Will we start with Morelos and Defoe together?

I think that’s the plan, with Jermain and Alfie as a pair, taking some pressure off of Alfie, and giving us a more potent attack, and the opposition something else to think about rather than the same game plan every week like the loaf did!!
 
For sure we can. Most teams are shite in the league but we play 4-3-3 and make it easy for them. The sheep is this perfect example. How they managed to beat us twice in Glasgow with that team is a tragedy. Go 4-4-2 or a diamond or 3-5-2 and we can be much more affective.
 
Put them in. Alfie will turn creator for one of the best finishers in the game and maybe learn a thing or two!

We'll score more than you mentality.
(With a solid backline might I add)

Davis in Kent in Arfield in. Defoe Morelos.

They don't stand a chance 55.
 
The beauty is we now have a ton of options. We can give them a half each and absolutely wear out defenses. We can play one and give the other a rest. We can play Defoe wide and Morelos through the middle and rely on Defoe being a solid back post runner. We can play a Walter/Advocaat 4-4-2 with one winger and Arfield wide left or David wide right. We can play a 4-4-2 diamond with someone like Kent at the tip of the diamond behind Alfie and Defoe and plenty of width coming from Barisic (hopefully) and Tav. We can play 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 3-6-1.

It's a very versatile and capable squad we now have with a lot of ability in every area of the park. Bizarrely the one area I feel we're a little light is at the full back positions, as that's been a real area of strength for us over the past few years. If Barisic can get fit and Flanagan can start challenging Tav then we're in great shape.
 
We have to play them both I would think

I also think this is more like A proper centre forward pairing of physic and clad
 
Defoe didn't come up here to warm the bench and Alfie ods pretty much undroppable at the moment so why not
 
Gotta pinch myself from time to time in regards to how this squad under Gerrard has evolved in such a short time. If we can avoid crucial injuries and shooting ourselves in the foot then it’s game on. And not only for the remainder of this season as we’re laying the foundations for our future with these recent player acquisitions.
Got a hunch we’ll have at least one more surprise addition this month albeit with a few players moving on.
Gerrard gets all the plaudits and rightfully so but off the field Dave King has saved our club and we owe him everything right now. Sure he’s made a few mistakes but has learned from them and made brave changes.
 
I hope we do. Not being able to work out our best eleven due to quality incoming is a great problem to have.

McGregor/Foderingham

Barisic/Halliday/Wallace
Katic/Worrall
Goldson/McAuley
Tavernier/Flanagan

Candieas/Grezda
Jack/Dorrans/McCrorie
Arfield/Davis/Rossiter/Coulibaly
Kent/Murphy/Middleton

Morelos
Defoe/Lafferty

I think the first player listed potentially represents our best 11 though there is going to be some real competition for the midfield roles.
 
there is no reason not to play 3-5-2 and really pen teams in, Fir Park was a blip and I really see this as being the way forward

4-1-3-2 into an aggressive attacking 2-1-5-2 is what I would like to see.

Goldson and Worrall with Ryan Jack infront of them and a sweeper keeper (Not sure AM is suited for that role though, but he is our best keeper by far}

For corners our big men up and Candeias on the halfway line as cover, our fastest player that can get back and just boot the ball into row Z if they get a break of the ball and counter.

Positioning outside the "D" for recycling the ball is important, at dead balls/crosses into opposing area (although too often our crosses only get to the first defender, front post from our right flank. A two man attack could see Alfredo utilise these chances though) . Same with follow up winger on the opposite side we are driving down, taking up space at the rear of the 18 harder.

Second balls and winning them is huge.
 
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I think we will, pretty sure both gaffer and JD will be keen to get in that starting line up asap and no way we're dropping Alfredo.

Its a real test of how much the Stevie G is tied to the 4-3-3. I personally don't like the idea of Morelos moved wide to accomodate Defoe in the middle of the 3 and even if we ask the 3 to play narrower, it could leave us unbalanced. Better to have them both through the middle workin in tandem imo. Out of the variations we could play to accomodate that, I like the thought of diamond midfield with Kent at the tip, given licence to go out wide either side and fb's providing width as well. Could be s potent attacking force if we can get that to click.
 
Dear lord. Imagine how much Defoe can help Alfie's game. All he is missing really is finishing and that is Defoe's speciality! Cannae wait for the 18th
 
Cant see them playing together, Gerrard will want the 3 in the midfield, jack davis arfield, 352 the the only way to fit them all in, but that means benching 2 out of candieas, tav, barasic and kent. Cant see it.
Would start morelos in give defoe 30mins
 
Aye both start with one winger swapping sides.
Probably be Kent so Candias drops to bench, Alfie can drag wide also.
Not long now....
 
