Ryan Naderi and Youssouf Chermiti to benefit as Danny Rohl finds new Rangers blueprint
Rangers kept themselves in the Scottish Premier League title race with a 4-2 win over Hearts at the weekend.
It was crucial for the Bears’ title aspirations that they kept themselves on the Jam Tarts trail, and thanks to a hat-trick from Youssouf Chermiti, they were able to do just that.
Danny Rohl had not deployed his side in the typical setup that fans have become known to expect. Instead of one striker leading the line, the German decided to go with two number nines.
It was a bold option, but one that ultimately paid off, and now Ryan Naderi and Chermiti could benefit further from it.
Danny Rohl has a new tactical trick at Rangers now
Rohl’s choice to roll the dice with his formation at Ibrox was an excellent decision, and one that could end up helping both his strikers across the remainder of the season.
Chermiti’s hat-trick stole the show, but his strike partner on the day, Naderi, also had a role to play in the victory.
The combo showed early signs of a promising partnership. Additionally, the ability to swap between a one-striker and a two-striker formation provides Rohl with plenty of tactical solutions.
With two strikers up front, it forced the opposition to change how they were playing in order to combat the issues Rangers were providing them.
Hearts ended up changing into a back five to counter the threat of the two frontmen. In doing so, they threw their pre-match plan out.
Ultimately, Chermiti was able to punish Derek McInnes’ side. It now gives Rohl plenty to think about moving forward in regard to his starting lineups, as he has another blueprint to work with.
It is clearly a formation that suited the Portuguese forward to a tee.
How does Ryan Naderi perform in a two-striker formation?
Naderi will be one man that would be delighted to see Rohl utilise two strikers up front. This season, it is a formation he has become accustomed to.
At Hansa Rostock, the German forward played as part of a front two, in which he was able to score eight goals and assist five in 18 3.Liga matches.
The opportunity to build a partnership with Chermiti, as he had done in Germany, is now available.
It remains to be seen if Rohl’s tactical decision was simply a one-off based on the opposition or perhaps a sign of things to come.
After Chermiti’s hat-trick and Naderi’s performances in Germany, they’ll be hoping it is the latter.
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