

One player the change of manager hasn’t benefited is Steven Davis. In Gerrard’s last league game as manager, the Northern Irishman was at his very best in pulling the strings at Fir Park. Since then, Davis has been used sparingly, with the new boss opting to have Kamara sitting deep in midfield and alternating other options based on the opposition faced.

Perhaps Gio is wary of the pace of the game and what Davis’ legs can handle or there may be other reasons, but the Ulsterman’s lack of presence in the team has been notable given how influential he was under the previous regime. His future will be decided come the summer but until then it would be a surprise if he still didn’t have some role to play in the team, even if sparingly.

And last but never least, Alfredo Morelos. To revisit the phrase used in Connor Goldson’s infamous interview, if anyone has rediscovered their hunger, the Colombian looks delighted to be doing what he is under the new boss.

The striker has been redeployed in the role. His finishing is sharper, the goal return speaks for itself but within those goals the level of composure looks new to Alfredo. His natural starting point is entirely different now as he retains his position in the final third. When he does drop off, there’s a reason for it: against St Mirren at Ibrox he dropped back 10 yards and Hagi made the run in behind him.

Incredibly for the first time, Morelos now looks like a man ready to make a push to finish top goalscorer in the league. Plaudits have been dished out to others but at the winter break, Morelos is now only one goal behind Tony Watt. He’s hungry, reinvented and a handful for defenders once again. No one epitomises the development under van Bronckhorst more so than Morelos.

For a man who was set to be the continuity manager, virtually nothing remains the same. Perhaps Kamara and Aribo’s form remains similar in slightly tweaked positions, but almost every other player is quickly having to adapt to the new manager, and most are doing so remarkably well.

The perfect December is cut to a disappointing premature ending, but what awaits upon return is exciting to every fan. This run of form has come with virtually no time to extensively prepare new tactics due to the relentless run of fixtures. It begs the question, just what will happen when Gio gets two weeks on the training pitch to start properly implementing his ideas?

It's a tantalising prospect.