When Ianis Hagi returns from his loan stint at Deportivo Alaves, the new Rangers manager Philippe Clement will have a head start on rebuilding the playmaker’s Ibrox career if he watched Sunday night’s Euro qualifier between Romania and Andorra.
It is no accident that Ianis Hagi was much more successful versus Andorra than he had been three days prior in Belarus, according to Romanian legend Ilie Dumitrescu.
On Thursday, the playmaker who is owned by the Rangers put on a “miserable performance” wide on the right. On Sunday, though, Hagi returned to his preferred position of number 10, and he was a new man.
After netting his first goal for his country since August 2021, Hagi went on to win a penalty kick for Romania’s third goal of the evening and then set up Florinel Coman with a deft cut-back. one goal, one assist, and one successful penalty. Could this performance be the catalyst for Hagi’s flagging career?
Rangers’ Ianis Hagi back in form
“I am overjoyed for the midfield trio. They are now acting in a leadership capacity. I’m referring to (Nicolae) Stanciu and Razvan Marin. In particular, Ianis Hagi, who was on loan from La Liga, received the best rating (8.8) of any Romanian player on the statistics website Sofa Score, according to Dumitrescu, who spoke to DigiSport.
He was placed behind the striker, between the lines, because that is where he performs best.
“I enjoyed every player. Every minute the game was pushed. Against Belarus, we were lacking this. “We were attacking even in the 80th minute,” continues Adrian Ilie, Romania’s 1998 GSP Player of the Year.
“I believe that Ianis Hagi and Nicolae Stanciu must both play on a permanent basis.”
‘Man of the Match’
Rangers have given the reins to Philippe Clement, a manager who takes great delight in playing front-foot, high-intensity, “dominant” football. His Genk and Club Brugge teams dominated the ball and relentlessly attacked the opposition, wearing them down.
The possibility of the 49-year-old igniting a fire under a lackluster team should attract Rangers’ assortment of ineffective attackers. Meanwhile, Hagi is only one of the people who should gain from Clement’s flexible, open-ended appointment.
In addition, should Hagi return to Ibrox once his contract with Alaves expires in 2024, Clement would be well advised to adopt the Romanian strategy and use this highly unpredictable talent in the position he claims as his own.
‘Hagi the winger’ and ‘Hagi the number ten’ are two very different prospects, if this international break has taught us anything.
Read More: Philippe Clement appointed Rangers manager – contract length, his first words.
