Mick Beale has been reluctant to give too much away since returning to Rangers as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s replacement. But, allowing supporters a brief peak behind the curtain ahead of Tuesday’s Scottish Premiership clash with Hibernian at Ibrox, Steven Gerrard’s former assistant did offer an intriguing insight into his tactical plans.
“I want to play with two strikers at times,” Beale said, via MSN. “You should expect that in the coming games, that we play with two strikers. That’s a hint about what’s coming.
“I want more strikers on the pitch. More goalscorers.”
That Beale is prioritising attacking improvements comes as no real surprise.
Rangers, after all, scored 16 fewer goals than Old Firm rivals Celtic in their first 15 games of the current campaign. Given that both clubs have an almost identical ‘goals’ against’ record, a lack of threat in the final third is perhaps the biggest difference separating Rangers and a Celtic side sitting nine points clear at the top.
During Saturday’s 3-0 friendly victory over Bayer Leverkusen, the prolific Antonio Colak was jointed in attack by Rabbi Matondo; the fleet-footed winger handed a more central role. Beale will also be hoping that a more attack-minded, striker-centric system will help breathe fresh life into Alfredo Morelos’ ailing Ibrox career.
Mick Beale’s Rangers plans look perfect for Jerry Yates
Reports linking Rangers with a move for Blackpool forward Jerry Yates also look all the more intriguing when you consider that, at Bloomfield Road, the late-blooming Yates has thrived in the sort of two-up-top formation Beale plans to introduce at Ibrox.
Blackpool played almost exclusively in a 4-4-2 under Neil Critchley last term. Yates also scored 20 times in The Tangerines’ promotion-winning 2020/21 season; securing League One’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award along the way.
Yates, who is valued at around £5 million (Alan Nixon), relishes playing alongside the more physical Gary Madine in something of an old-school, big-man, little-man sort of partnership.
“I’m absolutely delighted for him,” Madine told the Blackpool Gazette of Yates in October. “He works his socks off for the team. He’s the fan’s favourite and rightly so. I’m dead chuffed for him.
“I hope he keeps scoring. I hope we keep hold of him. People are going to start watching him soon, because he’s top scorer in the league. I can’t see him missing at the minute.”
Giovanni van Bronckhorst was still in charge of Rangers when Yates was first linked a couple of months ago. It’s the Dutchman’s successor, however, who could put the pieces in place for Yates to really thrive should he arrive at Ibrox.
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