I watched Rangers beat Ludogorets in the Europa League - here are 3 things I noticed at Ibrox
The key talking points from Rangers 1-0 Europa League win against Ludogorets
Rangers recorded their first win of their Europa League campaign as they defeated Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets 1-0 at a rainy Ibrox on Thursday night.
Mohamed Diomande’s second goal of the season in the 33rd minute was all it took for Danny Rohl’s side to secure all three points, with the Ivorian’s strike helping them record their seventh consecutive win in all competitions.
The result means little in the context of Rangers qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament, with Rohl’s side mathematically unable to secure even a playoff spot having failed to win any of their opening six games. However, after chalking up yet another victory, there was plenty to be pleased with.
Following the game at Ibrox, we look at the key talking points from Rangers 1-0 win against Ludogorets:
“Wins in a row”
When head coach Rohl addressed the Rangers public in his first press conference back in October, he called for his side to put together “wins in a row”. Eighth in the Scottish Premiership table ahead of his first game against Kilmarnock, they had just one win - against bottom of the table Livingston - from their first eight league games. Previously a force to be reckoned with in Europe, the Glasgow giants looked like they were out of their depth. Negativity had spread like Japanese knotweed and Rohl’s task of untangling it all was onerous.
In just 92 days, the German boss has flipped the script, injected a dose of resoluteness and achieved his aim of putting together a block of wins, with the 1-0 victory over Ludogorets being his seventh in a row. It is quite remarkable how much more assured and confident Rangers look under him compared to how dishevelled they appeared under previous head coach Russell Martin.
Right now, Rangers are determined, organised, and - most importantly - able to find a way to win, even when they aren’t firing on all cylinders like Thursday.
Aasgaard impact
A penny for the thoughts of Rangers’ previous sporting director Kevin Thelwell. Once again, it was one of his summer recruits that contributed to another Rangers goal. Norwegian player Thelo Aasgaard often went inside himself earlier in the season, with the pressure of the club’s expectations looking like it had swallowed him whole. However, he has gradually shown week-by-week improvement under Rohl and is now contributing to goals on a regular basis.
The 23-year-old laid the ball off nicely to Diomande for the only goal against Ludogorets, taking his tally to five goal contributions from his last seven games in all competitions. These are the kind of numbers Rangers are going to need if they want to end the season with silverware. While strikers Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski have shown flickers of their own improvement in recent weeks, Aasgaard’s ability to take the pressure off their shoulders will be huge if he can continue to contribute in front of goal.
Unsung heroes
Amid the resurgence shown by some of his fellow summer arrivals, the consistency shown by Emmanuel Fernandez at the heart of defence has gone a little under the radar. While his goal-scoring prowess has quite rightly been recognised, with four goals from defence, he hasn’t quite had the plaudits for his defensive work. The 24-year-old has helped Rangers keep four clean sheets in their last six games and is beginning to become undroppable, despite only entering the starting XI due to injury and suspension.
Arriving with little fanfare in the summer, the ex-Peterborough United defender has grown in stature and deserves credit for how he has stepped up in a difficult period for the club to become one of their strongest performers. With all due respect to his former club, the prism with which his performances are now viewed is significantly magnified, and he’s stepped up to almost every challenge thrown at him in recent weeks.
Behind him, goalkeeper Jack Butland has been excellent all season long. Coming off the back of a difficult end of the campaign last season, the future of the England international was up in the air. Dropped for Liam Kelly due to numerous errors, the 32-year-old has shown an abundance of character to bounce back. He continuously pulls off important saves for his side, and against Ludogorets, his block from Petar Stanic just minutes before Diomande’s opener was one of his best this season. Butland has proved once again why he is so vital to Rohl’s team.
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