Rangers boss Michael Beale has claimed that the loss nine key attacking stars has interrupted the fluency of his Ibrox frontline.
The Ibrox manager was speaking after the 4-0 League Cup victory over Livingston with the Gers attack thoroughly under the microscope amid injuries and a lack of form.
With the club registering a fourth straight clean sheet against the Lions, the issues the club has encountered as of late come at the top end of the park.
Having spent a reported £13m on the club’s new-look frontline – albeit figures Michael Beale has disputed – so far the club has yet to see the best of Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers, Abdallah Sima and Danilo due to a mixture of reasons.
But with both Abdallah Sima and Sam Lammers in particular impressing in the thrashing of Livingston, Rangers boss Michael Beale claims it’s a lack of understanding, and not the side’s tactics, which is impacting the forward line.
Michael Beale points to shoots of Rangers fluency v Livingston
Rangers have shown a distinct lack of fluency in the final third this season and Michael Beale puts that down to the loss of nine key attacking stars for differing reasons.
With regular contributors Alfredo Morelos, Antonio Colak, Fashion Sakala, Scott Arfield, Ianis Hagi, Malik Tillman and Ryan Kent all moving on the summer, the club has also lost Todd Cantwell and Tom Lawrence to injury.
This has heaped the pressure on the new-look Rangers frontline to start delivering and Michael Beale has claimed it’ll take time to see the best of these players in Glasgow.
“The biggest issue we’ve had is all the players who knew the way we played in the final third have moved on,” said Michael Beale following the victory over Livingston.
“And loads of new guys have come in and have had to find their feet and their relationships.
“We played tonight exactly the same as we went back to really – the 4-3-2-1 – and just asked at times for them to play a little bit wider depending on the triangles.
“It’s how we’ve always played but coming back this season without Morelos, Colak, Sakala, Arfield, Hagi, Tillman, Cantwell’s not playing tonight, Lawrence is not playing, Ryan Kent.
“These players had the relationships and so we’re building new ones and I thought the front three tonight – certainly Sam (Lammers) and Abdallah (Sima) – I thought they did their roles ever so well.”
Rangers have set up a League Cup semi-final clash with Hearts following the victory over Livingston, the club now set to face the Jambos in November for a place in the Final.
