Our key talking points from Rangers’ 4-0 win against St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership
Rangers returned to winning ways with a thumping 4-0 win over 10-man St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership to move within a point of Celtic at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.
After seeing their seven game winning streak snapped by a 2-2 draw with Dundee last week, Derek McInnes’ men ensured there was no hangover as a Kevin Kelsy brace, followed by strikes from Ryan Naderi and Tochi Chukwuani helped the hosts run out comfortable winners in testing weather conditions. Meanwhile, St Johnstone saw Kai Fotheringham sent off in the closing stages.
The win puts Rangers a point behind Celtic, who play Hibs at Easter Road, at the top of the table. But what did their win over St Johnstone tell us about Rangers’ hopes of title success after 10 league games this season?
Graham Falk was at Ibrox to cover proceedings. These are his three key takeaways from Rangers win vs St Johnstone.
Weathering the storm - literally!
Rangers' inability to get over the line in tricky away games has bitten them hard in recent campaigns. Questions were raised when they stuttered in the draw with Dundee last week, and many will likely view their win over St Johnstone today as routine. While the scoreline doesn’t reflect it, their clash with Saints threw up some unexpected challenges that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The treacherous conditions really took hold at the half-time break, with the torrential rain causing visibility issues for those of us watching, let alone the players on the pitch. Off the pitch, the road outside of Ibrox’s main stand had already flooded.
Coupled with a tactical switch from Simo Valakari, it played into St Johnstone’s favour as they went direct to the imposing Danny Schmidt. For the opening 15 minutes of the half, they were dominant and perhaps should have been level. However, Rangers adapted and weathered the storm - quite literally - before scoring a crucial second on the hour mark to put the game to bed.
The storm won’t die down just yet though, with a trip to Hearts next up on Wednesday night. Expected to be a white-hot atmosphere, McInnes will return to Tynecastle for the first time since he switched dugouts in the summer and the home side will be desperate to show him why he was wrong to do so. Win that one, and maybe people will truly begin to believe this is a ‘new’ Rangers we’re seeing under McInnes.
Ibrox X-Factor
Have Rangers found their difference maker? What a performance that was from Min-su Kim.
At the heart of everything good they did, he told his manager that he was “disappointed” with his performance after the game because he hadn’t registered a goal or an assist. However, for the bulk of the 50,000 in attendance at Ibrox, there were no complaints. He was outstanding.
In the early weeks of the campaign, with Rangers struggling for wins, McInnes confessed his side lacked someone who could do something a little different, drag his team out of the mire. As shown by Daizen Maeda in the split last season, mavericks can rustle up something out of nothing. When things get tough, a team needs them to get the marginal edge on their opponent.
Signed for big money after just one full season in the Spanish second division, it was natural to be cautious about his impact, but he’s been a real creative hub for the Gers. Deployed on the left flank this weekend, Min-su’s impact on the game was huge. Creating five chances for his team, he hit the post and played a direct role in three of Rangers’ four goals.
The first was created by his stunning through ball to Naderi; he did all the heavy lifting for the second. Picking up the ball on the left and beating his defender down the line, he fired a powerful ball across the face of the goal, which the St Johnstone goalkeeper could only parry before it was bundled home. The third came directly from his dangerous corner, which was flicked on by Emmanuel Fernandez to the back post for Kelsy to finish off his brace. Can Min-su Kim be Rangers’ X-Factor?
Two's company, three's a crowd
Ryan Naderi now has seven goal contributions in eight games following the win over St Johnstone, and it could have been more had Kelsy and Min-su finished off chances in the first half. Setting up the opening goal just after the half-hour mark, he also scored the crucial second goal on the hour mark, ending hopes of a St Johnstone comeback just as the visitors were beginning to gain confidence after a strong start to the second period.
The Czech striker has come on in leaps and bounds in recent months, and appears to be buoyed by the new found confidence the Ibrox crowd have in him. Signed for £5million last January, the gangly forward struggled upon his arrival at Ibrox under the head coach that signed him, Danny Rohl. He ended the campaign with just one league goal in nine appearances.
However, after moving to an old school front two following injuries to Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti, it is Naderi that has been the main beneficiary. Criticised for changing the formation against Dundee last week, Naderi struggled when played centrally, with Badredine Bouanani and Djeidi Gassama flanking him. Partnered with Kelsy by McInnes for the win over St Johnstone, his influence was evident.
Alongside his goal and assist, he created two big chances in the game and proved to be a perfect foil for Kelsy. In last week’s draw with Dundee, he mustered just a single shot on goal. It may be old school, but Rangers route to success appears to come when Naderi and Kelsy partner each other.
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