This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Rangers finally confirmed the permanent signing of Ryan Kent on Monday evening, and Steven Gerrard now has everything he needs to atone for his shocking team selection in Sunday’s Old Firm.
What’s the word?
The dust has settled on Scotland’s biggest fixture and everyone can see the mistake Gerrard made.
The gaffer showed his side’s greatest rivals far too much respect, especially at home, benching star striker Alfredo Morelos and talented Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo, instead opting to start five central midfielders.
Ryan Jack, Steve Davis, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield are all dependable choices in the centre of the park, but playing all five of them was quite simply cowardly from the gaffer, focusing too much on how to stop Celtic rather than how to harm them.
He even admitted himself that he will take his medicine as regards to criticism of his team selection.
With the arrival of Kent though, he can make it up to the fans by unleashing a new-look attack packed with pace, skill and goals.
On the chalkboard
While he was quite poor in the away leg of the Europa League clash with Legia Warsaw, Ojo has made a great start to life at Ibrox.
The Liverpool starlet has scored four and added three assists in nine total games, wowing fans with his electric pace, one-on-one ability and directness.
These are all traits Kent possesses as well, as the 22 year-old fired in six strikes with nine assists last term, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year.
With Ojo on the right and Kent on the left, opposition teams will have to decide which full-back to help out by shifting more cover to their side, inevitably leaving one of the two speedy young wingers free to annihilate his marker in a one-on-one battle.
And with the defence stretched to one side or the other, Morelos is going to have an absolute field day in the middle.
The Colombian directly contributed to a stunning 41 goals in 48 games last season, and has somehow bettered that rate this time around, with ten goals and three assists in 11 games so far.
Gerrard has relied on a 4-3-3 system for most of the current campaign, and that exact set-up just so happens to be perfect for this front three, as none of them offer much defensive protection, meaning three industrious men in midfield is absolutely necessary.
Lucky for Rangers, they have plenty of those characters in the squad, as they found out to their own detriment on Sunday.
It is now up to the boss to show fans he has learned from his mistakes. Next time they face a tough test, whether it be in the Europa League or in December’s Old Firm, he should unleash this front three and never look back.
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