Two unseen Rangers moments that paved way for Panathinaikos win

And while it would be disingenuous to suggest the second period was a case of their game model working exactly as intended, individual goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama were not only about that - individuals. Both of the outstanding finishes benefited from the type of ‘freedom enabled by structure’ that Russell Martin wants his side to play with. Utilising small, rehearsed, automated movements and runs to put wingers in the best possible situations to make an impact.

It felt far away at the break, but in the opening 10 minutes, [[Rangers]] looked in control and confident. Martin rebutted a question during his pre-match press conference, suggesting this game was a must win, conceding instead that the performance needed to excite fans and “look and feel like us”. The new head coach was not watching anything close to that early on, his team only entering the level at the break thanks to two big, strong Jack Butland saves.

Read more:

• Russell Martin on Sir Alex pep-talk, half time message, Curtis, Butland and Gassama

• Rangers complete signing of Djeidi Gassama, price and two more wingers targeted

The best opening moments from the hosts came down the right flank, created by a confident James Tavernier rolling infield. Issues on the left were constant from the moment Nico Raskin gave away the ball cheaply with the outside of his boot and took a yellow card trying to redeem his error after eight minutes. John Souttar, Curtis and Max Aarons all looked limited as right-footers playing from the left and the lack of variance in the angles with which [[Rangers]] attacked saw Panathinaikos constantly trap them down that flank.

“I expected when we had a tough moment tonight, for it to affect the players a little bit,” Martin admitted post-match.

“It probably affected us for too long, but that's just teething problems, and as the group grows and understands it, they need to get back on the horse really quickly when there's a problem. It's just about trusting the work we've done.”

There were a few intakes of breath when no changes emerged at the break, especially given that Curtis had struggled and Raskin was on a yellow card. Both players, alongside substitute Gassama, would have a very different second period, though.

Martin conceded it will take time and patience for the inverted full-backs Rangers utilised to function well, urging the team to “calm down” and remember “what we’d worked on” at half time. Especially in build-up, there were hairy moments and risky passes that could’ve been capitalised on another day.

It was a big moment from Curtis however, just after Butland had made his third meaningful stop of the fixture, that changed the feel of this crucial tie. And it was a small change from his performance in the first half that created the space for a shot.

The 19-year-old’s strike from outside the box was a stunning moment, for a player making his first European start at a club he’s played for since the age of seven. Indeed, watch the below GIF of the goal and there doesn’t appear to be all that much ‘structure’ behind it. After all, it’s a player providing invention and taking things into their own hands, surely?

That much is true, but consider how Curtis found himself in the position to take the shot. As Martin said post-match on the player, “In the first half, he [Curtis] was a bit tense. He was receiving too many balls in positions we don't want him to.”

Too often in the first 45, Curtis was receiving possession with a defender on his back and travelling towards his own goal as a result. On this occasion, a few things were different. Firstly, inverted full-backs facilitate width from the wingers, allowing attackers to drive with the ball from space.

Secondly, look at Raskin’s position. Contrary to some online rhetoric, Raskin was not ‘playing at left-back’. Fluid rotations down either flank are designed to create ‘separation’ - a phrase to remember - and vary the angles at which each player can attack and mix up the runs they can make, multiplying the different possibilities an opponent must defend. 

Finally, look at Curtis’ body position and timing to move off the flank as a pass is played into his feet, while his marker is still facing the goal, rather than receiving with pressure from behind. This well-timed, structured run creates a moment of separation that affords the young winger a head start in the one-v-one with his marker, creating the space for an individual moment. Structure followed by freedom. By waiting on the ball, Curtis gets a head start.

(Image: rr)
(Image: RR)

Martin has routinely encouraged his side to “wait” on the ball rather than running to go and find it in pre-season, telling his team to trust their teammates to progress play up the pitch into their relevant zone. Post-match, he suggested players were abandoning structure by receiving the ball where they "shouldn't" before the interval. Curtis’ movement in this situation was a good example of what he wants to see, as was the case for the moment that earned Georgios Vagiannidis a second yellow card moments after the opener. Of course a red card helped the second goal, but that man advantage was in part created by wingers waiting for the right moment to attack.

Gassama’s goal, also scored in transition after nice work by Aarons to retain possession deep in the pitch, features similar themes. 

Again, on the face of things, this is a strike all about the individual; what does it have to do with structure? Again, subtle, well-timed runs and movements to create separation and place players in the best environment, where they can make an impact and show their individual quality, are relevant factors.

In the below GIF, as play progresses from right to left, notice a very simple detail, Raskin’s forward run which takes Gassama’s marker away from the ball-carrier for a split second. Why does this matter? Because, if Raskin doesn’t make this decoy underlapping run to create space for Gassama, Panathinaikos' right-back Kotsiras can stay focused on the ball and prevent the winger from doing what he wants, cutting infield. 

Instead, Raskin’s forward run creates a moment of separation and pushes the visiting defence deeper, as Kotsiras has to drop with the Belgian and pass on Gassama to a teammate, enabling the winger to use the momentum and space he has in the next duel to chop infield and open up. Notice below how Raskin starts behind Gassama before moving ahead to act as a decoy.

(Image: RR) (Image: RR) (Image: RR) (Image: RR)

While the negatives of Martin’s system were on show as Rangers gave up easy shooting opportunities too often in moments, the creation of both goals showed the positive. Players understanding where to run in transition in order to maximise the moment for their teammates. And, in Curtis’ case, players understanding how to receive the ball in order to maximise their chances one-v-one.

Thierry Henry famously recounts a story that Pep Guardiola would not tell him what to do when he got the ball; he’d just tell him where he should be to get it. The manager cannot make better decisions than Henry in possession; this is not NFL coaching, where a play is designed and played like a video game. Instead, hyper-focusing on structure can allow wingers to receive the ball in areas that enable them to make optimum impact.

It’s about freedom within a framework. Last night showed there’s a lot of work to be done for this squad to better understand Martin's ideas, but equally, it was Rangers' subtle structure that helped seal the 2-0 win.