Alan Hutton: Rangers ‘lacked belief’ in dismal first half v Hearts
Alan Hutton believes Rangers “lacked belief” throughout their goalless first-half display against Hearts at Ibrox.
Although dominating large spells of possession throughout the half, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side struggled to create any clear-cut chances, with John Lundstrum’s strike over the bar the one exception.
Speaking on Rangers TV at half-time (9 November, 08:36pm), ex-Rangers player Alan Hutton gave a damning assessment.
He said: “It looked like they lacked belief.
“There was no combination play, there were a lot of faces looking at the person on the ball to do something.
“I think they can play a lot better, we all know that, but they have to get back to that aggressive play on the front foot making stuff happen”
Lack of Tempo
If Van Bronckhorst thought his side would be fully fired up for this crucial match following their 2-1 defeat to St Johnstone at the weekend, he was quite wrong.
Hearts were happy to sit in behind the ball, playing five men in midfield and allowing Rangers to have the large share of the ball.
And with the exception of Ryan Kent, the home side were extremely blunt in attack, lacking any urgency and clinical edge in the final third of the pitch. Too often they passed side to side, switching play from right to left, unable to unlock the stout defence of Hearts.
Whether the side are completely behind their manager is not yet fully clear, but based on that performance it doesn’t look like it. Quick subs are needed in the second half to bring this performance to life, otherwise, it could be a depressing last match at the Ibrox before the World Cup winter break.