Rangers’ rotational system this year has been interesting to say the least.
Some may argue that Steven Gerrard hasn’t found his best XI. The truth is, however, he doesn’t really have to with the success he’s having through his policy of consistent rotation.
The Rangers manager is now proving that consistently switching things up doesn’t lead to inconsistent results. Many believe that a manager needs to find a settled team and work around that.
There’s no doubting that Gerrard has his favourites who’ll be in every week. Scott Arfield, Connor Goldson, and Alfredo Morelos are to name a few. These are Gerrard’s golden boys and will always be in the side no matter the opposition. With their performances this season – rightly so.
Every single player in the Rangers first-team squad this season has had minutes on the pitch. The likes of Lee Wallace, Umar Sadiq, and Graham Dorrans have only been seen briefly, but they have featured regardless.
Two or three changes each week
Each week, it seems as though Rangers have been making two or three changes to the side. Nobody truly knows what Gerrard is going to do on a game-by-game basis, despite our best efforts at having a stab. The Gers boss always seems to have a trick or a surprise up his sleeve, and is proving to be a wily tactician despite his young age.
For his first job in management, and nearly being at the half-way point in his first season, he’s doing incredibly well to keep everyone in his squad happy. Players such as Ross McCrorie and Andy Halliday know that they’re valued by the manager. Despite not playing every single game, certain players have been encouraged by their importance in Gerrard’s set-up.
Keeping squad morale up when the squad itself is so big is a difficult thing for any manager. It seems, however, that this is just second nature to the Liverpool legend.
Yesterday at Hearts showed the unity of the players at the club. Not one of them looked deflated or unsure of their place in the system.
Gerrard’s constant rotation is providing fringe-players with opportunities, and it’s leading to a happy squad as well as positive results.
Rangers fans will just be hoping that trend continues in the coming months.
