Rangers Fan View: Midfield dominance key in Hearts win

The win over Hearts felt like a big one. That was the case because of our awful home record and the fact they had come to Ibrox earlier in the season and went away with a 0-0 draw. This time, we ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

In fact, it was the most dominant and complete performance in terms of a 90-minute period Rangers have produced in a long time – that in itself was pleasing. The goals came at the right moments in the game and the defence restricted Hearts to very few clear-cut opportunities, if any.

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They only had two efforts – one from Lafferty and the other from Callachan – from outside the box. Foderingham was equal to both efforts. I think that we would expect a keeper of Wes’s quality to keep those kind of long-range efforts out, which he did, smartly. Credit to him for remaining alert to make those saves at a time when it was 0-0.

However, the reason we were able to produce such a good display was the fact that our midfield had a sufficient structure to play from. We managed to get the balance between defensive responsibilities and attacking duties just right.

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It was noticeable that when Hearts had the ball Candeias and Murphy would tuck in and we would have four vs four in that area, often allowing wing-back vs our full-backs on either side. But with only Lafferty up front, they would often have to come back inside and we would press and win the ball and ultimately start attacks. That meant Windass could sit behind Morelos without having to do much defensive work, but apart from missing three good chances, it wasn’t Windass’s best afternoon.

Moving on to the other midfielders, I have to start with Greg Docherty. He covered every blade of grass and I think he finally settled as a Rangers player. He was a much more imposing figure physically in midfield next to Goss than Jason Holt. His power and drive were pivotal. His pace for Murphy’s goal was perfect and he was unlucky not to have two goals to his name, as McLaughlin denied him with two good sprawling saves. It was his first start at Ibrox and he was my man of the match. Hopefully, he can kick on from this performance.

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Next to Docherty, Sean Goss complimented his all-action performance perfectly. He kept the ball moving and in this match, I felt he was much more aware of his defensive responsibilities. Goss also took his turn to drive forward for us. He was quiet in comparison to Docherty but that balance between the two meant we won the battle.

The wingers, however, were as productive as we have come to expect. First and foremost, I was delighted with them tucking in and giving us a four across the middle when we were out of possession like I mentioned before. Their rotation with Morelos and Windass as well as their pace made sure Smith and Mitchell had a torrid afternoon.

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Murphy’s directness and his willingness to cut inside complimented Candeias’ work rate and his desire to go on the outside. Murphy’s composure was excellent for his goal. He really deserved it for his overall display. Furthermore, I was pleased for Candeias to get his assist for Martin’s goal – he worked like a trojan all day.

It’s one game but it’s a massive plus to take forward into other games that we may have found the defensive structure in midfield to build upon and hopefully Docherty and Goss can continue to get better together as their partnership grows.

We certainly improved from Hamilton last week and it’s up to the guys in that midfield area to keep up and better their performances in that area. If they do, we will be sure to have a good end to the season.