It may have been subtle and indirect but there was no mistaking the critique of the Rangers squad’s level of fitness by Michael Beale, in what was the responsibility of his predecessor, Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The superior stamina and condition of the side which was evidenced to great effect at the tail end of last season has not been replicated this term with a noticeable drop off in games over recent months, beyond the style of play preferred by the Dutchman.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s victory over Bayer Leverkusen, the manager stated:
“There’s been a lot of change around these players in the last few weeks and there was enough to give me confidence, but at the same time, there were a couple red flags to iron out. We want to press and be more aggressive and that takes a different kind of fitness than perhaps what we have right now.”
That speaks for itself but it’s not the first time that we have heard such a sentiment. Last month there were murmurs reported by The Athletic regarding concerns about the preparations on the training ground:
Change
We can be sure that Beale is wanting to address this issue immediately but outside of a proper pre-season environment, there is only so much that can be done at this time of year which is something that the 42-year old touched on at his title press conference in the Blue Room.
The manager stated that he would look to make certain adaptations in terms of positioning and movement on the pitch, to enact better cohesion as a collective unit which would have an impact on the exertions required by the team.
More will be demanded of the players in terms of their intensity as well so it is an area where there will be changes as the weeks and months progress.