Rangers Fan View: We should change the shape of our midfield to combat Ryan Jack's suspension

Friday’s match against Johnstone could well shape up the rest of Rangers‘ season. Every match just how has a must-win feeling to it. If we get the win, we could cut the gap to Celtic and Aberdeen to three points – for 24 hours at least.

However, the most important area of our team will probably have two changes to it. Bruno Alves may well come in for Ross McCrorie. Jason Holt seems to be the man who will replace the suspended Ryan Jack.

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That latter is where the intrigue is. With Holt more than likely to fill in Jack’s void, it will change the dynamics of how our midfield will operate. For the first time all season we will go into a game without a holding midfielder; Jack has only missed one game and it was against Dunfermline where Jordan Rossiter stepped in for him.

With no Rossiter to step in, it will be left to Graham Dorrans and Jason Holt to team up and do that role. Dorrans had his best game in a Rangers shirt against Hamilton playing as a deep-lying playmaker role. It will be up to him to control the game as much as possible in order to limit St Johnstone’s scope for attacks. I know we want him to get involved further up the park. However, with Jack missing, I think this a game for him to sit tight in the midfield and take control from deep.

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St Johnstone have players in the middle of the park that can mix it like Murray Davidson, Liam Craig and Paul Paton. That’s where I worry slightly about Jason Holt.

He will run all day and give 100%. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to be bullied in these kinds of games. Also, he will not be able to come in and do Jack’s role in like-for-like a manner. His defensive reading of the game may be a problem hence why I suggest Dorrans sits deeper with him to cover for those inadequacies.

One positive from having Holt in the side is that we may get pushed up higher as he loves to go and press the ball; his energy against the likes of Paton could prove to be very useful.

Moving on to Carlos Pena, who presumably will be the third man in the midfield. I would suggest he plays a little deeper and more as an orthodox midfielder.

However, I would be giving him as much licence as possible to join up with Morelos. It’s a game that he must show up in. He cannot have an evening like he did at Hamilton or we will lose the midfield battle. Therefore, too much work will be put on Holt and Dorrans’ shoulders and leave them in a two-versus-three scenario.

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With Steven McLean coming out and saying that St Johnstone will play three at the back with two wing-backs, it’s important we gain control of the midfield early on. If Pena has to do the other side of the game, so be it. He will have to show us that he can be the box-to-box midfielder we were advertised.

Lastly, the wide men. We know Candeias will hug the touchline. We need a performance of a man from Josh Windass. One where he stays switched on all game. And hopefully he can produce something similar to his first-half display at Fir Park. I would ask him to play from the left and drift in behind Morelos. This will help Morelos and the supporting central midfielders when we are attacking.

Furthermore, it will also leave Declan John one-on-one on the outside against their right-wingback, where we can get some joy.

We will certainly miss Ryan Jack’s bite and positional sense. However, I feel if we set up with a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 system, it should be enough to let us grab a hold of the game and come away with the victory that’s required.