Rangers pre-season has been a strange one but the key focus is obvious from Michael Beale, not repeating the mistakes of last season under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The Gers gaffer seems more interested in training volume and getting miles into the players’ legs than the performances of individuals and the team but the serious stuff is just around the corner.
Speaking after the defeat to Olympiacos, Rangers manager Michael Beale and Ianis Hagi hinted at what this team could look like as the season kicks off, as reported by This is Ibrox.
When asked about how much work has to be done over the remaining 10 days of pre-season, he said:
“I’m fine at the moment because we had a double session Monday and trained hard yesterday so I know where the boys are at, we’re challenging them and will see the benefits of that when the season starts.
“We know we have to push the group because from the start of the season, we go into a three-game week for the rest of the month.
“It’s important we have things in our legs and I don’t want to stop training hard going into a game against a good opponent tonight, there’s a reason why we picked this level of opponent, there’s no point getting pats on the back winning 3-0 against lesser opponents.”
A sentiment echoed by Ianis Hagi who confirmed how brutal the Rangers pre-season training has been under Michael Beale:
“It’s hard to judge anyone tactically or technically through fatigueness.
“Personally, I think it’s been the hardest pre-season I’ve ever had. But I think that’s a good thing.”
Rangers looking to avoid Gio mistakes under Michael Beale
Rangers play Hoffenheim at the weekend and Michael Beale confirmed that it will be more like a ‘normal’ game of football.
It will be a used to prepare the players for the first game of the season rather than just to give players minutes in the legs.
Last season, there were question marks from the early stages about the players’ fitness.
Scott Arfield’s remarks about it being more technical under Giovanni van Bronkhorst only added fuel to the fire.
Rangers were unlucky with injuries, however, to compete at a high intensity, training also has to be at that level and Michael Beale looks to be prioritising physical preparation over technical.
It’s not entirely reassuring that we are hoping things click into place when the season starts after three games where only one goal has been scored from open play build up.
