Rangers beat Panathinaikos 2-0 in their first game in charge of Russell Martin, with Findlay Curtis and Jaydy Gassama scoring, as the second leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie is played next Wednesday.
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Rangers head coach Russell Martin was pleased with the result, but believes the team still has a lot of work to do.
Russell Martin's first match as Rangers manager ended with a 2-0 win over Panathinaikos in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round. What did we learn? Here are five key points…
Clear style of play.
Pictured: Max Aarons was active at left-back.
As Martin’s previous coaching stints at MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton have shown, he expects his team to control the ball. He insists on it. Yet Rangers were defensive, moving the ball quickly and looking to maintain possession in all areas of the pitch.
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It is worth noting that the visitors had a player sent off in the 58th minute, but Rangers had 75 per cent possession. They only achieved that figure four times in over 50 matches in all competitions last season. In 12 Europa League matches last year, the average possession was 41 per cent.
Their 708 attempts and 655 completions (92%) were also higher than any game last season and well above the season average of around 435 attempts and 360 completions. The strategy, based on ball control, was clear.
Image: Average positions of Rangers players in the starting lineup.
Rangers lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formation, but the movement of the full-backs was a particularly interesting topic of discussion. James Tavernier and Max Aarons often dropped towards the centre-backs to receive the ball, with Aarons even playing as a deep-lying central midfielder.
Rangers had several displays of possession but that didn't stop Martin from continuing to attack.
A confident start for the defense
Sourse: skysports.com
