Much of Rangers recent improvement has come from one specific change that Philippe Clement has made.
Injuries in the squad still affect some of the decisions that the manager has to make, however, in midfield, it is one that is reaping the rewards.
Against Olympiacos, Clement stuck with the dynamic duo of Connor Barron and Nicolas Raskin in the Rangers engine room and the useful draw was thanks in no small part to the diminutive pair.
Nicolas Raskin dominates in stellar Rangers performance
Ally McCoist on commentary duty for TNT Sports was impressed with their efforts and it is little wonder such was the amount of energy they displayed and work they got through, Rangers fans were equally as delighted with the pair.
Raskin in particular put in one of his best performances in a Light Blue shirt with a dominant display in the middle of the park, the sort that former midfield enforcer Rino Gattuso would have been proud of.
At half-time; no player had more touches, played more passes and played more accurate passes – he ended the match with four key passes too.
It wasn’t just his passing that stood out, off the ball, Raskin was immense.
With seven tackles and four interceptions, the 23-year old seemed to pick up every second ball and stop everything that Olympiacos threw at Rangers.
Clement solves midfield problem with Rangers goal evidence
Rangers finally seem to have found the right balance in midfield with two players who have a similar skillset.
As seen against Olympiacos though, Raskin’s superior passing range makes him a better fit for the deeper role which allows Barron more freedom to pressure the ball higher up the pitch if Rangers lose it.
The knock-on effect couldn’t have been easier to see than against Olympiacos as Barron’s pressing gave Vaclav Cerny the chance to play in Cyriel Dessers for the equalising goal.
Maybe Rangers don’t need a wise old head at No.6 after all.
