Rangers romped to victory in Dingwall on Wednesday evening, securing a 4-0 win over Ross County.
There were a number of standout performers on the night, including Ryan Jack, Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo.
In general, Steven Gerrard will have headed back to Glasgow a satisfied man.
Yet, there must be some lingering concerns over the form of one of his most trusted players – Scott Arfield.
Rangers star Scott Arfield continues to struggle
The £2.25m-rated [Transfermarkt] Canada skipper was excellent during his first season at Ibrox.
He played in midfield for the majority of the campaign, before shifting forward into an advanced role in the final months, linking up extremely well with Jermain Defoe in particular.
Arfield netted a hat-trick at Motherwell and scored in an Old Firm win at Ibrox, on his way to registering twelve goals and seven assists in all competitions [Transfermarkt].
However, to date in 2019/20, despite being deployed in the advanced role in almost every game, he’s struggled to contribute. From ten league appearances, the 30-year-old has just one goal to his name, away at Kilmarnock on the opening day [Transfermarkt].
There’s been a pattern in recent weeks of play breaking down when it gets to him – either poor control or a misplaced final pass proving his downfall.
In Dingwall, those issues persisted for large parts of the game. He did manage to notch a first league assist of the season for Jack’s second goal, though, despite it being credited to Joe Aribo [BBC Sport].
They all count, but it was a simple two-yard layoff following Aribo’s incisive run. Not exactly a moment of inspiration.
Arfield lacks out-and-out pace, so if he’s to play in an advanced role, he needs to be both precise and creative.
We haven’t seen much of either trait recently and he’s looked noticeably more comfortable of late when dropping back into a traditional midfield berth, as he did for the final 30 minutes against the Staggies.
With a Hampden semi-final just a few days away, surely Gerrard must be concerned about the ex-Burnley man’s performance levels.
