Having led Rangers to their first league title in ten years, Steven Gerrard’s tenure as manager has ended, with the former Liverpool player moving to Aston Villa.
His exit paves the way for Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst, 46, to take control at Ibrox. A former Rangers player, winning two league titles, van Bronckhorst was a talented central midfielder, going on to win a Champions League title with Barcelona.
His first managerial job was also at a former club, Feyenoord. In 2017 he successfully led them to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years.
In appointing a manager who has already shown that he has the tactical ability to win a league title, Rangers seem to have made a strong managerial appointment. He will come into the club with the respect of the players and the love of the fans.
Rangers have a strong squad. They are top of the league, and are in a comfortable position in Europe. Van Bronckhorst, however, faces a complicated job, with financial reports show that Rangers will have to sell some first-team players to balance the books.
The expectation is another league title, something van Bronckhorst is likely to do with the strength of the squad he’s inheriting. However, with the January transfer window on the horizon, Rangers may soon begin the process of selling some big-name players and shaping their squad in the vision of their new manager.
The managerial switch is unlikely to halt Ranger’s title charge this season, but van Bronckhorst will have a lot of work to do if he is to maintain the standards that Gerrard set at Ibrox.
Image via: Wouter Engler, WikiMedia Commons