Triggers, traps and talent in all the right places – how Hibs made Rangers look so ordinary
Ibrox battle must become a jumping off point for season launch
Tired, yeah? That’s the reason why Rangers were made to look so flat-footed and out of sorts as they barely scraped past Hibs at Ibrox yesterday, is it?
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While Light Blues boss Philippe Clement was entitled to plead his team’s case at the end of a tough European week, Hibs more than played their part in the balance of a contest that could have gone either way. David Gray and his players put a great deal of effort into spoiling their hosts’ homecoming party. And came within inches of doing just that.
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So what worked for Hibs? And where can they still improve? Let’s dive right in …
Setting traps
Without access to what full tactical camera footage, it’s hard to pin-point exactly what the triggers were for Hibs to break out of their 4-5-1 shape without the ball. But one thing is clear. Gray had a plan – and the players stuck to it.
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With Nectar Triantis occasionally flying out of the line like a bullet from a rifle, or Hyeokkyu Kwon stepping forward to turn Rangers back as soon as one of the home players received the ball at a less-than-ideal angle, there was obviously method behind what Hibs did. Sometimes looking to force their opponents wide or occasionally just firing a body into a good area to disrupt a quicker attack, even if it was only forcing James Tavernier to take an extra half second to skip past his man, the visitors made Rangers look decidedly ordinary.
Towering targets
Hibs used Lewis Miller as a very clear and obvious aerial threat when building from the back. If there was no obvious way to play through Rangers, the ball could simply be thrown out to the right wing, where the fullback would leap to beat his man in the air – and usually send the ball into a dangerous area, with Chris Cadden the beneficiary more than once.
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Getting the blend between going direct and playing through the lines is important, obviously. But against a Rangers team who quite often sat off and allowed Hibs to have the ball close to their own goal, playing for territory wasn’t the worst idea.
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Junior class
Everyone can see that Junior Hoilett still has IT, right? Check out the slight of foot he shows to set up the excellent Kwon for the South Korean midfielder’s best of several efforts on target; being able to manipulate the ball in such a tight space is a huge asset for any team.
Gray knows it, the gaffer saying: “I thought Junior was excellent. Everything I expected him to be. You know, you don’t play the number of games he’s played at the level he’s played at without having that ability on the ball, composure and decision making.”
Great on the ball, even if he doesn’t have the pace to burn past opponents, the 34-year-old Canadian international impressed as much with his work out of possession yesterday. Proving that, the higher you go up the footballing ladder, the more it becomes about just putting yourself in a really good starting position.
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Defensive shifts
The self-described ‘back three’ of Josef Bursik, Marvin Ekpiteta and Warren O’Hora are coming on leaps and bounds. And, with a little more luck, might have recorded just their second clean sheet of a chaotic league campaign at Ibrox.
Bursik makes a wonder save from Dessers.
Bursik makes a wonder save from Dessers. | SNS Group
Given how shaky all three looked over the opening weeks of the Scottish Premiership season, the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. And, despite pre-match chatter about Gray possibly switching to five at the back in a bid to stifle Rangers, the entire back four deserve qualified praise for their performance.
Chances, chances, chances …
So, sure, maybe the xG (expected goals) figures for yesterday’s game were hopelessly skewed by Hibs being awarded a penalty. But you don’t have to be a stats devotee to recognise that, on balance of chances created, the visitors more than held their own.
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They had 18 shots at Ibrox and, while only three were on target, another half dozen were blocked by Rangers players throwing themselves into the line of fire. Gray’s men almost did enough. But almost is a hell of a word, as anyone in football can attest.
Squad depths
Considering Hibs travelled to Govan without club captain Joe Newell, proven threat Martin Boyle and marquee summer signing Kieron Bowie, Gray could have complained about a lack of options. But he made more than a decent fist of things, including using his substitutes well.
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Dwight Gayle came close to scoring, obviously. Elie Youan still needs minutes. And whatever the long-term prospects for guys like Dylan Levitt and, especially, Harry McKirdy, there was logic behind their late introduction, as there was in the decision to put Nathan Moriah-Welsh on for a tiring Nectar Triantis.
And now?
Motherwell visit Easter Road on Saturday. Any success Hibs hope to achieve this season will almost certainly be built on a strong home record. And this is precisely the sort of game they’ll have to win, if they’re to convince fans that David Gray is building something exciting.
There was a sense of cohesion about this team’s performance in Glasgow yesterday. But progress without points doesn’t get anyone very far.
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Making AND taking chances will be a recurring theme at East Mains this week, you might assume. With Gray warning his players that they’ve now set a “benchmark” for the season with their efforts at Ibrox, he’ll want to keep the tempo high – and add precision to all that promise.
Related topics:RangersDavid GrayPhilippe ClementJosef BursikWarren O’HoraScottish Premiership
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