Three things learned in Rangers 2-1 win v Dundee
Rangers maintained the pressure on league leaders Celtic with their 2-1 win against Dundee this afternoon (March 20) at Dens Park.
It was a lacklustre performance from the Light Blues that saw them go 1-0 down. It didn’t seem to be their day as James Tavernier fired the ball over the crossbar from the penalty spot.
However, Giovanni van Bronckhorst successfully flexed his squad’s muscles with five substitutions that completely changed the game, helping the Gers to a 2-1 win.
Here are three things we at Ibrox News learned throughout the match…
Needs to be Europe
The way that Rangers play in the Scottish Premiership in comparison to the Europa League is simply worlds apart. It might be their European escapade taking its toll on the players, but it is a problem that needs fixing before the damage is done.
They have played their best football this season on Thursday nights, whilst playing against some of the most historic teams in world football in Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade but when it comes to maintaining those levels domestically, they have really struggled.
The fight on both fronts continues but it looks like too much for Bears players and they might have to reconsider their strategy.
Title is still alive, barely
With that being said, the title fight is still very much alive. Rangers ran it close today with their 86th minute winner but they won and that is the only thing that matters as far as the table is concerned.
The tension seemed to take its toll on the Gers fans and players alike with their first half performance that bad. Van Bronckhorst’s side simply can’t afford to drop any points from now until the end of the season if they have any chance of usurping Celtic at the top of the table.
Every single player needs to play their part with some hugely important games on the horizon.
Substitutions actually work
The Light Blues boss has faced a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks as he tries to find the balance between European and domestic football. After several terrible performances in the league with little to no intervention from the bench, it looked as if he was prioritising the Europa League.
He has since rotated his squad slightly better and today was the perfect example of why he should have been utilising all of his players from the off.
Today’s five subs certainly made the difference and the Dutchman simply has to continue trusting all of his players as both competitions come to the business end.
In other Rangers news, Kris Boyd slams the referee for a big decision in Bears clash v Dundee.