Redskin

There is a bluntness to Rangers – they need Ryan Kent back to his best, quickly


If the acceptance of controlled possession had a stultifying effect on the intensity and atmosphere at Ibrox, then the 23rd minute presented itself as something more liberating.

A moratorium was placed on the stale passing across the back line as the sequence of ‘we build, you build’ was dispensed with for a more frantic form of battle.

It was a chance for the creative players of Rangers and Lyon, limited to little until this point, to exploit the opposition in a moment of disorganisation.

What the passage of play highlighted, however, was the lack of imagination in Rangers’ game and the superior efficiency of Lyon.

The minute started with Jerome Boateng mistiming a bouncing ball and Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent being two versus two on the halfway line. The initial ball from the Colombia striker was too wide and then Borna Barisic was forced to go backwards, but another gap appeared when Glen Kamara took the ball on the left flank.

John Lundstram had darted behind the Lyon midfield to present himself in space. Kamara turned down the opportunity to play forward into his feet and went back to Steven Davis, who was being pressed back towards his own goal.

Lundstram had dropped back and again made the angle to receive the ball in the middle of the park but Davis also went back, this time to the goalkeeper.

Rangers still had the chance to be incisive, though, after two simple passes cut through Lyon’s midfield.

Joe Aribo got on the half turn, dragging Jason Denayer out from centre-back, and fed round the corner to Kent. Morelos was on his bike, and the crowd were screaming for the the pass, sensing this was the the chance to play their European record scorer through on goal with Lyon’s defence high and stranded.





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