Five things we learned during Rangers' 4-0 win over St Joseph's last night.
RANGERS STILL SHAKING OFF SOME EARLY SEASON RUST
You will rarely see teams in full flow at this time of year, and Rangers were no different here despite the brief break that they had over the summer.
The Scottish side enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the first half, but just lacked that killer pass or finishing touch when it mattered most.
They clicked into their rhythm more after the break though, and once they had broken the deadlock, things started to flow a little easier. Steven Gerrard will know there is still much improvement to come form his men, but he will be pleased that despite not being at their best, they still managed to kill the tie off in the second-half in convincing style.
READ MORE: St Joseph's 0 Rangers 4: How the Rangers players rated
MIDFIELD DECISIONS TO MAKE FOR GERRARD
The midfield three of Rangers – Ryan Jack, Steven Davis, Glen Kamara – were adept at interchanging positions when Steven Gerrard’s men were on the attack, and all were prepared to get on the ball and try to get the ball moving quickly. The problem was, all three were essentially doing the same job.
Sheyi Ojo just in front of them showed the drive to go beyond the attackers and offer something different, but the other three felt shoehorned into the starting line-up a little when perhaps Joe Aribo could have offered more to cut through the packed home defence. With Scott Arfield still to come back too, it is a pleasant conundrum for Gerrard to mull over as he looks to accommodate his midfield talent to best effect.
SHEYI OJO LOOKS A FIND
As mentioned above, Ojo was the standout player on the night, and offered a tantalising glimpse of the talent, pace and power that could make him such an asset to this Rangers side in the Scottish Premiership.
His strength is what immediately catches the eye, but he showed here that he also has a fleetness of foot and a cool head when he is presented with an opportunity in front of goal.
He grabbed Rangers’ second goal here, with a similar finish to the one he bagged in Sunday’s friendly stroll over Oxford, opening up his body and shaping the ball into the corner with his left foot. Early days, but Rangers supporters will be excited by what they have seen from Ojo so far.
THE RANGERS DEFENCE STILL NEEDS WORK
Considering that there was little to no real ambition from St Joseph’s to get forward, the fact they still had a couple of opportunities in the first half will concern manager Gerrard slightly.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard eyes eighth summer signing as Rangers close in on defender deal
Lapses in concentration from Connor Goldson and in particular, Niko Katic, presented chances to their lowly opponents that might have been gobbled up by better opposition.
At this stage of the season, that may be understandable, but Gerrard will be emphasising the need for his defensive partnership to cut out the slack moments as they come up against better teams – even on a weekly basis in the Premiership.
JORDAN JONES MAY BE ABLE TO GRASP OPPORTUNITY
It’s early days for Jones to see if he can make the step up to Rangers and perform more consistently than he managed to with Kilmarnock last season, but he had a good start here when thrown in on the left for his competitive debut.
He has a hard job on his hands to replace the threat of Ryan Kent from the left wing for Rangers, but he showed some decent flashed in his hour on the pitch.
Always willing to run at his man, he has the potential to get fans off of their seats, and Gerrard will feel that he can drag some further improvement from the winger.
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