Rangers’ win over St Mirren on Sunday wasn’t a catch-all response to the issues they had experienced in the opening four games of the season, but it was a whole lot better across the board.
Disjointed to this point, Derek McInnes’ team had a nice balance yesterday. Admitting that Thursday’s Europa League tie against Jagiellonia was another example of “round pegs in square holes”, this was the first occasion Rangers didn’t change shape at the break under their new manager, making only one substitution as Daisuke Yokota tired.
Whether going from a back three to a back four in midweek, or from a lopsided 4-3-3 designed to cover gaps in the squad to a 4-4-2 featuring individuals clearly out of position, the Achilles heel of McInnes’ tenure so far has been this chopping and changing, failing to settle on a formula. He has flirted between what he wants to do and what he feels he can do based on the players available. Caught between covering for a missing left-back or right-winger and still trying to play with his favoured two strikers.
Here, for the first time, McInnes opted for two wingers offering a running threat on each side and three midfielders in a 4-3-3 shape. Will the result and performance convince him he has found a formula to stick with?
“It’s quite ironic, in the first competitive game I’ve gone with one striker, we looked more of a threat,” he admitted afterwards. It's a reminder that to date McInnes has attempted to play front-foot football, but you can only win with balance.
The obvious victim of this shape was club captain Lawrence Shankland, who does not boast the running range of Ryan Naderi. Indeed, both he and vice-captain Dan Neil started on the bench, with Nico Raskin anchoring the midfield and wearing the armband.
McInnes’ side were not impenetrable against St Mirren. Had Esoosa Sule wrapped an early shot a few yards to the left, the visitors may well have taken the lead and, before the break, while Rangers were unfortunate not to go 3-0 ahead, St Mirren controlled the centre of the pitch in phases.
But with an extra runner in midfield, an extra option to progress the ball and running solutions on either wing, Rangers looked far more threatening.
Playing a full-blooded, man-for-man pressing shape off the ball has been a core reason for McInnes’ side appearing so vulnerable to attacks through the centre of the pitch. Why? If there are so many bodies in wide areas and attacking the box, the required balance behind the ball has rarely existed to keep opponents penned back. As we saw against Jagiellonia in midweek, one slip or one runner left untracked can see the approach fall down like a house of cards.
But at Ibrox on Sunday they had the legs to cover the ground and recover it, something epitomised by Raskin starting instead of Neil and Naderi instead of Shankland. That provided sufficient cover off the ball to plug gaps and enough solutions to transition forward at pace far more frequently than they had previously managed.
The frustration for McInnes so far has been a lack of quality in the final third to capitalise on spaces that have been created. Or, as was often the case with Mo Diomande before his departure, when Rangers did break into space, those carrying the ball would not necessarily have been your first choice to do so. Round pegs, square holes. Even then, attacks had been few and far between. Having scored just one open-play goal in their previous four games, Rangers managed five here.
Helped by the tireless running of James Penrice on an impressive debut, the best version of Djeidi Gassama we have seen in a long time, helped by the vertical forward-running of Penrice on his outside, a balanced midfield with the legs to support the system, and strong showings from Daisuke Yokota and Findlay Curtis sharing the workload on the right wing.
There was also an incredible goal from Vanja Dragojevic, who plays beyond his 20 years, and a solid showing from Tochi Chukwuani that featured plenty of quietly impactful moments winning duels high up the pitch.
So much of McInnes’ ideal football centres on wingers winning one-v-one duels and taking his team up the pitch. The former Hearts boss wants to get the ball forward quickly and engage his strikers, but the trade-off can be a loss of control in the centre of the pitch. St Mirren’s propensity to press and play tested Rangers’ build-up, with Dragojevic dropping deep alongside Raskin at times to help construct attacks before the hosts looked to exploit gaps higher up the pitch.
While not flawless, as the passage before St Mirren’s goal demonstrated, it was better. The route forward for Naderi’s opener and several other chances was attritional, but even when the hosts relied on second balls, they created space intentionally. Because, as so many Rangers teams in recent years have failed to learn, to attack quickly into space, especially at Ibrox, you normally have to create that space first.
The build-up to Penrice’s goal, Rangers’ fourth of the day, neatly summarised both the rough and smooth of their approach.
Space was created by Dragojevic dropping in to offer a third-man pass and provide a route forward, the same action that did not come off for St Mirren’s goal. The Serbian’s return ball is still rusty, so Rangers had to rely on Chukwuani winning a second ball and driving forward.
James Penrice adds to his assist with a goal on his @RangersFC debut! 🔵
He's looking like a good signing already 🙌#PremierSportsCup pic.twitter.com/L9QLfSaTgJ— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 16, 2026
From there a natural front three, and an onrushing Penrice, got sufficient bodies in the box to provide a threat. Although only carrying one striker, because of Rangers’ build-up Rangers could end up with their left-back in place of one.
Play was connected by either No.8 and there was a platform to build from. Rangers’ attack, ironically, looked better because, while they had one fewer striker, the extra midfielder allowed them to reach the final third more regularly.
Rangers had enough legs to look dangerous when breaking forward and enough to recover in the opposite direction. After the break, an eventual five-goal haul did not flatter them. This was, by some distance, the most cohesive they have looked all season.
Read more:
- The £8million transfer that shows an issue Rangers and Scottish football must fix
- Derek McInnes reacts to Old Firm cup draw and provides Rangers transfer update
Rangers’ issues have been plentiful, but one of the biggest has been getting the ball forward. They have been a team set up to attack the box but not get there. Overrun in midfield and top-heavy, with too many gaps to plug behind a front two.
For the time being, at least, it feels as though an extra body in midfield will be more beneficial than an extra one in attack
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