How Rangers manipulated Lyon before unleashing Connor Goldson’s deadly diagonals

Qualification was already guaranteed prior to kick-off, thanks to the 2-0 win over Sparta Prague in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first game in charge.

With Peter Bosz’ side also guaranteed to progress in top spot, each starting XI was slightly weaker than the reverse tie. Nonetheless, the game grew into a good tempo with a number of players eager to take their chance.

As outlined in the below numbers – the hosts were more likely to win the match based on their second-half chance creation.

The Ibrox side also enjoyed spells of possession and had a few ‘nearly’ moments late on, which aren’t recorded as chances due to the lack of a shot at the end of moves. Ryan Kent’s pass across the face of goal and Joe Aribo’s late run beyond the defence to name two examples.

Previous results in Europe have been earned on the back of disciplined performances, carried out in a compact shape. The new management team appear to have adapted this trait to their liking while maintaining its core values. 

A glance at Rangers’ pressure map is in keeping with the output of previous years. Shuttling from inside to out, with the team instructed to press full-backs backwards.

Falling into a 4-4-1-1 mid-block, Kemar Roofe worked hard throughout, trying to split the pitch when possession moved over to either centre-back.

Kent and Scott Wright’s defensive yards made switches of play less concerning than in the reverse tie when Bosz revealed he had told his team at half-time to regularly switch play. This was a notable vulnerability of Steven Gerrard's final months in Glasgow.

Here, Roofe blocks off Damien Da Silva’s option to circulate the ball left. As soon as the centre-back releases possession to his right-back Hugo Vogel, Kent vacates his position to prevent a ball around the defence.

This forces possession back around the Rangers shape. The PPDA recorded of 20.35 was by some distance the highest of the season. In a bid to remain compact, pressure wasn't applied centrally until Lyon passed the halfway line.

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The French side defended in a high-block initially, pressing man for man when the ball was played wide or into midfield. But Rangers were able to circulate possession impressively to earn yards – Jon McLaughlin’s pass map underlines how his side intended to break through the block.

Only two of his 60 passes were played beyond the halfway line. The vast majority were directed towards either centre-back. By circulating the ball and being brave in the first phase of their build-up play, his team could at points exploit space on both wings. 

In fact, all five of the most common combinations the side recorded were between the two centre-backs and goalkeeper. The game plan was evidently to be patient on the ball and wait for opportune moments to exploit.

This notably arrived in the form of Connor Goldson’s diagonals and Kent’s wide starting position. The English defender made 91 passes, 17 of which were ‘high passes’. Notice the number of yellow (failed) passes to his right-hand side – nine of 16 throughout the game.

Particular analysis of Goldson’s seven successful high passes explains why the team wanted to build slowly and then switch to the left. The starting location of these passes to Kent occurred near the halfway line, patient possession was often required for the defensive line to reach that point.

We can find a good example of this scenario 25 minutes into the fixture. After a Lyon offside, Rangers have a free-kick deep in their own half.

They then hold possession for one minute and 11 seconds. Both centre-backs, who exchanged passes 47 times over 90 minutes, moved the ball across the defence and played forwards at points to unsettle Lyon's block.

As play is moved to Nathan Patterson and Lyon shuttle over to keep the centre of the pitch compact, Kent remains wide to occupy the subsequently created room. Goldson takes the opportunity to play a diagonal ball.

Patient play creates an opportunity like this - far more valuable than the initial position that possession started from.

Goldson had more touches than any player on the park with 197.

Borna Barisic ranked highest in the xGChain – his role has been altered in recent weeks to feature less final third activity, but the Croatian is still influencing play.

The goal that broke the deadlock had Van Bronckhorst’s stamp all over it. The regular rotation on the left flank under the previous management would have seen Borna Barisic spin wide and Kent run infield, with Glen Kamara forming the base of a wide triangle.

READ MORE: Borna Barisic's Rangers rebirth: How Giovanni van Bronckhorst has sparked a dramatic form upsurge

However, with the Finnish midfielder stationed as a box to box No.8, he could make a valuable underlapping run to attack the vacant space – notoriously hard for opponents to track. 

Eventual goalscorer Wright arrives unmarked at the edge of the box.

Kamara chops back and finds Wright who benefits from a deflection to score.

That aside, clear opportunities were scarce. 

Lyon didn't create a huge number of chances but as seen in the trendline earlier, were more likely to win the match.

The display would again provoke encouragement for supporters. Players continue to appear refreshed by the new instructions, while opponents are not able to script attacks due to the altered approach. The new era continues to bring tangible improvement.