match thread (image) [FT] Rangers 3 - 1 FC Midtjylland (Morelos 14, 49; Ojo 39)

[pete 2,499]

Isn't it great we are discussing football matters and not off field matters.

[craig 5,195]

2 hours ago, pete said:

Sorry the only one I see here making the right decision is Katic. Katic has to go to him. If he stays with his player the attacking back can run in on goal. Goldson is standing watching instead of moving across. Tavernier is marking Goldson and could have taken Koby if Goldson made an effort to get to the other player. Kamara is a mile from his player. Davis is watching and Docherty had seen the man at the back post but is too late to get to him to play a part. Blaming Katic for this is a joke. If anybody has made a wrong lazy decision here it is Goldson.

The biggest mistake Katic made in this sequence was the TIMING of moving out to the winger.  Had he waited a second or two Goldson would have been able to see Katic had no option but to go out, he could then have stepped over to Katic' player and Tav could have stepped onto Kaba.

 

Katic DID have to step out to the winger, but not whilst the winger was THAT wide - wait a second to let Goldson and Tav see the situation in front of them and step across as a unit.  That said, had they done that the player at the back post is also completely unmarked with Tav having taken Kaba, and Docherty nowhere.

 

It was a bad goal to lose but laying the largest portion of blame on Katic is unfair IMHO - Flanagan broke up the attacking phase and instead of lumping it he tried a first time pass into feet just 5 yards ahead of himself.  Flanagan caused the goal with a poor initial decision and then tripping up, leaving that whole wing wide open.  Katic DID make the mistake of just rushing to winger instead of trying to split winger and his own player until he HAD to step out. I'm not overly concerned about it though because it shows just how much confidence this team is playing with when they are looking to make defensive 1st time passes to break quickly.

[craig 5,195]

22 minutes ago, pete said:

I agree to a a point with the flanagan ball but he could have taken another touch and pulled the player away from Jones and I think that is what Jones was expecting. One thing I will say though is that Jones made totally no attempt to get back and track. As I said in another thread a leak is not always where the drip is.

To be fair to Jones, there was no way he was getting back to that anyway - where it happened, the fact he had already turned to head upfield (thus caught on his heels) and that the winger was in immediately, meant it would be futile him coming back.

 

Work rate and commitment are two traits I doubt we will ever have to question with Jones.

[Scott7 5,138]

33 minutes ago, craig said:

Had he waited a second or two

I don’t think a second or two was available.

[craig 5,195]

4 minutes ago, Scott7 said:

I don’t think a second or two was available.

I think it was - that winger from where he was would either have to play it straight in (whereby Katic would have been 1st line of defence) or dribbled with it, allowing Katic to move out to him - the winger was outside the box when Katic went to close him down.

[Scott7 5,138]

I see what you mean but there were two attackers clear on the left. What if the winger crossed? Perhaps Goldson was aware of that hence a bit of hesitation. 

 

It wasn't perfect defending but I don’t think you can single out any one of them to carry all the blame. 

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Flanagan is a bomb scare. He is our weak link, and unless we upgrade we will lose most of our goals down that flank. Other players will make mistakes knowing he is the easy target. I would play Halliday until we get a better left backs.

[ian1964 10,409]

1 hour ago, cooponthewing said:

Flanagan is a bomb scare. He is our weak link, and unless we upgrade we will lose most of our goals down that flank. Other players will make mistakes knowing he is the easy target. I would play Halliday until we get a better left backs.

While I think Flanagan has been fairly steady, I agree with you.

Barisic still looks uncomfortable when he plays. I think you & I are the only Rangers fans that think Halliday is the better of the three?, Halliday almost always puts in better performances than both Flanagan & Barisic.

It is a position we are not as strong in compared to all other positions, IMO.

[ian1964 10,409]

 

[pete 2,499]

1 hour ago, ian1964 said:

 

I don't want to take anything away from Arfield but if I was the Midtjylland manager I would have been furious at the feeble attempt of the first 2 players. The slide in was brilliant.

 

3 hours ago, craig said:

The biggest mistake Katic made in this sequence was the TIMING of moving out to the winger.  Had he waited a second or two Goldson would have been able to see Katic had no option but to go out, he could then have stepped over to Katic' player and Tav could have stepped onto Kaba.

 

Katic DID have to step out to the winger, but not whilst the winger was THAT wide - wait a second to let Goldson and Tav see the situation in front of them and step across as a unit.  That said, had they done that the player at the back post is also completely unmarked with Tav having taken Kaba, and Docherty nowhere.

 

It was a bad goal to lose but laying the largest portion of blame on Katic is unfair IMHO - Flanagan broke up the attacking phase and instead of lumping it he tried a first time pass into feet just 5 yards ahead of himself.  Flanagan caused the goal with a poor initial decision and then tripping up, leaving that whole wing wide open.  Katic DID make the mistake of just rushing to winger instead of trying to split winger and his own player until he HAD to step out. I'm not overly concerned about it though because it shows just how much confidence this team is playing with when they are looking to make defensive 1st time passes to break quickly.

I don't get your waiting 2 seconds for Goldson to see what Katic is doing. Goldson has a perfect view right along the line and can see Katic, the attacker and the player with the ball, This is near the beginning of the move the player with the ball advanced another 3 yards before crossing. Katic was obviously trying to get as near as possible to narrow the angle of the cross and cut off the route to goal. Goldson had his few seconds but decided to stick with his own player until it was too late.