There’s a very fine football player somewhere inside Nico Raskin. The Rangers boss who succeeds in convincing the watching world of that fact is probably going to make the club a great deal of money.
Including interims, Danny Rohl is the sixth coach in almost three years to try and crack the code of the talented yet maddeningly inconsistent midfielder.
Barry Ferguson knew better than most what buttons to press in his short spell in the hot seat earlier this year. Russell Martin is unlikely to have exchanged Christmas cards with the Belgian following a spectacular fall-out at the start of the season.
For many observers in the stands, Raskin’s meek display in last weekend’s loss at Tynecastle was the point of no return.
Bluntly, if Rangers were to sell him to the highest bidder in January, the queue of those willing to drive him to the airport would stretch the length of Copland Road. While Danny Rohl has sympathy with those who have run out of patience with the player, he is keen to distance himself from that particular standpoint.
There is evidently work to be done by both parties if Raskin, who is contracted until 2027, is to belatedly fulfil his true potential.
Many Rangers fans would be happy for Raskin to leave following a number of inconsistent performances
Manager Danny Rohl is convinced that he can still get the best out of the Belgian midfielder
Despite mounting speculation that Rangers could attempt to cash in on him next month to finance a rebuild, doing whatever is necessary to increase Raskin’s chances of featuring at the World Cup is a challenge Rohl warmly embraces.
‘Nico is an important player,’ said the German. ‘We worked individually on him, also in meetings I spoke with him about what I want to see more. It’s important for players to always see a development, to see a direction where we want to go. I give him a picture of what I want to see from him.
‘I had an individual talk with him in the last days, very long, 25-30 minutes. I’m absolutely convinced that he recognises what we are doing.’
Raskin’s best role has long been the subject of debate among fans. Two months after taking the reins, Rohl’s mind is now settled on the matter. ‘For me, it’s very clear that he is a No 6, because he likes to have the game in front of him. I see that he can take it forward from a six, rather than backwards from an eight or 10 position.’
Perhaps aware of how quickly Raskin’s relationship with Martin went sour after some pointed remarks on the opening day at Fir Park, Rohl is keen to add context to where he believes the Belgian must improve.
‘In general, not just Nico, all parts of the game, the midfield, we need more structure. We lose the structure in possession sometimes, not against the ball. Against the ball, it’s very clear what we are doing.
‘I like what I see there, that we have ball-winnings. Especially Nico, when he’s in front for defending, he has a lot of them. But, in possession, we have to control the game more. And, if we do this, then we also help the players around us.
‘This is the part we have to improve in the midfield, but also as a group – our decision making. At the moment, if you have option A and option B, and option B is the advantage, we decide too often to option A, the disadvantage. I saw this in some games now. Then we bring our own problems and it looks like we are not connected enough.’
Rohl wants to see more not just from Rohl, above left, but the rest of his Rangers midfield
Rohl sees a lot of room for improvement in Nicolas Raskin’s performances this season
A lack of goals from the frontline is another pressing concern. By the time they had left Tynecastle last Sunday, Youssef Chermiti’s second goal of the season had been added to Bojan Miovski’s five and Danilo’s two. Three strikers and not even double figures between them by Christmas is not good enough. No side can win a title if that persists.
‘There’s the challenge, especially to the centre forwards, that I’m looking for this No9 who is always the starter,’ added Rohl. ‘At the moment, there are three players trying to be the No9. In the following weeks, we will (see) who it is. Generally, as a group, we don’t score enough. It’s not just the centre forwards. It’s also when we look to a 10 or the winger position, that we need more goals and this is what we have to improve.’
There’s been plenty of understanding to date for the scale of the job Rohl has signed up for. Having inherited a squad so low on quality that its architect Kevin Thelwell lost his job, the manager has pretty much been given a free pass. That will run out shortly once he’s had a transfer window to put his stamp on things. If Jens Berthel Askou can transform Motherwell across the same period, the same standard must be applied to his peers.
‘Yeah, they are doing well,’ said Rohl of today’s visitors, who sit one place above them in the table. ‘They play a lot of 4-2-4 as a box in the middle. They have a lot of ball possession, over 60 per cent, and they have direction.
‘But I’m convinced that, when we bring our intensity on the pitch, our structure, with the ball against the ball, that we can hurt them. They give us all those spaces where we can attack them. They want to play football, they want to press, and this is, for me, a good basic to have an attractive game.’
