T-1000

Rangers 2 Celtic 1

FGS: Morelos

I felt in the second half our back line was pressured a bit more and they didn't seem to be able to handle this which resulted in far too many aimless punts upfield.  I also felt Davis was given a lot of time on the ball in the first half and was able to pick his pass but unfortunately in the second half his time on the ball was more limited.

Having seen tonight's game I rather suspect Celtic will plan to put pressure on our back line knowing that there is a good possibility of a mistake being made.

Aberdeen 1 Rangers 2

FGS: Morelos

Rangers 3 Hearts 1

FGS: Morelos

Feyenoord 2 Rangers 2

FGS: Morelos

There were two or three occasions when Hamilton caught us on the blind side and we were found wanting.  Fortunately, Hamilton did not make the most of these chances but something SG has to sort out.

In the snippets of games I have seen he always looks quite a tidy player who is seeking to play a meaningful pass.  As I expect he is not on that high a salary probably worth keeping for another year to see if he develops.  I suspect Gerrard might see him as having greater promise than Docherty who is about three years older and is currently not included in the match-day squads.  In terms of the midfield I am sure a priority for Gerrard will be someone who can control the midfield and take over from Davis when he retires.  

Solid contributions from Helander, Goldson and Barisic but I think Davis just pips them because of his tireless work in holding together the midfield.

A number of very good performances but I will go with Helander because he made a couple of interceptions and tackles that more than likely prevented Porto from scoring and kept us in the match.

A little surprised not to see Arfield in the team if nothing else because of his industry.  The selection of Barker (and Kent) who has not had much playing time recently suggests that SG believes we can catch Porto on the break.

Last season Tav's defensive indiscretions could be forgiven because of the attacking dimension and assists he created.  The latter has not been so apparent in games this season and therefore he probably needs a rest to take some of the pressure off him.  I felt Hearts controlled the nature of the game, with long balls and a lot of the play in the air.  This is Hearts' strength but not ours and we didn't seem able to impose our brisk passing game.  Another worrying aspect was the lack of chances we created and the extent to which Morelos looked a bit isolated in the attack.  I also thought we missed the aggression and drive of Jack today.

Unfortunately lost 4 nil in the final.  We very rarely looked like scoring.  Some good individual play but did not play well as a team with poor passing and movement and too many of the players trying to do too much on their own..  The goalkeeper also put us in trouble a few times by playing risky outballs.

It's Greg Stewart for me, a player with good footballing intelligence.

2 minutes ago, rbr said:

We played ok last night , the fact Young boys tried to play at a higher tempo than they usually do is testimony to how they rated us , first half was very patchy , second half was unfortunate , yes Tav was to blame for the first , however the ref made several really pooor decisions , definite sending off and penalty , as for the winner Tav slipped end off , it was happening to all the players all night , these things happen but some of the drivel I’ve read is as per usual way way way over the top .

Not defending Tav but there was an element of back luck with the first goal we conceded.  Yes, Tav should have been quicker and kicked for touch, instead he cannoned it off the Young Boys player and the ball goes behind Tav and ends up at the feet of the Young Boys player who then crosses it for the goal.

47 minutes ago, Frankie said:

One longer term issue may be the injury to Jack who was again immense tonight and we missed him when he went off. 

 

That made a bad night even worse. Should mean an opportunity for King though. 

I was surprised that King did not come on when Ryan Jack had to go off.  I felt he would have added a bit of calmness to midfield and it would have meant that Arfield could remain as one of the front three.  With respect to Tav, although his performances have not matched those of last season if Flanagan was used as  right back we would lose some attacking flair.  Polster might be an alternative but we have not had much opportunity to see if he can perform at a consistently high level and provide an offensive threat.

Finally, when we saw the group we were in it was apparent that it was going to be tight and after two games we still have all to play for though it would be useful to get a result in the next match against Porto.

SG has said that Katic is a real warrior who attacks the ball.  However, in this game where it would have been useful for him to play and combat Dykes, he is left on the bench.  It seemed an odd decision.  After watching the match tonight I would think that McInnes will tell Cosgrove to be in the face of our centre backs. 

2 minutes ago, Frankie said:

Pitch looks fine to me.

 

Our players poor use of the ball is the main issue and we're not matching them physically.

I don't think we want to get drawn into a physical battle as it unsettles our rhythm and passing.  We want to move the ball quicker and improve the accuracy of our passing, many of which were wayward in the first half.

Aribo injured with head injury, replaced by Davis.

Rangers 1 up, Kamara scored.

From the team selection SG is making sure we progress to the next round.

Doubt if there will be major changes but suspect that Foderingham and Defoe will play and with the possibility that Davis will be given a rest and maybe King being brought in.

1 minute ago, ranger_syntax said:

I wouldn't read that much in to it.

 

If this was a more difficult match then, yes, you could say that.

 

As it is this can easily be interpreted as an opportunity to give Helander and Edmundson some involvement.

Absolutely agree about Helander.  It could be that SG sees the combination of Goldson and Helander as first picks for European games and is giving them an opportunity to build up their relationship.

Katic is not among the subs that might suggest he is a bit out of favour at the moment.  The dropping of Arfield to the subs bench is not unexpected given the amount he put into the midweek game.

I suspect SG will make changes where he believes certain players need greater recuperation time and retain those players he believes are fresh enough for the game.