He's made it his mission to put a smile back on the faces of sulking stars Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent. But so far Michael Beale has mostly succeeded in planting a patch of fresh grey hair to the heads of the frazzled Rangers support.
The Londoner hasn’t yet clocked up a month in charge at Ibrox but the Light Blues faithful must be feeling like they’ve aged years under his brief watch. The return of Steven Gerrard’s old sidekick was meant to ease the tension amongst a fanbase that has been traumatised by what they’ve witnessed at home and abroad this season.
But two games in and there’s been nothing stress-free about the manner of Gers’ performances. As if there were not enough thrills and spills during last week’s win over Hibs, when his side twice had to come from behind to clinch victory on his dugout debut, the punters had to endure another stomach-churner as there were made wait it out until the final three minutes of stoppage time at Pittodrie for Scott Arfield’s dramatic double to secure another roller-coaster three points.
So far so good for the former QPR boss but the nature of those see-saw clashes only underlines the work Beale still has to do. Here Record Sport’s Andy Newport takes a look at the issues for the new Ibrox gaffer to address.
Defence
Connor Goldson made his big return after two months out injured but it still wasn’t enough to shore up a back-line that has swung open like a broken gate in gale during his lay-off. It’s now just one clean sheet in the last nine matches for Gers and while Beale was delighted to see his side’s character shine through with their come-from-behind triumphs over Hibs and the Dons, he’ll know eventually gifting leads to the opposition will hurt his team.
James Sands has spent the majority of the season at centre-back but Beale has already acknowledged the American utility man is not a perfect fit at the back so the sight of Ben Davies getting the final half hour at Pittodrie is another boost ahead of Borna Barisic’s return from World Cup duty next week. Where Beale may have a decision to make is on goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
The veteran was at fault for Duk Lopes’ equaliser after getting his set-piecing positioning all wrong while he didn’t have enough spring in his leap to get to Leighton Clarkson’s strike. It’s not the first time the veteran has looked suspect and Beale has to weight up whether he’s still the best man for the job.
Tactics
Rangers have mostly played 4-3-3 or a version of it since Steven Gerrard first walked in the door four and a half years ago but they now appear to be experimenting with a new twist on an old classic. Beale has lined his side up in a 4-4-2 but instead of a flat midfield four, he’s opted for a box quartet comprising anchormen Ryan Kent and Glen Kamara behind the narrow playmakers of Ryan Kent and Malik Tillman.
It did the job against Hibs, especially when Tillman was able to find the space to break beyond the strikers and that’s the route he took as he laid on Morelos’ winner after some wonderful footwork bamboozled the Leith defence. But with Rangers struggling to get a grip on the basics of passing and trapping on Tuesday night, Kent and Tillman failed to maintain the same kind of influence on proceedings and it was only when Kent went back to the left and Scott Wright came on to add some extra width down the right that the Light Blues were able to mount their late rescue mission.
It will take time for the squad to readjust to the manager’s new methods but they will have to get it together quick with Ange Postecoglou’s super-slick Celtic heading for Ibrox on January 2.
Recruitment
Back-to-back wins are unlikely to kid Beale into believing this is a side built to win a championship. He’ll know major improvements in personnel will be a major requirement if Rangers are to make a push either this season or next and all that starts in nine days’ time when the transfer window opens.
The return of injured stars like Kemar Roofe, Ridvan Yilmaz and Ianis Hagi in the next few weeks will increase the boss’ options but Rangers also need to add quality sharpish. Gio van Bronckhorst paid the price for failing to secure enough value for money with the seven new faces added over the summer. Beale can’t afford to repeat those mistakes.
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