No chance that the midfield won't be Davis, Arfield and Jack so that's unlikely.
Wouldn’t say ‘no chance’ at Ibrox I don’t see why we can’t play 2 wingers & 2 strikers with 2 of Jack, Davis, Arfield or McCrorie Central. He’s not bringing Defoe up to sit him on a bench.
 
Lets be honest, Morelos is the best opportunity for Rangers to balance the books financially, when/if he gets sold in the summer. He has to be in the shop window for the remaining months, so he is going to play in every available match, notwithstanding the fact that he has been our key man this season. Defoe is not leaving the Premier League to come and sit on the bench, so we will be playing 2 up front. It will be fascinating to see how we line up behind those two. Our formations under Gerrard to date (almost always a 4-3-3 or more accurately a 4-5-1), we have always attempted to dominate the midfield, and a 4-4-2 (either standard or diamond), could see us overloaded by teams that play 3 central midfielders. I think the likeliest outcome is that we go to 3-5-2, but for that we really need a fit Barisic to provide the width on the left hand side.
McGregor; Goldson, McAuley, Worral; Tav, Davis, Jack, Arfield, Barisic; Defoe, Morelos.

Would be incredibly hard to drop Candeias, McCrorie or Kent, but at least the squad is beginning to look far stronger than we have had for a long time.
 
Against teams that are hard to break down at home I could see a 442 with shagger, tav, Goldson, Worrall/McAuley, Barasic, candeias, Davis, Arfield, kent, Morelos and Defoe
 
It's going to be interesting to see what Gerrard does. I don't see anything particularly obvious.

1) I'm sure Gerrard has spoken in the past about his dislike of 442
2) 352 would be an option, but at home to the the majority of the teams in the league would we need 3 centre halfs up against their 1 centre forward? Would really need Barasic fit to play left wing back as well.
3) Could we play Morelos out on the right in a 433, with Defoe central and Kent on the left? Personally I would be intrigued to see this, as Morelos definitely has the attributes for it. You get the feeling he likes being the main man though and playing through the middle.
 
Some of the suggested lineups above excluding Barisic. Just isn’t going to happen

Hasn’t SG been on record as stating he doesn’t like 4-4-2?

FWIW, both strikers have to start
 
Must start both. I think Morelos is good at drifting outwide and dropping of, so let Defoe stay inthe box and he will score for fun.
 
Morelos has to be 1st choice so I don't see him dropping out. If Defoe is to start regularly then we'll need to see a change in formation.

Perhaps in some games we'll see both Morelos and Defoe starting but that doesn't make Lafferty's future any brighter. It's difficult to make an impact when you only get 20 or 30 minutes every other week.
 
Definitely! Defoe didn’t knock bck palace to come sit on the bench in Scotland.
Might see Morelos pushed out right not as a winger as such just off Defoe in the middle n Kent on the left to continue with the 4-3-3
 
We've struggled to break teams down and take chances or get on the end of great balls in from either side. Looks like Gerrard is going to change this, since Defoe or Morelos aren't going to be warming the bench. We've also struggled to hold onto the ball and dictate tempo, which is what Davis will bring.

McCrorie is being managed properly and won't start every game. When you have better players, 4-4-2 works a treat in Scotland. I think our midfield & strikers will be.....

Arfield Davis Jack Kent

Defoe Morelos

Got back up in every position now with players that will be reliable to do a good job. Massive difference from this time last year.

Candeias, McCrorie, Middleton, Halliday, Lafferty, Flanagan, Katic, MacAuley, Rossiter. All of them can be trusted to come in and do well, and they've all had plenty game time already.

We're looking very good for the second half of the season. Bring it on.
 
We won't be playing 3-5-2 at home against deep lying defensive teams.

That would mean having to leave out one of Barisic, Tav or Kent, three very creative players, for a third central defender.

Why would we do that?
 
I expect to see them both play in a lot of games, how we will lineup is anyones guess.

For me i would like to try 3 narrow forwards with Kent and Morelos either side of Defoe, Morelos quite often drifts to the right and makes a real impact there.

How he would feel about that though im not sure.

We have options and very good options at that.
 
Whatever way we line up going forward, I just can't see us changing from a back 4 to be honest.

Edit: And that's home or away.
 
I expect to see them both play in a lot of games, how we will lineup is anyones guess.

For me i would like to try 3 narrow forwards with Kent and Morelos either side of Defoe, Morelos quite often drifts to the right and makes a real impact there.

How he would feel about that though im not sure.

We have options and very good options at that.


That's my prediction.
 
That's my prediction.
I would like to see us try that.

I’m hesitant to move Alfie obviously as he has been brilliant in the central role but just a slight shift to the right I don’t see being a problem, if you look at every match he always ends up in that narrow forward role at some point and causes mayhem
 
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