Next Rangers appointment really could change everything at Ibrox, here’s why
Danny Rohl looks set to add to his Rangers backroom staff with the appointment of a new set-piece coach.
Rohl‘s Rangers tenure has so far got off to a rather mixed start, albeit supporters are fully behind the German.
Rangers beat Dundee 3-0 last weekend to make it three Scottish Premiership wins in a row under their latest manager.
However, Rangers have lost to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, as well as going down to Brann and Roma in the Europa League.
Those defeats brought about familiar failings as the hangover from Russell Martin’s truly dreadful Ibrox tenure is still felt.
But Rangers are moving to rectify certain issues, not least their inability to keep out opposition sides from set-pieces.
Rangers have already conceded seven goals from set-pieces this season
The fact Rangers look set to appoint a set-piece coach shows that Rohl has made clear to his bosses that more is needed.
As we have seen south of the border in England, set-pieces are all the rage right now. Nicolas Jover and Austen McPhee, at Arsenal and Aston Villa respectively, are almost as well known as the clubs’ managers.
This is not a modern-day fad. Set-pieces play a crucial part in every game, in a sport that is so often defied by the smallest of margins.
One flick-on at the near post from a corner and John Souttar nodding in at the back post could be the difference between a scrappy 1-0 win or a 1-0 loss. It defines seasons.
And right now, Rangers are badly struggling at the other end when it comes to keeping out opponents from set-pieces.
As per Sofascore data, Rangers have already conceded seven goals from set-pieces in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League combined this season.
That includes three goals shipped from free-kicks and corners in the Europa League alone across four matches.
It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out that is an alarming rate. And to ram home how bad that is, only one team has a worse-such record in the competition.
In the Scottish Premiership, four of the 10 goals Rangers have conceded so far have come via that means – the ninth-worst return in the league.
By cutting down on these goals being conceded, all of a sudden those tight games swing in Rangers’ favour.
Danny Rohl’s coaching staff taking shape
Rohl has a major task on his hands at Ibrox. As Derek Ferguson exclusively told Ibrox News this week, Rohl inherited a “bomb scare” at Rangers.
The German has the full support of the fanbase and is slowly shaping his coaching staff, with Sascha Lense alongside him as performance manager and Matthias Kaltenbach as assistant coach.
| Team | Goals conceded | Goals scored | Goal difference |
| Celtic | 8 | 20 | +12 |
| Rangers | 10 | 15 | +5 |
| Hearts | 10 | 29 | +19 |
Rohl could also bring in a figure such as Neil McCann, who worked alongside Barry Ferguson last season, in a coaching capacity.
Most important of all, though, is that Rangers get this new set-piece coach hired sooner rather than later. It really could be a game-changer for the Gers.
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