The Romanian national team’s Euro qualifying match against Andorra on Sunday night provided new Rangers manager Philippe Clement with a blueprint for reviving Ianis Hagi’s Ibrox career when the playmaker returns from a loan at Deportivo Alaves.
The fact that Ianis Hagi proved to be significantly more successful versus Andorra than he was three days prior in Belarus is no accident, according to Romanian great Ilie Dumitrescu.
The playmaker, who is owned by Rangers, gave a “miserable
performance” on Thursday wide on the right. But on Sunday, when he returned to his preferred number ten position, Hagi was a different man.
After netting his first goal for his country since August 2021, Hagi went on to win Romania’s third penalty of the game and set up Florinel Coman with a deft cut-back. One penalty won, one goal, and one assist. Is this the performance that gives Hagi’s stagnant career a boost?
“I’m thrilled for the three midfield players. They now act as t
hough they are leaders. I refer to (Nicolae) Stanciu and Razvan Marin. But particularly Ianis Hagi, who I thought was the player of the match, Dumitrescu told DigiSport. According to analytics website Sofa Score, the La Liga loanee has the highest rating (8.8) of any Romanian player.
“He was positioned between the lines, behind the striker, where he performs at his best.”
Every player was appealing to me. Every minute, they pushed the game. Against Belarus, we lacked this. We were attacking already in the eighty-first minute,” says Adrian Ilie, the 1998 GSP Player of the Year for Romania.
“I feel like Ianis Hagi and Nicolae Stanciu need to be on the pitch all the time.”
Rangers have appointed a coach who takes great satisfaction in playing front-foot, high-intensity, “dominant” football—Philippe Clement. His sides at Genk and Club Brugge dominated possession and used a relentless offensive style to wear out the opposition.
With so many misfiring attackers on Rangers, the 49-year-old might spark a spark under an underperforming team. Hagi, on the other hand, is just one of the people who ought to gain the most from Clement’s flexible, flowing appointment.
And if Hagi decides to come to Ibrox once his stint with Alaves concludes in 2024, Clement would be foolish not to adopt a Romanian tactic and put this incredibly talented player in the role he deems his own.
If there is one thing this international break has shown us, it is that Hagg the number ten and Hagg the winger are two very different possibilities.
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