View: Rangers benefit from Gerrard departure as van Bronckhorst shines
Craig Moore has claimed the departure of former Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard, has helped their chances of retaining the Scottish Premiership.
Gerrard was the catalyst in the renaissance that saw the Gers propel themselves back to the top of the league and reach the consecutive knockout stages in the Europa League.
His departure left some questioning whether the Bears could maintain the standards he set but Giovanni van Bronckhorst has exceeded expectations having not lost a game since taking over in November.
“I think sometimes in football timing just works, Steven Gerrard got that opportunity to go down south and Rangers now have the opportunity and they’ve brought in Giovanni van Bronckhorst,” said Moore as per Sky Sports News.
“He knows the football club, but more importantly has a decent level of experience with success at Feyenoord as well.
“The changes he’s made to the team I think have been really clear. There’s a better balance, you won’t see both full-backs bombing on at the same time.”
Stars aligned
Towards the end of Gerrards reign at Ibrox, the team were looking quite flat. It was almost as if teams had figured them out and knew how to set up against them.
This is far from saying they were bad. They still sat top of the league when Gerrard made the move from Glasgow to Birmingham and were likely to go on and win consecutive titles under the former Liverpool player.
In hindsight, van Bronckhorst’s arrival came at the perfect time for Gers. His fresh ideas and tactical set up have allowed the team to go from strength to strength since he joined, having not lost a game.
Rangers have restored their control in matches with GvB liking to keep more possession of the ball and play their way through teams. A somewhat necessary change from Gerrard’s high intensity, all-out attack style of play that was definitely entertaining but seemingly unsustainable for any longer.
Van Bronckhorst is no doubt the best man for the job at Ibrox, but it was very lucky he and the team adapted to each other in the speed and manner they have.
In other Gers news, Rangers could seal permanent move for James Sands and sell him in 2023 – Jordan Campbell.