It is not uncommon for evening games in January to be less than impressive, particularly when the weather is as awful as it was at Ibrox on Wednesday. But, this was a game seen by fans as one to help Rangers return to a sense of form against a Livingston side whose determination and hard work could make up for the gap in quality. As we move toward the close of the January transfer window, discussions of players who will stay, go and arrive goes into overdrive, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst looks to build a side that he will be happy to go into the latter part of the season with. A game like this could potentially help players make a case for being selected more frequently, or it could see them relegated to bit part player, if indeed they remain at the club, should they fail to step up. With a lot of talk focussing on a crucial Old Firm tie coming up in the next week, it was vital that players took any chance they were given here to impress. Some did better than others.
Early on in the game you could see that the wind was going to play a big part in this game, with the rain thundering down making it just a poor night in general. It took us too long to test their goalkeeper, and the big opportunities that we had were not capitalised on by players who should be doing better. A couple of heart in mouth moments at the back for our team as well, with little forward momentum to speak of until we got into the later stage of the first half. The fans were hopeful of changes in the second half early on to change the momentum of the game, but other than energy from individuals in the team, there was very little to feel positive about, and substitutions happening as late as the hour mark were a real surprise to the majority watching. Thankfully, one of those changes would turn out to be the difference maker, getting his foot onto a cross from the left to send the ball looping over the top of the Livingston goalie’s head and into the net. The celebrations from both fans and players in the aftermath told you that we all felt that this was a game were one goal would do it, and this would end up being the kind of win that, should all go well in the league, you would look back on as vital to securing the title.
Here is how you rated our players from a turgid win, but a win all the same, at home to Livingston.
Allan McGregor – 6.0 (7)
Thankfully, he does not get caught out by the wind whenever the ball is heading towards him. It was the kind of night where a wayward pass could have been more costly than normal. All the same, you could see the frustration at times when the defence would pass the ball rather erratically, especially towards him. But, another night where he kept the zero.
James Tavernier – 5.9 (6)
Lost possession of the ball a few times during the game, but that comes down to who was giving him the ball I feel. Is heavily involved in the attacking part of the game, especially in the sense that he seems to take all the corners at the moment. I don’t see why he cannot switch with Borna depending on what side the set piece is. A less eventful evening for him compared to other nights.
Connor Goldson – 6.1 (6)
Not a night for long balls to be attempted, the wind just eats that up all night long. However, his short passing also let him down at times, even though he made the most passes in the game. A few too many times he would pass the ball to Tavernier, only for it to be way out of the captain’s reach. That did end up frustrating. A couple of chances from corners which he headed over, as is often the case for him, although he does win this aerial battles a lot.
Calvin Bassey – 5.8 (6)
An important reason for him being in the team, from a tactical perspective, is the way more space opens up when he gets forward. As he looks to run down the left, knowing he has players covering him, it forces midfielders to push forward to close down, opening up more space for midfielders to create. The issue here was that the midfielders did not create enough, but it is worth keeping in mind when it comes to selection that he can offer this extra use when playing at centre back.
Borna Barisic – 6.2 (7)
For all the talk about how the goal was scored, it should be remembered that it is Barisic who sets the goal up, crossing in from the left for the ball to be guided in by Arfield. This was a good defensive display from Borna, he was strong in the tackle and often made good decisions. The sort of performance that could go under the radar had it not been for some poor performances elsewhere along him to shine more.
James Sands – 5.0 (6)
People will be critical of Sands already, we are Rangers fans after all, but the problem is not him. It is the idea that we need to select him alongside Kamara. We have seen this many times before with this team, and Kamara is a common theme within that, when you play two holding midfielders in a game like this it doesn’t work. He is good at covering any of the positions at the back for when players move forward, and that is what I expect his job to be in the main. It is good to have a covering player like that. And I’m sure in time he will prove to be an important contributor to the team.
Glen Kamara – 6.3 (5)
The main reason why two holding midfielders doesn’t work for this Rangers team is because Kamara cannot change his game to suit. Because of his undoubted talent, he is asked to become more of an 8 rather than the 6 he has proven to be so good at. Because of this, it throws his game off something chronic, and he seems to end up making mistakes you don’t normally expect him to make, such as poor distribution or losing the ball too easily. Gio has to learn this, pick one of Kamara or Sands in a game like this, and stick to that plan. For games you expect less of the ball, change the system and play both deeper, that’s fine. But not for a game like this.
Scott Wright – 4.7 (5)
That’s twice now that Wright has started an important league game and has failed to impress. It was the sort of performance from him, where he does very little in the game and what he does do is just wrong, will have a lot of fans turn on him. It almost felt as though it got to him. He would shoot from daft angles which would go way wide when more composure was needed. He would hit ridiculous passes across the face of goal that no player would ever be able to make work, which again required more composure from him. I don’t think he can be trusted to be a natural starting player for us yet, not in the biggest games certainly.
Alex Lowry – 6.9 (7)
A league debut from the start for young Alex, off the back of impressing in the Scottish Cup previously, and he was once again one of the stand out players. This was because he was doing the things that you would want him to do, bring the ball forward, pass the ball to players in space, and create chances. His balls across the by line were great and a better forward would have converted them. Toward the end of the game you could see him tire, but that is in no way being critical of him, but it is important to note that and make sure we can bring in players over the next few days to add numbers to that position. But he is definitely at the point now where you would be comfortable with him being a permanent first team squad addition.
Fashion Sakala – 7.0 (7)
There is an energy that Sakala gives the team which is important, really important in fact, even if a lot of the time his efforts don’t result in any goals. When playing on the left, it is obvious what he wants to do, to cut inside and hit a shot with his right foot. He is good enough for that to still come off now and again, even when players know that is going to happen, but I think he needs a bit more variety to his game. There is a part of me that feels he can offer a lot more of that where he to play on the right, something I’d be interested in seeing in the coming weeks.
Cedric Itten – 4.2 (5)
This was a big chance for him and he didn’t take it. Both in terms of chances in front of goal as well as the chance he was given by starting this game. He should be far more lively in the box to be ready to take the chances given to him by those behind. He should be moving into the box when a player is running toward goal, rather than moving out wide, that’s not what a natural forward does. He felt like a waste of a shirt here, and that is not what we need at all at this stage.
Scott Arfield – 7.3 (8) – Man of the Match
The importance of Arfield was once again on full show here. Comes on just before the hour mark, and 15 minutes later is the match decider. He offers more attacking energy from the centre, and has had enough recuperation time to be able to offer a lot from the start, and the timing of that is very important I feel. The goal itself is an odd one, but he gets his foot to the ball and helps manipulate over the keeper. In the end he does enough to secure the win, and he seems like the mercurial type of player to take advantage of moments like that.
Kemar Roofe – 5.3 (6)
It feels as though we now need to be starting Roofe for the next few games. He is good enough to lead the line, he has had plenty of time to recover, we now need to see this in action. With the right kind of service, he will deliver, and if he can get a goal in our next game, should he start, then the timing of that will be ideal.
Ryan Jack – 5.6 (6)
Perhaps it was down to the fact we had just scored when he came on, but the importance of Ryan Jack in seeing this game out should not be lost on us. Made sensible decisions in the defensive third and looked to organise things. He wasn’t vital to the win, but it was good to have a player like that in the middle to see the game through.
