Playing two strikers went out of fashion with backwards Kangol caps and Sony Walkmans. But Charlie Miller believes a twin pairing of Antonio Colak and Alfredo Morelos could be the made-to-measure solution for Rangers as they look to mount an autumn/winter resurgence.
The former Ibrox midfielder broke into Walter Smith’s glitzy 1990s ensemble at a time when the big man/little man combo of Ally McCoist and Mark Hateley was still very much in vogue. These days, it’s inverted full-backs and gegenpressing that’s all the rage with most managers sticking strictly to the modern-day solo striker trend.
Gio van Bronckhorst certainly adheres to that latest thinking, declaring back in August: “I never play with two strikers.” But Miller is convinced that’s a flaw in the Ibrox boss’ designs, especially when it comes to drab domestic clashes like Saturday’s 2-1 grind over Dundee United.
Colak may have kept up his impressive scoring rate by making it nine goals in 13 appearances in a blue jersey with his clinical brace, but Morelos was made to keep his tracksuit on for the full 90. The Colombian is still yet to fully convince his boss he’s ditched the plus-size look he was sporting after five months out injured.
But nine-in-a-row hero Miller told Record Sport : “I’d definitely give playing Morelos and Colak together a try, especially when we’re playing against some of the other Scottish teams who stick 11 men behind the ball. Giovanni has his own way of playing with mainly the 4-3-3 and doesn’t really change his system all that often.
“Playing two up has gone out of fashion a bit but I there’s a place for it in the game and if I was a boss, I’d always try to get two centre-forwards in my team. It was great in my day having McCoist and Hateley in front of you. They were both amazing strikers and combined so well.
“Mind you it also helped having Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne there as well! Today’s team doesn't have those kind of players but that’s why I think you should always play your best individuals and Colak and Morelos are up there for me in this current squad.
“With the problems Rangers have had at the back this season and with all the injuries the defenders have picked up, I think I’d have probably tried going to a three and that would allow you to get another striker on. But I’m not the manager - Gio is and we all have to support him and hope the team can rediscover its confidence.
“Obviously Colak and Morelos are two totally different players but they’ve both got to play. Now it’s about how you find a space for the two of them. The two of them score goals and I definitely think they could be formidable together as a duo. For me, it’s simple - they both have to play. But it might not be quite so simple for the manager.”
The mathematics of the title race have, though, become a tad more straightforward after Celtic’s surprise slip-up in Paisley allowed Gers to trim the gap back to just two points. Van Bronckhorst’s team arrested their alarming three-game slump with Saturday’s win over United but there was little to suggest from the tentative victory that the graph charting confidence levels at Ibrox is about to swing into an upward trajectory.
The cumulative 11-0 hammering inflicted on the Dutchman’s team by Celtic, Ajax and Napoli have bottomed out reserves of belief and that’s why Miller isn’t ready to declare it game on for the Premiership crown just yet. He said: “After that shock result in Paisley it puts us back in the game.
“Normally you’d always expect us to beat Celtic at Ibrox but if we continue playing the way we are right now, we won’t. But I’m sure Gio will try to get the lads back firing and fingers crossed he can get some confidence back in there because we’ve got some very good players at the club and with the gap back at two points, it’s there for Rangers to chase.
“But the lack of confidence is the issue. The Celtic result was horrible and it looks like they’re still struggling to shake that off. I thought we put in a really good 60 minutes against Napoli but the James Sands red card was the turning point. The boys showed a lot more passion than they had in the two previous games against Ajax and Celtic.
“But for me that’s got to be the minimum. It was the first thing you were expected to show during my days at the club. We were brought up with a will to win that was instilled in us by Walter and the other guys at the club at that time. As a Rangers player, you’re expected to win games week in, week out but first and foremost you need to show passion, you need to show commitment.
“That’s what was so shocking about those performances against Celtic and Ajax - we lacked desire. Obviously it was much improved against Napoli despite the result. Had Sands not been sent-off I think we’d have been looking at 0-0 at least. Napoli are obviously a very strong team and have a big budget - but passion and desire doesn’t cost money.
“It’s not asking much to expect the team to show desire and commitment from players even when they’re not playing at their best. In my day, if you lacked that you wouldn’t be starting the next match - end of story. Right now though there’s a few guys who aren’t reaching the levels they did in the past but don’t seem to get dropped. That’s not good.”
And Miller backed van Bronckhorst’s decision to give youngster Leon King and Charlie McCann a chance at the weekend as he again left a string of his big-money summer buys on the bench. "IIf it has to be the young boys, then bring them in, give them a shot and let’s see how they go,” he said. I think the fans would like to see that. For me, it’s about time some of the kids do get a chance.
“Charlie McCann got his chance at the weekend. I’ve heard good reports on the lad and if he’s good enough, play him. We’ve got decent numbers in centre midfield but the likes of Ryan Jack, John Lundstram and Steven Davis are all quite similar and it does feel like the time has come to freshen things up with some young blood.”
READ NEXT
