THE prospect of Scottish Cup quarter-final duty days on from taxing European exertions ensured few Rangers fans approached yesterday's trip to Dens Park without a hint of trepidation.

Away days have scarcely evoked feelings of comfort this season and recent years have seen repetitive failure in cup competitions. Contrastingly, a 3-0 win over Dundee featured constant control and continuity in all phases of play. Giovanni van Bronckhorst struck the right balance with his selection and substitutions; four fresh legs from the start was enough to refuel players who faced a testing 90 minutes on Thursday and substitutions offered restbite for others. 

“I said to the players, we need to show our energy and drive to go all the way,” van Bronckhorst said after the game.

“If you come here on 80 per cent you’re going to have a very hard game. We have shown everyone from the first minute we wanted to leave here with a semi-final ticket in our pockets.”

In recent weeks this hasn’t always been the case. Last Sunday against Aberdeen it took around 60 minutes for the Ibrox side to play with any sustained intensity, by which point the attacking assault almost arrived too late. Leads were lost against Ross County, Aberdeen and Motherwell when the momentum dropped. 

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While it’s true that the space afforded in the Europa League, in comparison to breaking teams down domestically, makes the competition at times feel like a different sport, it also consistently demonstrates this team’s top gear. How many of the ever-increasing famous European nights these past few years have featured poor tempo or an 80 per cent effort? On a Thursday night, breathless intensity is on show for the full 90; a guarantee too often misplaced this season when not playing on the continent.

What has featured in both competitions and proved a valuable weapon when matched up with this aggression is van Bronckhorst’s ever-adapting tactical set-up. Gone are the days of simply slotting the name’s from the teamsheet into a rehearsed 4-3-3; yesterday’s eleven brought the possibility of three different shapes. Not only does this grant Rangers valuable variation, but it also leaves the opposition somewhat in the unknown and limits the success of their game plan.

James Sands and Ryan Jack propped up the base of the midfield at Dens and provided real balance to proceedings. The former played with intelligence, dropping into defence when his side needed help progressing the ball and filling necessary gaps. Selecting the pairing may have been seen as unnecessarily conservative given the level of control enjoyed by the visitors. Instead, it facilitated either full-backs forward movement, created constant numerical superiority in the middle and helped fizz passages of play from right to left.

James Tavernier offered width on the right with Jack picking up plenty of defensive work and Ryan Kent played some fantastic football on the opposite flank, benefitting from Calvin Bassey and Glen Kamara moving in tandem to open up spaces. Aaron Ramsey saw passes others didn’t on an impressive second start and combinations with the captain played out at what appeared to be double speed. The move that earned a first-half penalty after Connor Goldson’s opener saw Ramsey loft a left-footed ball into Tavernier’s path while everyone else in the ground expected a switch of play.

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Alex Lowry’s brief cameo padded out the score, spearheading a counterattack before slipping in Fashion Sakala at the right moment. Kent and Kemar Roofe both saw shots cleared off the line and numerous penalty box blocks kept the score respectable.

From the potential lows of last Sunday, saved late in the day by Roofe, to a week that qualifies as a resounding success, tempo is the lesson. Against Aberdeen, the distinct lack of it proved near-costly, in Europe such metrics take care of themselves, yesterday's victory was a reminder of how routine domestic games can be when the quality is complimented with aggression.

The team is finding their identity under van Bronckhorst and playing in increasingly recognisable patterns. Benefitting from the Dutchman’s tactical tutelage which proved so vital in midweek.

As defining moments continue to crop up during the season’s business end, his tactical box of tricks can bring success if matched by "energy and drive".