Giovanni van Bronckhorst's time at Ibrox so far has been marked by constantly changing tactical setups, personnel, roles and responsibilities.
The opening period reined in the full-backs, released Joe Aribo further up the pitch, put Ryan Kent on the touchline and made Glen Kamara the base of the midfield. It was an approach that won him success in the results business whilst the nature of performances, particularly away from home, left a lot to be desired culminating in drab showings at Easter Road, Pittodrie and a massacre at Parkhead. That plan was then ditched.
Ryan Jack, John Lundstram and Calvin Bassey headed up the next incarnation of the team moving to a direct, more physical and positionally aggressive unit. James Tavernier was freed up to do what he does best which is somehow scoring goals and the team became a difficult nut to crack for European-level opposition and Celtic. The approach brought a European and domestic final whilst struggling to flat-track bully lesser teams leading to the league being effectively wrapped up by the time the split fixtures were announced.
This season has seen similar fluctuations between systems. The beginning of the term saw the most build-up driven version of van Bronckhorst's Rangers. The keeper best with his feet was installed from day one, Borna Barisic effectively became a left centre-back to help Rangers move from back to front. The onus on moving play forwards was left to a James Sands and Connor Goldson centre-back pairing and there ceased to be any real likeness to Steven Gerrard's structure.
We've now got to the stage where that set-up, while not quite ditched, has been heavily modified. Allan McGregor is now the undisputed number one and Ben Davies had slotted in next to Goldson. There also remains a fairly revolving door in the wide areas and a combination of one deeper midfielder and two No.8s in the middle of the park.
Make no mistake about it. The build-up is where this team will thrive or die. If Gerrard's team sank or swam on the fortunes of a crossed ball, van Bronckhorst's team will do similar with how it progresses play to the final third.
The domestic performances have improved over the last couple of games but for a title fight to be maintained, tactical and personnel changes must be made before January comes around.
The first and most obvious one is Ridvan Yilmaz. He has to be preferred to Borna Barisic at left-back.
The Croatian was ideal for Gerrard's system and vice versa. He was the width of the team on that side, meaning when Kent went inside it allowed the full-back to be further up.
Playing that high allowed him to fire cross after cross into the box. Barisic is as good a crosser as any we've seen in Scotland for years. The left-back at Rangers under Gerrard was the finale to attacks, not the beginning or middle but the crosser and the assister. He was christened Borna Barassist for a reason.
However, Barisic was very rarely asked to play a vital part in getting the ball to the final third. Build-up in that left back position was often left to Glen Kamara or Ryan Jack who would take up that mantle and allow Barisic to move further forward.
The problem Rangers now have is that van Bronckhorst asks the left-back to be that type of player - the vital component playing forward passes into attacking midfielders and strikers. A player like that needs vision and the ability to play inside the pitch with wingers now providing the width of the team.
Barisic has gone from being the end of attacks to the start, and he's one of many reasons why Rangers can often play with a low tempo and look a bit dull in possession. The Croatian isn't confident driving forward with the ball, doesn't have the burst of pace to dribble inside or play the ball quickly into high areas. You'll constantly see him turning away from forward options either due to a lack of vision or confidence.
Ridvan Yilmaz is the anti-Barisic and showed as much in his cameo against St Mirren. One full-back is determined to be on the touchline whereas the other likes to get away from it.
Firstly, Yilmaz's game is predicated on passing. Playing those through balls into the front line is a big reason why he was so highly rated at Besiktas and explains why Rangers saw him as a good fit for this system. Yilmaz will come off the touchline and consistently play those forward and inside passes that this set-up requires.
Yilmaz oddly likes to dribble inside the pitch onto his poorer foot but more importantly, it opens up the pitch to pass the football. Again, van Bronckhorst doesn't need width from the full-backs as his wingers are touchline huggers.
Tavernier's showing last weekend is the perfect example of what playing full-back now means for this Rangers team. Firing passes into Fashion Sakala, an attacking midfielder and Antonio Colak but acting as another central midfielder when the ball was on the other side of the pitch.
It's now a role that asks you to contribute on the inside rather than the outside. That means if this team wants to get more consistent performances and better results, it has to be Yilmaz and not Barisic that is the first-choice left-back.
The issues in the team are not just located in the left back area, however. There was a massive right-side bias to attacks against St Mirren.
Firstly, Colak completely favours the right side when Rangers are building from the back. This is important, especially for Tavernier. He has a wide option in Sakala, an inside option with Ryan Jack breaking into the right half-space but also Colak stretching the defence or dropping deeper to outnumber St Mirren on that side of the pitch. This is demonstrated in the below pass network.
Barisic doesn't have Colak as a passing option for the most part. This could be down to Colak anticipating a cross, but the forward can offer more when his left-back is in possession. If he works his way over, as is the case on the right side, it'll create one more option for Barisic or Yilmaz to link play, increasing the likelihood of Rangers constructing play down the left side.
Barisic also didn't have a runner like Jack against St Mirren. Even when the Scotland international doesn't touch the ball, he will drag a midfielder into wide areas or create a passing lane.
Barisic has Scott Arfield ahead of him, a player determined to move close to the striker or run beyond. This creates a complete vacuum down the left side when the Croat has the ball with a winger ahead of him.
What Rangers need in that left-sided midfield position is more of a No.10. Someone who is more comfortable playing with their back to goal than running away from the ball. Someone who can take it, hold it, lay it off and not only create, but provide the presence supplied by Colak on the left. Removing Arfield and adding Malik Tillman or Tom Lawrence will allow the team to look more symmetrical and get the left side up on par with the right.
For Rangers to keep on improving domestically, that starts with the manager making Yilmaz the starter at left back, being more adventurous with who plays as the left-sided midfielder and Colak helping both sides of the pitch thus becoming the team that the design seems to demand.
Fix all that and you might just see the left winger put in performances like Sakala did last weekend. Don't fix it and every winger who plays on the left is doomed to fail.
Crossing is dead. Long live passing.
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