match thread (image) [FT] Rangers 3 (Morelos 6; Tavernier 50pen; Coulibaly 86) - 1 Maribor

[Walterbear 557]

Giving the ball away cheaply in midfield was a bit of a problem. They pressed and made it difficult but hopefully that was a good lesson for a couple of players. 

 

The otjer great thing is that whilst we want to want to build a team the market value of existing players can only go up if we progress. It’s only half-time tho as SG said. 

[DMAA 3,658]

18 minutes ago, buster. said:

I don't think he is suspended.

 

IIRC it's 3 yellow cards before a suspension kicks in.

He was booked home and away to Osijek. Which makes his challenge last night all the more mindless. 

[buster. 5,267]

1 minute ago, DMAA said:

He was booked home and away to Osijek. Which makes his challenge last night all the more mindless. 

You are right, my mistake. I thought it was only once.

 

Does Wallace come into consideration or will it be Halliday ?

[JFK-1 1,693]

2 hours ago, DMAA said:

Quote from Gerrard

“But, there was something about our shape and something about our distances tonight that didn’t really feel right from probably 15, 20 minutes to half time. As a staff, we put that right, and as a team, we asked them to go and carry that out with a better shape, more togetherness and going and pressing the ball as a team rather than individuals doing their own thing within it."

 

Aside from the fact that they have the tactical knowledge and ability to address what was happening, I could help but notice his humility in his willingness to publically share the praise with the rest of his team.

Gerrard for me comes across as an extremely honest type of guy. He's not going to sit there prevaricating if asked uncomfortable questions he will address it as he sees it. And that's one of the reasons I was so irritated by the grief he got for simply saying we were a class above the sheep last Sunday. We were and anybody watching could clearly see it including Gerrard.

 

Yesterday apparently McInnes said that Swansea aren't good enough for McKenna but I saw no screams of disrespecting Swansea.

[DMAA 3,658]

25 minutes ago, buster. said:

Does Wallace come into consideration or will it be Halliday ?

I wish but there’s no chance when he hasn’t even been making the bench and shows no sign of backing down. 

 

Its either Halliday or probably a change of shape to a back 3 with McCrorie in a back 3 maybe. I wouldn’t mind keeping the same formation and putting McCrorie left back for the night but I doubt it will happen. 

[Tannochsidebear 2,429]

Wow. Just wow. What a performance from us last night. That is the best Rangers performance since Walter was the gaffer. A proper European night at Ibrox where the crowd got the place rocking due to the efforts the players put in against a quality opponent.

 

The 20 minutes before half-time we could easily have buckled. Flanagan got roasted, their midfield won every ball and second ball, and their one touch quick passing from the back into midfield and around the pitch was sublime to watch. 

 

But apart from that spell, we were the better side throughout and deserved our victory and to take a two goal lead to the second leg. At 2-1 you fancy Maribor, at 3-1 you have to fancy us to get through, although a lot of it will depend if we can prevent Maribor from getting into that groove that was lovely to watch but truly awful to see happen to our own team.

 

We can easily lose 2-0 next week if we do not work just as hard as we did last night. We have to work on picking their guys up at set pieces, they won most of them in our box but couldnt direct them goalwards. Of course we could beat them again if we take our chances as they look suspect defensively, and as always in these situations, the first goal will be huge, both in terms of who gets it, and the timing of it.

 

Standouts were Coulibaly (MOTM for me), Morelos & Tav, with notable mentions for Arfield who supported Morelos in closing them down high up the field and led to us winning the ball back in good areas on several occasions, and McGregor who made a couple of vital stops that Wes could only dream of. And yet for all the positives, I felt Ejaria, Kent and Candieas didnt have great games. So we can improve on that as well if Jack/McCrorie comes in for Ejaria, and perhaps Murphy's experience and savvy for Kent's inexperience. While I could have shot Candieas for passing forward to a clearly offside Morelos and spurning a great opportunity for 2-0 which within a minute was 1-1, his work-rate is extraordinary and his link up with Tav is telepathic and so good for us as a unit. I just wish he had a final pass or a decent finish in him as he frustrates the hell out of me with every cross that fails to hit a Rangers player, or opportunity to shoot that turns into a pass. 

 

It felt like we got our old Rangers back last night. I was mightily proud leaving the stadium. Thank you to the management and players.

[craig 5,199]

5 hours ago, Rousseau said:

Anyone else think we played a situational back-three last night, at least initially?

 

I felt Flanagan was narrow, with Kent and Tavernier bringing the width on either side; Candeias was narrow too, allowing Tavernier space wide. 

 

We went back to a more orthodox shape halfway through the first half, when the distances between players started to stretch.

 

It may be that Flanagan was being conservative, and Tavernier was his normal bombing self? 

Pretty much the whole way through looked like a 4-1-4-1 to me.

[craig 5,199]

5 hours ago, Rousseau said:

That will come into it, but Flanagan did eventually play higher up, which made me think it was a ploy. Perhaps just having the FB at the opposite side tuck in, while the ball side FB plays high?

This would be normal practice, otherwise you end up with a back 2

[Uilleam 5,976]

1 minute ago, craig said:

Pretty much the whole way through looked like a 4-1-4-1 to me.

4 - 1 4 - 1, this  I know,

Kevin Thomson told me so.....???

[craig 5,199]

3 hours ago, DMAA said:

He was booked home and away to Osijek. Which makes his challenge last night all the more mindless. 

His challenge last night wasn’t a foul, let alone a booking.