Rangers dismantled Kilmarnock through the week with a much more attacking approach.
Manager Philippe Clement won praise for his Gers team selection – a notable change as fans got their wish with the shackles off for the rout of the Ayrshire men.
Steven Naismith picked up on the tactical tweak of switching from playing with two defensive midfielders to just one, with Nicolas Raskin patrolling deeper and Mohamed Diomande able to bomb forward in support of Ianis Hagi, Danilo, Valcav Cerny and Hamza Igamane.
In other games, Diomande was playing the Hagi role as the most advanced midfielder and supporters felt it stifled the creativity a little.
And everything seemed to come together at Ibrox on Wednesday as the team picked Killie apart.
Can Rangers pair Connor Barron and Nicolas Raskin play together?
Connor Barron and Nicolas Raskin had been providing that double pivot at the base of midfield before the former was dropped midweek.
It was a pairing that definitely worked in some games with Europa League clashes springing to mind, particularly that impressive showing in Nice.
But Tam McManus feels the duo are very similar players and perhaps can’t play together because it stifles the team’s attacking options.
Speaking on PLZ Soccer, he said: “I think Rangers were really impressive the other night. It’s the first time you could really say that in a while, that they’ve really gone out and battered somebody.
“Scored six goals so they’ll take great confidence out of that.
“But I think Raskin has looked a different player. It was interesting they dropped Barron the other night and played Raskin.
“They’ve been playing both of them together and I think they’ve lacked creativity.
“I don’t think you can play the two of them together. I think they’re pretty similar.
“He played Raskin the other night and dropped Barron and I thought they had better balance, with Igamane on the left and Danilo through the middle.
“They looked the part the other night.”
What Steven Naismith said about the Rangers midfield
Asked about a change in tactics on BBC Sportscene, he said: “Yeah, it was just having one sitter in the middle of the pitch allowing another body to get forward. I think most of this season you’ve seen two sixes sitting in the middle of the pitch.
“And for teams that allows them to sit in their structure a bit more.
“Having Diomande slightly higher then gives you the freedom of your forward players to pick up pockets and then create chances.
“And as the game developed the rotations were fantastic. That’s what Rangers teams of the past have done and what breaks teams down.
“I think we seen the best front four Rangers have had all season.”
