Rangers attack revitalised by Giovanni van Bronckhorst tactical switch
Rangers carry more attacking threat from midfield under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, suggests Jordan Campbell.
The Bears beat Livingston 3-1 on Sunday in the Dutchman’s Scottish Premiership managerial debut, with two of the goals coming from midfielders Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo.
Van Bronckhorst set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Arfield and Aribo pushing forward more ahead of sitting midfielder Glen Kamara.
Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Campbell outlined how this tactical switch gives Rangers more of an attacking edge.
“Midfield runners are key to his [van Bronckhorst’s] attacking outlook,” he wrote.
“With Kamara at the base of midfield there was enough trust in his ability to control the centre of the pitch that the other two midfielders could make runs from deep.
“If van Bronckhorst can maintain that same threat from midfield, especially on the occasions [Alfredo] Morelos is not at his best, then he will have unlocked another bit of potential in this Rangers side.”
Attacking freedom
It was important that van Bronckhorst put his tactical stamp on this Rangers team, as they were becoming slightly predictable under Steven Gerrard.
The Dutchman was known for deploying midfield runners during his time as Feyenoord manager and although it is still early days, it looks as if it could be a success at Ibrox too.
Arfield and Aribo are both attack minded players, so finding a system that not only includes both of them but utilises each of their strengths, is a huge boost.
It has been a difficult start to the season for Arfield who has had his struggles with injury, but his goalscoring ability from midfield is well-known and van Bronckhorst should look to make the most of that.
Likewise, Aribo is capable of playing as an attacking winger, so having his threat in the middle of the park is a real asset for the Bears going forward.
The system is likely to make Rangers more open defensively, but for games where van Bronckhorst wants to make his team more solid, Steven Davis should be able to seamlessly slot in.
In other Rangers news, our Super Fans have torn into one Gers man after his display on Sunday.