Rangers are a well-oiled machine under Steven Gerrard, with a clearly defined system that has borne fruit both domestically and on the continent since his arrival in 2018.
The use of the full-backs has been key, so too has moving the wide men inside to become No.10s. And since Steven Davis’ arrival at the club in January 2019, the No.6 has been fundamental to Rangers’ success.
In this piece, we examine the role of the No.6 in this Rangers system.
What is its offensive function?
In a domestically ball-dominant side such as Rangers, it’s important to define the role the No.6 plays during build-up during different phases of play.
When Rangers are building through their centre-backs it is crucial for the No.6 to be situationally aware, whereby he has the capacity to read the opposition’s defensive structure and position himself accordingly to help Rangers progress the ball.
Davis, the No.6, will typically occupy two different positions during build-up depending on the situation. Rangers tend to create a triangle involving the two centre-backs – typically Connor Goldson and Filip Helander/Leon Balogun – with Davis ahead acting as the tip.
This allows the side to be flexible to help progress the ball from the defence. With the No.8s slightly advanced, the formation of a narrow triangle allows those midfielders to drop in as the full-backs advance, while a wider triangle with the centre-backs splitting across the width of the pitch allows Goldson and Helander greater space to carry the ball forward.
Central to this – in a literal sense too – has been Steven Davis since January 2019. The Northern Irishman is adept at reading the opposition’s defensive structures, accommodating his position depending on his markers’ role. Below is an example of Davis’ situational intelligence as the No.6, playing against a Slavia Prague side in the Europa League who defended more aggressively than the average Scottish Premiership outfit.
The triangles Rangers create during build-up facilitate the use of wall passes – a more standard ‘1-2’ – as Helander plays the pass inside to Davis.
As the midfielder realises that he is only being pressed faintly by the Slavia midfielder, he intelligently delays the pass for a few seconds.
This allows Helander to move alongside him to create a 2v1 around the Slavia midfielder. As the Czech side has gone man-for-man against Rangers’ two No.8s, this allows the Swede time and space to bring the ball forward and find Hagi in a threatening position.
The No.6 will often rotate between the centre-backs or into the full-back positions depending on the situation, and it is vital that they know when to vacate their midfield line.
In the example below, Davis spots the opportunity to receive centrally, in time and space, as Helander drives with possession.
Under incessant pressure from Craig Sibbald of Livingston and running into a dead-end, the Swede pivots back and finds Davis who has joined the backline.
As Livingston’s high defensive line is in the process of squeezing up – and Davis has evaded the man-orientated defensive structure of Livingston in midfield – he intelligently uses the situation to release Alfredo Morelos in behind and through on goal one-on-one.
If we take a look at Davis’ player radar in the Scottish Premiership last season it is clear that the function of the No.6 in this Rangers side is centred on deep and accurate ball progression.
Davis is very proficient with the ball, with a high volume of short forward passes which carry a low risk of a turnover in possession.
The role of the No.6 in this Rangers system therefore is not heavily predicated on a high volume of line-breaking ground passes, given the greater risk of turning over possession in dangerous, central areas. Instead, it requires intelligence of when to execute such passes.
This is evidenced below in the 1-0 league victory over Kilmarnock last season.
Davis scans downfield prior to receiving the ball as he notes the concentration of Rangers players on the right-hand side.
As he turns with the ball, the clipped pass to James Tavernier on the touchline is the most progressive option, with Hagi pinning the Kilmarnock left-back inside.
Davis, however, elects to forego the higher risk option – an aerial pass would afford the Kilmarnock full-back time to move out and close down Tavernier before or while he is receiving – and waits for a gap to open up in the Kilmarnock midfield line.
By constantly scanning downfield, Davis is able to manipulate the opposition’s defensive structure and find a secure pass into Hagi between the lines, which puts Rangers in a good area to threaten the Kilmarnock penalty area.
What this also allows Rangers is to be more structured as they approach the final third. The No.6 must have the capacity to retain the ball and allow the forward players time to move into attacking zones that threaten the opposition’s defence, instead of moving the ball quicker and more chaotically into the attacking third.
Pass sonars allow us to analyse the passing tendencies (both the frequency and direction) from an individual when the ball gets to a particular position, and the centrality of the No.6’s distribution immediately stands out from Davis’ graphic in the Scottish Premiership last season.
Davis moves the ball forward most efficiently from the area around the halfway line, and he looks to progress the ball the furthest from the central and right-hand zones. This is important because it provides Rangers with stability behind areas they tend to be expressive.
Final third and central crossing
Given Rangers’ crossing prowess from both flanks in Tavernier and Borna Barisic, having a third, more central crossing threat has proven fruitful.
Opposition sides will often focus their attention on halting the deliveries of Rangers’ full-backs in the wide areas, moving full-backs and wide midfielders out to stop dangerous balls into the penalty area. This allows the No.6 to move over and offer a passing option before delivering into the high volume of Rangers forwards inside the penalty box.
Tavernier and Barisic boast the ability to threaten their markers 1v1 – the former with jinking feints and the latter with his ability to burst to the byline with a quick change of pace – and the example below from Hagi’s goal away to Hamilton shows the merits of having a No.6 capable of providing threatening crosses.
Hamilton retreat deep inside their own penalty area to defend the incoming delivery from Barisic. However, the Croatian smartly chops back and finds Davis who has moved over to support.
Davis then collects the ball and, given he is a right-footer crossing from the left, the delivery naturally arcs more dangerously towards the Hamilton goal and Hagi is able to fire home the rebound after Kemar Roofe’s glancing header came off the crossbar.
