Glasgow Rangers have endured a mixed start to the 2023/24 campaign as Michael Beale failed to lead the Ibrox side to the promised land of the Champions League group stages following a harrowing 7-3 aggregate defeat to PSV Eindhoven.
They will now face the prospect of playing in the Europa League until Christmas and this could potentially give the club a chance of extending their stay on the continent beyond the festive season.
Despite this poor display, the Gers have the chance to leapfrog Celtic in the Premiership table if they win the first Old Firm derby of the season tomorrow afternoon and there is now no excuses for Beale not to secure a win, especially with the poor form Brendan Rodgers' men are going through at the moment – failing to win either of their last two games in all competitions.
Much will depend on how the new signings perform, with some showcasing their talents more than others since arriving in Glasgow.
Who has impressed for Rangers so far this season?
Beale managed to sign nine new players for the Gers throughout the course of the summer, and he will be hoping they can all play a part in leading the club to glory of some sort during the 2023/24 campaign.
Across three league matches, Jose Cifuentes and Kieran Dowell have impressed so far, averaging Sofascore ratings of 7.3, while Brazilian striker Danilo has already scored once while ranking fourth in the squad for shots on target per game (one) and given he has started just one match suggests that hopefully, more goals are on the way.
One of the best pieces of transfer business done so far this summer, however, was that of Jack Butland, and he has been in wonderful form since finally securing regular game time and putting his injury issues over the previous few seasons behind him.
How poor were Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin last season?
Last season, goalkeepers Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin conceded 51 and 18 goals across 36 and 16 matches respectively was one of the main reasons why the club struggled during the early part of the campaign.
McLaughlin even conceded eight goals in the space of just two matches against Celtic and Ajax in September and with a combined age of 75, it was evident that the goalkeeping department had to be amended otherwise the club would simply have continued to struggle.
McGregor is, of course, a Rangers icon, yet his final two seasons saw him make simple mistakes which cost the club crucial points. During the 2021/22 campaign, the Scot made mistakes against Ross County and Hearts and it indicated that he was far from his best.
Robby McCrorie got some much-needed game time at the end of the 2022/23 season. The 25-year-old only conceded one goal in four matches, but Beale obviously felt a new ‘keeper was required during the summer window.
How has Jack Butland performed for Rangers?
The Light Blues first showed interest in Butland in the summer of 2022 and perhaps their season may have been different had he joined then, but a finger injury suffered during pre-season meant there would be no move for him that window.
Fast-forward a year later and the Gers were about to get their man, with Fabrizio Romano revealing they were close to securing his signature, saying: “Rangers are advancing in negotiations to sign Jack Butland as new goalkeeper on free transfer from Manchester United, deal getting closer.”
He eventually joined on a free transfer following the expiration of his Crystal Palace contract, bringing a wealth of experience to Ibrox.
The 30-year-old made 87 Premier League appearances during his spells with Stoke City and Palace, keeping 21 clean sheets during those matches and the £40k-per-week titan has even represented England on nine occasions, conceding just four goals during those games and keeping five clean sheets overall.
It’s clear Beale has signed someone who has the ability to star in Scotland and early impressions have been promising for the player who was once lauded by Patrick Vieira, who said: “Jack is a real professional – he is a positive professional.
“He has been frustrated by not playing, but he has never complained and never showed that. He has kept working hard, and when forward players want to do extra finishing, he is always the first to put his hand up.”
Across three Premiership matches so far, Butland has conceded just one goal and kept two clean sheets and will be hoping for another one against Celtic tomorrow afternoon.
He currently ranks fifth in the squad for Sofascore rating (7.33) and has made 2.3 saves per game – a success rate of 88% – along with succeeding with 100% of his attempted run-outs and has averaged a 97% pass success rate in his own half, suggesting that he is comfortable on the ball and is able to start attacks from the defence.
Although the Bristol-born gem conceded five goals against the Dutch side in midweek, his performance prevented it from being eight or nine, as Butland kept the Gers in the tie until the final 20 minutes.
The ex-Manchester United loanee made six saves and one punch during the match while winning 100% of the aerial duels he contested, and he was regularly let down by the defence in front of him.
There is no doubt the ‘keeper has been a wonderful signing and considering just how many goals the club conceded last term, having a solid number one between the posts will prove to be a game-changer during the course of the league campaign.
The jury may be out on a few of the summer arrivals, yet it appears as though Beale has certainly struck gold by luring the former England international North of the border, and he will save the crucial points during the course of the season, no doubt about it.
With Celtic struggling of late, the Light Blues have the chance to inflict more misery on them and having Butland between the sticks will give Beale much more confidence during the match that's for sure.
