Rangers shouldn’t need any extra motivation to beat Aberdeen on Sunday other than to get the three points needed to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.
Philippe Clement has enjoyed a solid start as Gers boss but will be demanding a big effort from his squad.
Despite a big win at Ibrox, Rangers were able to exploit a weakness in Aberdeen’s defence only to not fully capitalise, a mistake that Clement will hope to put right.
How Rangers can target Aberdeen weakness
Aberdeen’s tactics aren’t the sort that Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp will be looking to replicate any time soon, however, if they get their noses in front, they can be effective.
There is a reason that they are sitting in ninth place and with only three league wins all season though.
A back five is probable and a midfield that will have Connor Barron, Andrew Shinnie and Leighton Clarkson, three defensive midfielders.
It won’t be an open and expansive game, or they won’t want it to be at least.
Unlike their recent trip to Parkhead, where they allowed Kyogo Furuhashi to wander around unmarked and there was never any pressure on the ball, when Rangers come to town, Aberdeen do everything with more intensity.
Where Aberdeen can be targeted by Clement
The difference between this and the team that Derek McInnes used to set up is that he would have two banks of five, whereas under Barry Robson, it is almost one, long flat line.
This leaves the chance for runners from midfield to get behind and for overloads in wide areas if the full-backs are brave enough.
If the crosses are played early, as we saw at Ibrox, clipped balls in from the channels are also an area where Rangers can get success.
Aberdeen have conceded 20 goals in 11 games in the league, that doesn’t happen by accident and Rangers have to put their defence under concerted pressure with an intensity that was lacking when the two sides met at Ibrox.
Look what Celtic did to Aberdeen, they were relentless and the resistance didn’t last long.
One thing Philippe Clement has brought to Rangers is intensity and consistency across the 90 minutes.
We have looked a different team in recent weeks, let’s hope we see a different result and performance.