The deployment of Cedric Itten last season, often on the right of the front three, also allowed him to attack central crosses at the back post given his aerial prowess.
After Davis was introduced against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in November, one of his first actions was finding the Swiss forward with an arcing cross at the far post.
In the final third the No.6 will typically drift to the ball-near flank to help provide an overload. Rarely is he tasked with providing the final ball through the opposition’s defensive line, but they require patience and guile to help manufacture movement ahead of them.
A good example of this came during the build-up to Alfredo Morelos’ late winner against Livingston which effectively sealed the title for Rangers in March.
As Ryan Kent moves infield, Davis moves to his left as Rangers pin Livingston into their own penalty area.
The situation doesn’t appear particularly threatening from a Livingston perspective with little space behind for Rangers to attack. Steve Lawson goes out to pressurise Davis as Kamara is pinned by Jack Fitzwater.
By not forcing the pass – instead, Davis rolls his foot over the ball as a trigger to spark Kamara’s movement – he is able to release the Finland international down the sides before a piece of individual skill eventually leads to Morelos tapping into an empty net to finish the move.
It is that type of guile in the final third which is required from the No.6 given he will often receive centrally and with a wide-eyed vision of the penalty area. The ability to fashion holes in the opposition’s defensive structure through careful patience and probing makes Davis – and the function of the No.6 in this Rangers system – such an important piece of the jigsaw.
What about on the other side of the ball?
Rangers are very proactive defensively in domestic games, posting a PPDA – a proxy to capture the degree to which a team pressurises the opposition in possession – of 8.77 last season, a tick behind Celtic at 8.14.
Therefore much of Rangers’ defending is condensed in the opponents’ half. This requires the No.6 to boast great anticipation and the athleticism to counterpress effectively to regain possession in dangerous areas.
If we use Davis as a reference in 2020/21, it is interesting to note that the vast majority of his pressures are concentrated in wide areas. This is largely a result of the role that the No.6 often plays in possession, rotating out to wide areas to allow both full-backs to push higher. As Rangers tend to enter the final third through the wide areas, the No.6’s ability to provide security behind the advanced full-backs allows Rangers to regain possession and sustain the pressure on opposition defensive lines.
The No.6 must be able to anticipate effectively, both in phases when Rangers are entering the final third and when laying siege to the opponents’ penalty box. Few Rangers fans will forget the two games against Motherwell either side of New Year last season, when Rangers shelled in 46 and 49 crosses respectively, significantly higher than their league average of 20.32.
In the 3-1 victory at Ibrox over the Lanarkshire side, Davis made 14 recoveries, 12 of which were inside the opposition half, and it’s interesting to note the breadth of his ball recoveries that afternoon as Motherwell successfully defended a large volume of deliveries, comfortable anticipating loose balls on either side of the pitch.
The important distinction, however, for a No.6 playing in this Rangers system is controlled aggression. Davis allows Rangers to counterpress so efficiently in domestic games because he commits so few fouls, and thus prevents Rangers from killing their attacking momentum.
By reducing the spaces around the No.6 in their defensive structure, it limits the yardage needed to cover, reducing the midfielders’ forward momentum when engaging in defensive duels and therefore reducing the number of fouls in the opposition’s half.
There also needs to be a degree of intelligence, which Davis possesses in abundance, in the areas where aggression needs to be curbed. Perhaps the area where Ismaila Soro, who played infrequently as the No.6 for Celtic last season, needs to improve is his ability to concede free-kicks in non-dangerous areas, albeit the Ivorian played in a far less structured system than the one at Rangers.
Below is an example of Davis successfully pressuring Ryan Christie in the 2-0 win over Celtic in the Scottish Cup last term.
Christie collects the ball in the final third, unable to immediately progress and occupied by Davis.
As Christie is forced backwards, he halts his momentum anticipating contact from Davis to buy a free-kick in a good area. However, Davis is intelligent enough to do likewise, ensuring Christie cannot make contact with any part of his body, successfully forcing Celtic out of his side’s own defensive third.
In deeper defensive situations, the No.6’s ability to move laterally across the pitch to support the outside central midfielders is vital, given the emphasis in this Rangers system of both wide No.10s staying high up the pitch.
Likewise, the No.6 must be able to quickly interpret defensive situations arising, able to spot the danger and deal with it proactively.
Below is an example of the defensive awareness the No.6 must boast under Gerrard.
Davis (yellow) spots the danger of Allan Campbell’s run from midfield into the space vacated by Calvin Bassey at left-back.
However, instead of following Campbell deep into the final third which would progress Motherwell closer to the Rangers goal, Davis steps up in an attempt to play the midfielder offside.
In doing so, he is able to read the intentions of Stephen O’Donnell’s pass and intercept the ball given he is not goal-side of Campbell.
Breakdown
Rangers’ midfield may be evolving with the dynamic addition of John Lundstram – and rumoured interest in Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman – but the need for a Steven Davis successor is pressing.
Centrality is key to the role, providing stability in both offensive and defensive phases with careful positioning and ball manipulation.
The No.6 must boast a range of passing, capable of threatening with lofted passes into space behind defensive lines as well providing assurance with intelligent short pass selection.
Situational intelligence is fundamental, and it perhaps makes the recruitment process more delicate with the emphasis on some intangible qualities.
Davis could very well be approaching his farewell season in a Rangers shirt. It remains imperative that there is a continuation of the Northern Irishman’s qualities to maximise the potential of this Rangers side.
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