Barry Ferguson must have questioned what he had signed up for as he watched Rangers fall two goals behind against Kilmarnock.
The new Rangers manager didn’t win over fans with his decision to stick with the same starting XI, and early on, it seemed like another chaotic performance was unfolding.
However, Ferguson had other plans and made a tactical adjustment that had been missing from Rangers’ play in recent seasons.
The Tactical Shift That Transformed Rangers
For the first 30 minutes, Rangers were staring at a 2-0 deficit that could have been even worse. That’s when Ferguson made a decisive change, substituting Clinton Nsiala.
To be clear, Nsiala wasn’t solely to blame—his more experienced defensive partner, Robin Propper, had an abysmal game, with even a 2/10 rating feeling generous.
It wasn’t just the move of James Tavernier into central defense that stabilized things, though his leadership and Ridvan Yilmaz’s performance helped shore up the backline and allowed Rangers to keep possession more effectively.
Ferguson also switched the team’s shape, shifting to an almost Steven Gerrard-like 4-3-3 but with a more fluid attacking approach.
Ianis Hagi and Mohamed Diomande played as advanced midfielders, with Diomande providing two assists. Meanwhile, Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny had the freedom to roam in the front three, regularly swapping flanks and dropping into midfield to create overloads.
It was a simple change but one that made a significant impact.
Who Benefited from the Tactical Adjustment?
Several players thrived under the new system, particularly those in attacking roles.
Instead of relying on just one box-to-box midfielder, having two in the system provided better balance and made ball recovery easier. With this additional presence in midfield, Rangers gained control of the game, limiting Kilmarnock to a single long-range effort for the remainder of the match.
The change also allowed Igamane and Cerny to move freely between the lines, both horizontally and vertically, rather than being stuck in predictable wide positions.
Even Nedim Bajrami, despite his limited time on the pitch, looked sharper with the freedom to move more fluidly in the final third.
It’s still early in Ferguson’s tenure, but this performance gives Rangers fans plenty of reasons for optimism.
