Rangers legend, Brian Laudrup, has heaped praise on Joe Aribo and pointed to his absence against Livingston for the main reason that two points were dropped on the short trip to West Lothian.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Laudrup explained that the attacking impetus from deep shouldn’t solely be on the Nigerian international’s shoulders.
So what has Laudrup said?
When reflected on the disappointing draw against Livi which saw Rangers miss the chance to go eight points clear of Celtic, he said:
“There are times when it takes the unexpected to win a match. A combination of quick thinking and even quicker feet.
“Without Joe Aribo, Rangers lacked that spark against Livingston on Sunday. The longer the game went on, the more I felt he was really missed.
“To me, there are two aspects to what the 24-year-old does. There is obviously his own game and the skill-set he brings. But I also think he has the effect of making the players around him even better.
“He brings people into action with his one-twos and I love the fact that he looks forward every time he gets the ball. That’s exactly what you need in midfield at Rangers. Someone has to be thinking: ‘Where can I find the pockets of space? How do we play between the lines?
“But it is much more difficult for the opposition if you also have that impetus coming from midfield, through someone who can take people on or drive from deep.
“Glen Kamara and Ryan Jack are both very composed, solid players, while Scott Arfield brings a lot of energy.
“But no one can quite do the same job as Aribo and I think that showed. Rangers couldn’t find the final piece of the jigsaw.”
So is Laudrup correct?
Absolutely, Rangers were crying out for a midfielder to show a bit of courage and either beat the first line of Livi’s defence by dribbling or by playing one-twos with teammates but Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara almost refused to go past the ball for fear of neglecting their defensive duties.
Aribo’s footwork in congested areas has already proven to be a useful tool and his highlight reel for the Light Blues is already littered with “how did he do that?” moments, most famously, his goal against Braga at Ibrox that came from him picking the ball up 40 yards from goal on the touchline.
Is a creative midfielder a priority signing?
Yes
No
Scott Arfield is always a willing runner but he needs the service and isn’t the sort of player to create something from nothing, he posted similar numbers to Aribo last season but his style is altogether different and against Livingston the ball just didn’t break for him or arrive at his feet in areas he could cause damage.
Steven Gerrard will be looking to bolster his midfield with the departure of Ross McCrorie and the possible departure of Greg Docherty, and a right-footed box-to-box player in the mould of Aribo would certainly be a worth while addition to the squad.