Rangers 1-2 Newcastle: Tonali shines on debut as Almiron and Ashby score at Ibrox

It was a nice occasion for Newcastle United to be involved in, as we faced Rangers in Allan McGregor’s testimonial. The atmosphere was great at Ibrox, with 8,000 Geordies in attendance. This was our first real test of pre-season with international players now back in the fold.

Allan Saint-Maximin was left out of the squad, as he enters discussions over a move to Saudi Arabia. That was the talk pre kick-off, but the focus switched to Sandro Tonali, as he made his first start for the club. There was excitement surrounding the Italian international and he didn’t disappoint.

He was excellent in the middle of the park, with his defensive work rate and reading of the game clear to see. Tonali was also a big upgrade in possession, as he played a number of eye-catching passes. That highlighted how he can inject pace to our build-up play. His best contribution was a smart through ball to Elliot Anderson, who went on to assist Miguel Almiron for the first goal.

When playing a team set up in a deep block, it is important to play with pace and purpose. Tonali will certainly do that and he has the quality to find team-mates in space. One overhit lofted pass to Callum Wilson showed how he can quickly launch an attack. On another day, he could have had an excellent assist. 

There were tenets of our style of play that were on show. Although it wasn’t an energetic high press, there were a few occasions where we pressed high. As we build our fitness levels, the press will be more frequent. 

One tactical takeaway was our intent to switch the play more frequently than normal. That may be a new aspect of our game against teams that play in a low block. If we are able to stretch the playing area, there will be more space. In Kieran Trippier, Sandro Tonali and Fabian Schar, we have players that can play that pass accurately. It is something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. 

It can be difficult to read too much into pre season friendlies, due to the number of changes that take place. Eddie Howe made seven at the break and the fluency of the performance was lost. Rangers managed to get a foothold in the game. 

Anthony Gordon was the big eye catcher from the subs. He continued to beat players with ease and seems to have a clarity in his game that was lacking last season. There was always going to be improvement in his game, but it is becoming evident that he is growing in confidence. His work rate should be noted too, as he fought hard out of possession. That will have pleased Howe. 

Due to the loss of fluency, Rangers did manage to get back into the game. It was a sloppy piece of play between Karl Darlow and Bruno Guimaraes, that resulted in the latter being dispossessed. Sam Lammers fired past Darlow. On occasion, we saw Bruno make similar mistakes, so it is an area of his game that needs work. Others will argue it was a poor pass and decision from the goalkeeper to play it into him.

By the end of the match, we had a young team, with Lewis Miley, Harrison Ashby, Alex Murphy and Joe White on the pitch. It was good to see them get a chance, but we weren’t able to physically dominate the game as a result. Their talent was clear and they will all be attracting loan interest. 

Alexander Isak was a live wire after coming on, in a similar way to Gordon. They continued to cause problems for Rangers, even if the attacks from us became less frequent. It was his excellent footwork on the left wing that led to our winning goal. 

There were similarities to his dribble at Everton, even if this one was less impressive. The frequency that Isak creates chances in this fashion suggests it is something that will continue. His cross was slightly overhit, but Harrison Ashby did well and managed to get his header past Jack Butland. 

Even in pre-season, this team manages to find ways to win. These matches aren’t important, but a winning mentality can be built and Howe will be hoping to harness that over the coming weeks. 

There were some good aspects of the performance and some areas to work on. The matches in the USA should tell us a lot more about the direction that the team are going in