Rangers accelerated their pre-season preparations on Saturday with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers in a strictly behind-closed-doors friendly.
While both clubs chose to remain entirely tight-lipped on the bounce match at Auchenhowie, details have leaked, revealing exactly how new manager Derek McInnes structure-tested his squad.
The fixture marked a clean operational break from the previous regime, with McInnes completely shelving former boss Danny Rohl’s planned trip to Austria in favour of an intensive warm-weather training camp in Spain late next week.
With several first-team mainstays still missing due to post-World Cup breaks, the Scottish tactician leaned heavily on tactical experimentation, headlined by a major defensive curveball.
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McInnes experiments at right-back
With James Tavernier leaving Rangers at the end of last season and Max Aarons returning to Bournemouth following his loan stint, right-back has emerged as a position that needs addressing at Ibrox.
McInnes still has Dujon Sterling at his disposal, while new arrival Ross McCrorie can also operate in that position.
However, faced with a temporary shortage of natural options along the backline, the former Hearts manager chose to deploy young midfielder Paul Nsio in an unfamiliar right-back slot for the opening 45 minutes on Saturday.
Adding to the narrative, the experiment came against the exact Raith Rovers side where Nsio spent a highly successful development loan last term.
Lining up in a fluid 4-4-1-1 shape alongside marquee loan arrival Ben Godfrey, Zander Hutton, and Tuur Rommens, the makeshift defensive unit looked remarkably comfortable, as per the Rangers Review.
The structural shift paid immediate dividends. New midfield addition Dan Neil anchored the centre alongside Mohamed Diomande, allowing Rangers’ attacking lines to dictate tempo.
The Light Blues went into the interval with a comfortable 2-0 cushion, courtesy of goals from Lyall Cameron and Rommens.
Rangers first-half XI v Raith Rovers: Rydnn McGuire; Paul Nsio, Ben Godfrey, Zander Hutton, Tuur Rommens; Oliver Antman, Dan Neil, Mohamed Diomande, Lyall Cameron; Bojan Miovski; Youssef Chermiti
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Rangers cruise to 5-1 win v Raith Rovers
True to pre-season form, McInnes completely tore up his sheet at half-time, field-testing an entirely different XI for the second period to split valuable fitness minutes.
According to the Scottish Sun, highly-rated goalkeeper Mason Munn featured in the game after McGuire started between the sticks.
Despite the total change in personnel, the goals continued to flow rapidly, with Ross McCrorie, Nedim Bajrami and Ryan Naderi getting their names on the scoresheet.
The second half also provided vital minutes for Sterling, Djeidi Gassama and Tochi Chukwuani, alongside academy talent Calum Adamson.
While Raith Rovers did manage to claw back a late consolation goal from the penalty spot, it did nothing to take the shine off an incredibly encouraging, tactically flexible outing for McInnes’ new-look side.
