Jason Jones

Fri 6 March 2020 12:40, UK

RANGERS OPINION

After another disappointing result against Hamilton in midweek, it looks as if any hopes of Rangers dethroning Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership this season are pretty slim. 

With the gap between the Old Firm now standing at 13 points, even the most optimistic of Gers supporters will surely acknowledge that it will take a minor miracle for Steven Gerrard’s men to prevent their bitter rivals from winning a ninth consecutive league title.

As such, the mood around Ibrox has very much turned to one of introspective reflection as the inquest into what has gone wrong in the second half of the campaign begins in earnest.

And while it would be overly simplistic and largely unfair to lay the blame at the door of one player alone, it is perhaps no coincidence that the Gers’ struggles have come at the same time as a major downturn in form from captain James Tavernier.

It’s no secret that the Gers rely heavily on the attacking threat posed by their two full-backs.

Already this season, Tavernier and Croatian teammate Borna Barisic have registered 28 assists between them in all competitions.

So when one of those two players fails to perform going forward, it can seriously disrupt the momentum and flow of Gerrard’s side.

And we saw just how true that can be during the Gers’ capitulation against Hamilton in midweek.

During that match, Tavernier managed just one accurate cross from an attempted seven, giving him a success rate of just 14% – less than half his season average of 29.3%, as per Wyscout.

A large part of the reason for this lack of accuracy came from Tavernier insistence on crossing from deeper positions.

As can be seen in the image above, there were times when the skipper had the opportunity to drive closer to the byline before putting in a delivery, but instead chose to cross early.

The logic behind this is that does not allow the opposition’s backline a chance to properly set themselves up to defend the delivery, but the reality is that with a striker like Alfredo Morelos leading the line – a player who wins just 31.3% of his aerial duels – these crosses turn into hit and hope long balls.

In fact, with Tavernier relying on this kind of delivery against Hamilton, Morelos’ aerial duel success rate fell to just 20%.

It’s telling, therefore, that the successful cross Tavernier did deliver against Hamilton was from a much more advanced position, as seen in the image above.

By taking those extra steps forward, it forces the defence to come out an deal with the full-back, allowing Morelos the opportunity to find space at the near post, meaning that he doesn’t have to rely so heavily on his aerial prowess – or lack thereof – and can instead use his intelligent movement to create space for both him and his teammates.

It’s a relatively minor thing, but with just a little bit more positivity, Tavernier can provide such a massive boost to the Gers’ attacking threat – as we all know he is capable of doing.

In other Rangers news, ‘Holy Moly’ – Ally McCoist makes major Gerrard exit claim after Ibrox ‘implosion’.