Ibrox view: The Rangers ever-present whose status could be at risk going forward
The midfield is rapidly becoming the most competitive area of the pitch at Rangers, with Steven Gerrard spoilt for choice in the centre of the park.
The arrival of Bongani Zungu has only bolstered the ranks and with Ianis Hagi, Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara, Steven Davis, Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield all competing for starting roles, the balancing act will become increasingly difficult to manage.
Gerrard has tended to rotate, looking to blend youth with experience while keeping his squad fresh in order to take on the dual challenge of the Scottish Premiership title race and the Europa League. However, as the season goes on, it is likely that he will look to settle on a line-up and formation more regularly.
One player who could see his playing time dip is Arfield, despite the fact that the former Burnley man has performed really well for much of this campaign. This season he has started seven of Rangers 14 Scottish Premiership matches, scoring three goals and providing four assists, including a goal and an assist against Hamilton Academical on Sunday (via WhoScored). Last season he started 22 of the 27 league games.
The Canadian tends to do his best work away from the ball, looking to chip in with goals following late runs into the box and strikes from outside the area. However, Gerrard is increasingly looking to develop a more possession-based style of play. So far this season, the Gers have had 62.6% possession on average, attempting a league-high 611.6 passes per match (via WhoScored).
While his output is still impressive, the feeling remains that he is not the ideal fit for style moving forward and that there are younger options emerging who could fill his spot. In the deeper midfield roles, Gerrard can now choose between Jack, Kamara, Davis and Zungu, all of whom are better and more prolific passers, while Hagi and Aribo can take on the creative mantle.
Averaging 49.8 attempted passes per 90 minutes, the Canadian is significantly less valuable in possession than Jack, Kamara and Davis, all of whom average more than 75 per 90 (via WhoScored). Meanwhile, Zungu completed 35 passes in just 45 minutes against Hamilton (via WhoScored).
As we have seen, possession passing is not Arfield’s primary strength and when compared with fellow advanced midfielders Aribo (48.2 per 90) and Hagi (46.6 per 90) he measures up well. However, Hagi and Aribo average 2.5 and 2.3 key passes per 90 respectively, while Arfield averages 1.5, suggesting they offer more in the way of creativity. Hagi has six assists from eight league starts this season, while Aribo has four goals from just six league starts (via WhoScored).
Overall, Arfield is still performing at a pretty high level and would be welcome in any team in the division. But the competition is such in the Rangers midfield that he is no longer a guaranteed starter.
Arfield fans can rest assured that this says more about Rangers and how far they’ve come this season than it does about the supremely talented player.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox View: Bypassed – The Rangers star who is quickly falling out of Gerrard masterplan