Last season's Scottish Premiership was turbulent from start to finish. Stunning goals, dramatic equalisers, and late-game twists kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout the campaign.

As reported by the Edinburgh Evening News, several football legends were closely monitoring Hearts' impressive title run and genuinely believed that the team had the ingredients to go all the way. Celtic, however, had other ideas, grinding out the results that mattered most when the pressure was highest, eventually pulling clear at the top to claim the championship.

Rangers, for all their moments of quality, found themselves watching from a distance as the title slipped away once again. The Ibrox faithful deserve better, and frankly, the squad is capable of better. But ambition alone does not close the gap; smart, deliberate changes to how this team is set up and how it plays must be made before 2026-27 begins in earnest.

Getting the Formation Right from Day One

The 4-3-3 that Rangers have leaned on in recent seasons carries genuine merit; it provides width, suits quick forwards, and allows full-backs to push high.

The problem is that it also leaves the midfield three exposed when the press breaks down. Against teams willing to commit bodies forward and transition quickly, that central area becomes a problem zone. Too often last season, Rangers were bypassed in the middle of the pitch and left scrambling defensively.

A shift toward a 4-2-3-1 structure would address this directly. Two holding midfielders working in tandem provide a far sturdier defensive base, allowing the attacking midfielder behind the striker to operate with genuine freedom.

That number ten role is one Rangers have not consistently filled with someone capable of unlocking defences at the highest domestic level. If they can recruit or repurpose an existing player in that mould, technically sharp, able to receive between the lines, and willing to press without the ball, the entire team's rhythm improves. The 4-2-3-1 is not a revolutionary idea, but for Rangers' specific problems, it is a genuinely practical solution.

Pressing Must Become a System, Not a Mood

There were matches last season where Rangers pressed with real ferocity and looked like a side capable of suffocating any opponent in Scotland. There were others where they dropped deep, sat passive, and invited pressure onto themselves.

That inconsistency is damaging, because pressing only works as a weapon when it is drilled, coordinated, and applied with conviction throughout the squad.

The coaching staff need to define clear pressing triggers, moments in the game where the entire unit steps up together to win the ball high up the pitch. This means the forwards leading the press with purpose, the midfield immediately compressing space, and the defensive line holding a higher position to squeeze the play.

When Rangers get this right, turnovers in dangerous areas follow, and chances are created quickly. A structured pressing system also tires opponents mentally over 90 minutes, which opens up spaces in the final 30 that a deeper defensive block would never create.

Physical conditioning matters here too. A high-pressing style demands elite fitness levels maintained deep into the season. Pre-season preparation and squad depth across all positions need to reflect that demand if the system is going to hold up through a full Premiership campaign and our usual European commitments.

Unlocking More from Wide Areas

Rangers' wingers have consistently been among the most direct attackers in Scottish football: quick, aggressive in transition, and capable of moments of real quality. The issue is predictability.

When wide players only ever look to beat their man on the outside and deliver from the bye-line, defences read it quickly and double up without risk. The solution is encouraging more movement into central areas, cutting inside to create shooting opportunities, and, crucially, dragging markers out of position so that the overlapping full-back arrives into space unmarked.

Set Pieces Cannot Be an Afterthought

Set pieces decide matches at every level of the game, and in a tight Scottish Premiership title race, the margin between winning and drawing can come down to a single corner or free kick routine.

Rangers have an aerial threat that is genuinely dangerous in dead-ball situations. Yet there have been too many set pieces last season that amounted to nothing more than a ball whipped in and hoped for.

Investing proper training time into varied, rehearsed routines (short corners that create second-phase opportunities, near-post flick-ons that confuse zonal defences, blockers creating space for runners) would yield results over the course of a long season. Equally, defensive set-piece organisation needs to be airtight. Conceding from corners and free kicks at home is something no title-challenging side can afford to normalise.

Building a Squad with Depth and Purpose

Tactics only carry a team so far; the quality and depth of the squad underneath those systems matters enormously. Rangers need backing across the pitch, particularly in central midfield and through the middle of the forward line. A proven goal-scorer who can lead the line consistently is the single most impactful signing they could make.

Goals have been too spread out, too reliant on contributions from wide areas, and too scarce in crucial away fixtures.

Recruitment that targets players with specific roles in mind, rather than general talent, is what separates clubs that genuinely challenge from those that drift near the top without ever reaching it.

Rangers have the platform, the support, and the financial backing to be genuine title challengers in 2026-27. The adjustments required are clear. Executing them with discipline and consistency over the course of a full season is where the real work begins.