Rangers change of style v Celtic may be good sign despite pressure on Michael Beale
Rangers boss Michael Beale showed a willingness to adapt his playing style based on the opponents, in a potentially good sign amid a poor display in the 1-0 defeat to Celtic at Ibrox.
Beale’s usual style of play focuses on well-worked moves and patience to create openings in the opposition’s defence, keeping possession in an attempt to smother their opponents.
Against Celtic, though, his side played a much more direct style, changing the focus to fire long balls forward in an attempt to beat the high press and catch their opponents out on the turn.
Looking at four of Rangers’ games preceding the loss to their bitter rivals shows a clear change of style from their usual set-up, which did cause Celtic problems despite the eventual result, in a positive look at a negative day.
In the two Scottish Premiership victories over Ross County and Livingston, Rangers had 67% and 68% of the possession respectively. They completed 399 passes against County and a massive 608 against Livingston, in two displays where possession was key to working an opening.
In the two Champions League legs against PSV, a similar approach was taken despite a relative lack of possession. In the first leg, Rangers completed just 164 passes, but the focus remained on playing through the lines, and the same was the case in the second leg.
Against Celtic, though, the Ibrox side attempted 78 long balls. This is a stark contrast to the 53 against Livingston, 49 in the first leg against PSV, and 51 in the second leg despite being dominated by their opponents. [Sofascore]
In the Old Firm defeat, there was a clear change of style from Rangers. They looked to beat the Celtic press by springing balls over the top of the opposition defence for the likes of Cyriel Dessers and Kemar Roofe to chase.
Joe Hart had a brilliant game in goal, with his sweeping ability limiting the tangible impact of their direct style, but it caused issues for the defence who weren’t expected to be bombarded with so many attempts making them turn towards their own goal.
The change of style and willingness to deviate from his preferred style is a good sign from Beale, as he has displayed his side can adapt to these different styles of play in a ‘different horses for different courses’ type situation.
Despite the eventual negative result and performance, positives may be found from the under-pressure boss, who may be set for talks with John Bennett [Keith Jackson].
In other Rangers news, Neil McCann fumed at a refereeing decision v Celtic live on the BBC.