Malik Tillman injected pace and poise into a game that had lacked both up until his 53rd-minute goal at Fir Park on Sunday.
Rangers’ 2-1 win over Motherwell posed more questions than answers on the back of another damaging midweek defeat. There is value in playing poorly and winning but only when such games are interjections in an otherwise strong vein of form.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst diagnosed poor build-up play and an inability to “find the free man in midfield” as the reason for an unconvincing display. Closer inspection of the first-half pass network helps visualise this. Remember, this charts the average position from which a player played their passes.
Arfield is deeper than Tillman but wasn’t stationed in a double pivot next to John Lundstram. The veteran is not a midfielder who will pick the ball of the centre-backs, turn and play through the pitch. Rather, he likes to make these type of darting third-man runs beyond the striker.
Tillman was stationed high to combine with Borna Barisic and Ryan Kent on the left; aiming to provide a link on that side that has proved elusive in recent weeks.
It was a midfield trio that felt more suited to a home game in which territorial domination comes as a preconception. And while it had flashes of impact in the final third, Rangers rarely had possession at the top end of the park conducive to the runs of Arfield or position of Tillman.
As has so often been the case under van Bronckhorst away from home, the defence was left without many options to progress the ball into the final third aside from long balls.
It took Tillman dropping deeper to not only break the deadlock but progress the ball successfully through midfield.
If we look at the first and second-half pass network comparisons below, which include substitutions, we can see that the US international played deeper and more centrally after the break.
This became more pronounced as the half wore on and Steven Davis was introduced to play alongside Lundstram at the base of midfield.
Tillman’s goal came as the result of a switch that, whether by product or design before that subsitution, saw him drop deep, receive the ball and drive forward. Rather than being stationed in the final third, waiting for the ball to reach him.
After a scrappy few minutes in the below sequence, which suited the visitors who’d struggled to set the tempo with the ball, Tillman drops deep to complete a pass in his own half. Having made just one pass in his own half during the entire first 45, he attempted nine after the break which highlights an increased involvement deeper in the pitch.
Inevitably, in the context of this game, the ball is worked long and turns over, before Motherwell themselves give up possession cheaply. Notice in the first frame, Arfield is the highest of the midfield and has swapped positions with Tillman.
After exchanging a quick one-two with James Tavernier, the youngster sets off. Evading the attention of five Motherwell defenders. Thanks to Rabbi Matondo’s decoy run pulling Rickie Lamie wide, Tillman runs half the park unopposed to work a one-on-one opportunity.
His finish is composed. The Post-Shot xG, which measures the likelihood a chance will turn into a goal once the shot has been recorded, came in at an extremely high 0.95.
Motherwell will rightly lament the lack of a tackle. But having not faced a penetrating central run all game, they appeared unprepared to defend the move.
Tillman’s Rangers career to date has been reflective of where he is at as a footballer.
A hugely-talented individual capable of making the squad at Bayern Munich, but still in the very infancy of his professional career and as a result, capable of the inconsistency and the naivety displayed in certain high-profile matches.
He offers a different profile in the Rangers midfield, however. The deadlock-breaker in Lanarkshire required a mix of goal threat, on-ball ability and drive that no other member of the midfield contingent can provide. It’s why he needs to play a prominent role going forward.
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