The Giovanni van Bronckhorst era at Ibrox is now underway and it has started with how the new man in the hot seat means to go on.
The first week in the job has been near perfect for the Dutchman with qualification for the Europa League knockouts secured and a winning start to his Premiership campaign over Livingston. The new boss' philosophy is ideal with his style of play continuing on from Gerrard's seamlessly in many areas, meaning the players can grow into it fairly quickly but a change in tempo and roles bringing much-needed refreshment to the side that looked lost days before his arrival.
There is a lot yet to be seen of Guardiola's former apprentice at Ibrox but the one main difference noticed by many in his opening fixtures is the midfield compared to the one we witnessed under Gerrard. It is difficult to praise a manager who has only participated in 180 minutes of football at Rangers however his influence on the central area of the park certainly seems to be a positive one compared to the previous reign.
Sparta Prague - 4231
Giovanni van Bronckhorst was thrown into the deep end in his first game as Rangers boss as Czech side, Sparta Prague travelled to Ibrox for a massive Europa League encounter with the loser finding themselves out of the race for second. There weren't too many surprises in the Rangers line-up as van Bronckhorst used a 4231 to counter Sparta's approach. Gerrard was reluctant to switch from the 433 on European nights so the untested addition of an attacking midfielder was set to be a risky but necessary gamble in pursuit of a win by a two-goal margin. The midfield lined up with Joe Aribo playing CAM and the composed heads of Kamara and Davis behind him.
Davis was his usual self leading with calmness when receiving the ball and an option when playing out from the back. The Northern Ireland captain as always subtly played out his role to perfection with 8/10 of his long balls finding the target making him a perfect passing option under pressure. Kamara played alongside Davis as more of a driving force up the pitch with two successful dribbles, winning three fouls in a defensively disciplined but effective performance.
These two in the double-pivot setup Aribo perfectly, allowing him to play close to Alfredo Morelos with creative freedom he hasn't been allowed at points this season. Playing almost as a second striker, Aribo gave the Sparta defence a constant marking job opening up space for others around him. Because a lot of his game was off the ball work the stats don't paint out how good a performance it was, however, two key passes, two fouls won and a shot against the woodwork still isn't bad at the European stage.
Whilst Davis and Kamara sit back and protect the defence, Aribo runs into the space available, creating himself a chance that he just misses.
Livingston - 433/4141
In Giovanni van Bronckhorst's first Premiership outing against Livingston, the ex-Barca midfielder tweaked the midfield shape shown against Sparta, operating at times as a 433 and 4231 without the ball but as more of a 4141 in possession, making Kamara all-important to protect the backline from counters. Tenacious when pressing yet calm and composed with the ball, Kamara really shone in this role. With two tackles and clearances, 104 touches, a key pass and a 92% pass accuracy, Kamara was the beating heart of the cruising Rangers side- taking up from the absent Steven Davis in terms of ball retention whilst being the intelligent, harrying defensive midfielder protecting the back four.
The 4141 was used to break down an infamously robust Livingston backline but having Kamara there meant Rangers were less likely to concede chances in the way they did against Hibs at Hampden the previous week, freeing up the other two and allowing them to create further up the pitch. The previously mentioned other two were Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo, both of which did well in complimenting the Finnish midfielder's brilliance. The pair landed on the scoresheet with Arfield making a dangerous run in behind and sublimely lobbing the keeper before Aribo's powerful, edge of the box strike created a two-goal goal margin.
Although Aribo's effort was possibly more impressive, Arfield's opener showed one of the missing component's of Gerrard's system, midfielders consistently running in behind. This was the first sign during the game of Giovanni van Bronckhorst's new influence at Rangers- utilising the intelligence of Arfield to find space and the vision and accuracy of Tavernier to pick out the Canadian. These (for all the Football Manager players) shadow striker-like runs were common against Sparta too and have been much needed with Morelos having to drop deep far too much under Gerrard as a result of the lack of midfielders supporting him in the final third. Due to Livingston's mainly defensive approach, van Bronckhorst could afford to play two of these attacking types of midfielders adding double the offensive threat.
As much as Arfield took on and implemented GvB's instructions well, there is a reason Joe Aribo got Sky Sports' man of the match. The Super Eagles mainstay won all of his aerial duels and 7/11 of his ground duels whilst having two shots on target, a 100% dribble success rate, winning two fouls and completing three tackles. Aribo is known for his creative threat and that was no different against Livingston but his defensive output showed his willingness to run and track back for the new manager.
Aribo and Arfield look to attack whilst Kamara is solely defensive-minded as the only player holding.
Conclusion
We may have already seen Rangers' best performance of the season so far against Sparta as well as a comfortable win over Livingston to start the GvB era. In both games the midfield has been incredibly effective, gaining well earned praise for their efforts, so what has noticeably differed from Gerrard's system? To start with there has been the psychological new manager bounce which has helped every player who has played under van Bronckhorst so far. This is a common theme in football and has to be taken into account before making any tactical conclusions.
Another thing to note is that this all may well be subject to change as van Bronckhorst and his backroom staff get more time training with the squad. However, I would say the midfield looks more of a unit. A theme in both games was partnerships. Against Sparta, it was Kamara and Davis, against Livingston it was Aribo and Arfield. There is far less reliance on individual brilliance with someone playing a similar role to support. For example, Kamara was an easy passing option for Davis when under pressure against Sparta- something that may not have happened as much under Gerrard with a singular pivot.
The same about partnerships can be said for Aribo and Arfield against Livingston. There is never much space when playing Livi away yet the smart runs from both CMs opened up areas to drive into for Alfredo Morelos and the other attacking players on the pitch. There is also the more obvious difference of formations with the potential that a 4231 or heavily attacking 433 suits this Rangers side more than Gerrard's system of midfielders having to constantly cover for fullbacks.
Overall though many questions about Giovanni van Bronckhorst remain left to be answered in the coming games with the hope from the supporters being that he is the catalyst to turn Rangers' back on course to performing like title winners.
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