Despite an entertaining end to last night’s meeting with Dundee, Rangers manager Philippe Clement wasn’t satisfied with the manner of a 5-2 win.

“At the end of the first half, we came out behind although we were better on the ball,” he said.

“That’s of no use if you aren’t good enough without the ball. So I was really angry about that at half-time because football – and they know – is about both sides. In the second half, you see what they can do if they are focused on both things.

“This is the perfect example today. Booed off the pitch at half-time. And a lot of applause after the game because people how they saw the team playing." 

Dissatisfied it took another half-time conversation to provoke a sense of urgency and aggression in his team off the ball, Clement conceded going forward that Rangers' players must find it within themselves to reach minimum levels.

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“I told them also, if you want to play for a team like Rangers, that’s the basics. That needs to be there every time,” he continued.

“If you want to play for a team in the (bottom) half of the league, yes you can have one moment yes and one moment no. Here, it’s all the time, switched on, aggressive in everything you do, with and without the ball.”

The game’s trendline, charting chances created by each team on the night, solidifies Clement’s point. Rangers had 11 shots in the first half to 20 in the second. They won 19/51 duels in the first half and 31/57 in the second. Their xG before the break 1 and in the second 2.18.

No player epitomised the shift like Todd Cantwell. Days on from being left out of the side that faced Celtic the 26-year-old, who’s endured ups and downs in a season also impacted by injury, created the second and scored a spectacular third, even if it appeared as though the initial attempt was to cross the ball.

“I was very happy with his second half, yeah. That is the Todd I want to see every time," Clement said when asked about Cantwell’s performance.

“Then he makes the difference, then he makes stats, then he is important for this club. It needs to be this fire, desire every time, with and without the ball - not only one.”

Before the interval, Cantwell was involved in 42 actions - 20 passes (straight lines) and 22 carries (dotted lines) - predominantly receiving in the left channels. Red equates to a successful action and yellow an unsuccessful action.

Cantwell's actions in the first half

In the second half, his actions almost doubled to 82 - 41 passes, 37 carries and 4 shots. Cantwell played more frequently from the right but appeared granted greater freedom to get around the pitch, as demonstrated by his assist for Cyriel Dessers’ header.

Cantwell's actions in the second half

Indeed overall, the structure of Rangers’ team in possession, while still lacking natural width on the left-hand side, showed how Clement wants to play. With narrow full-backs to try and protect against transition and a ‘6,8,10’ midfield composition. 

Over the past two months, as the Rangers Review has covered previously, it's been this lack of off-ball work and concession of transitions that's harmed Rangers' title push. It's a theme you can trace back to the start of March.

Before half-time against Dundee, Clement's side were not good enough out of possession to dominate in possession. After the break that all changed.

Fabio Silva was generally getting on the ball wide on the left as Rangers struggled to control territory in the first half.

Where Fabio Silva received passes in the first half

After the break the Portuguese forward was involved in more combination play rather than isolated by the touchline - a theme his former PSV coach outlined as key to seeing the best of Silva speaking recently to the Rangers Review.

Where Fabio Silva received passes in the second half

For example, Cantwell and Silva combined 16 times after the break, compared to three attempts before the interval.

Passes between Cantwell/Silva after the interval

Rangers were able to keep Dundee penned back more consistently and with a stronger tempo to their play, while the introduction of an overlapping full-back in Robbie Fraser and Scott Wright/McCausland moving to the left there was greater opportunity for Silva to play in areas he prefers.

Combination between Silva and Cantwell catalysed the opening that led to Rangers' equaliser, which also featured a full-back starting narrow to help create an opening through Dundee's man-marking scheme.

Similarly, Leon King's excellent pass to create Ross McCausland's strike benefitted from James Tavernier starting narrow and moving wide, to open up a central passing lane.

McCausland was bright throughout with a well-taken goal and assist for the second of Wright’s double, Nico Raskin made the game’s most pressures with 35 attempts playing at the base of midfield. 

In the past two months, Clement’s side have rarely dominated games like they did after the break against Dundee - with the necessary tempo on and off the ball to play their best football.

Rangers were far better on the ball after the break against Dundee but the foundation for that fact, and what missed beforehand, was their activity off it.