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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

Michael Stewart details issues with Rangers' tactics vs Aberdeen

Michael Beale's style of football will not see him turn things around at Rangers. 

That's the viewpoint of pundit Michael Stewart.

The former Hibernian and Hearts midfielder insists the Ibrox club must start playing at a quicker tempo in order to produce more creative and attacking football.

The Light Blues paid a hefty price yesterday as they went down 3-1 at home to Aberdeen in the Premiership. The result means they are now seven points adrift of Celtic.

The home faithful booed the team off at full time and fans are now loudly calling for Beale to be removed from his position.

Not only have Rangers lost three of their seven league games so far this campaign, but the style of football has been largely slow and pedestrian. 

Stewart picked out a number of moments during the match with Aberdeen while speaking on BBC Sportscene last night. 

He explained: “A lot of teams who play against Rangers will try and make sure they are difficult to break down.

“In my view, when you’re playing teams like that you can’t attack from these kinds of areas. You’ve got to get wide and in behind. The balls put in from Tavernier and Barisic are good balls. Dessers has to do better.

“It’s not as if the balls are bad balls into the box but if you look at them all they’re never from behind the opposition, everything is in front of them. They can see them coming in. They’re all deep.

“You need to be getting to the byline and cutting the ball back. It changes the angle, it means defenders are facing their own goal. You need to be quicker in your play.

"It’s another criticism of Rangers for me. They’re slow and ponderous, they don’t have any real athleticism in the side at the top end.

“But that’s the big problem for me, far too much of their attacking play are in front of the opposition. They don’t get to the byline, they don’t have guys who run from deep.

“Aribo was very good at it, he’s gone and never replaced. It then became the sole responsibility of Scott Arfield, who was a bit part player and not a certain starter and then he’s gone. I don’t see anyone in that Rangers side who is capable of making those runs.”

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