£4m Rangers star won't be truly elite until he starts playing like Aasgaard
The first international break of the 2025/26 campaign may have come at the perfect time for Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin after a difficult start to the season.
Four draws in four Scottish Premiership matches and a 9-1 loss on aggregate in the Champions League play-off qualifying round has already put pressure on the Ibrox boss.
Some supporters made their frustrations clear after the 6-0 loss in Belgium, placing a banner at Ibrox asking for Martin to be sacked.
A two-week break for international games has provided Martin with time to clear his head and reassess how he wants to tackle matches, tactically, in the coming weeks to ensure that his side picks up enough results to get fans back onside.
The international break has also been a welcome distraction for some of the players, who have been able to get away from the toxicity around Ibrox, brought on by the performances and results, to play for their countries.
Nicolas Raskin and Derek Cornelius scored for Belgium and Canada, respectively, but it was Thelo Aasgaard who grabbed the headlines with his immense display.
Thelo Aasgaard showed Rangers supporters what he is about
Rangers signed the attacking midfielder from Luton Town on a permanent deal earlier this summer to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
They have not seen too much of him on the pitch yet, though, because the 23-year-old star missed the start of the season through injury, which is why he has only played two games in the Premiership so far.
Aasgard’s performance off the bench for Norway against Moldova on Tuesday night, however, shows the kind of quality that supporters can look forward to seeing from him once he is at his best at Ibrox.
Minutes played
26
Sofascore rating
9.8
Shots
6
Goals
4
Pass accuracy
70%
Passes made
7
Possession lost
3x
As you can see in the table above, the Norwegian sensation produced an unbelievable cameo for his country with four goals in just 26 minutes as part of an 11-1 win against Moldova.
Aasgaard now has five goals in three caps for Norway. He also scored 12 goals in 31 appearances for Wigan Athletic last season before his move to Luton in January, per Transfermarkt, which shows that the youngster can offer a big threat as a goalscorer.
Hopefully, his incredible four-goal haul against Moldova will provide him with the confidence that he needs to return to Rangers and hit the ground running on the other side of the international break against Hearts on Saturday.
Whilst Aasgaard needs to start showing what he is capable of at Ibrox, there is another Light Blues star who could become an elite player for the club if he learns a thing or two from the Norwegian midfielder.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Rangers signed Oliver Antman from Go Ahead Eagles in a deal worth up to £4m this summer to bolster their options out wide, and he could become a truly elite figure for Martin’s side if he can become a goalscorer as potent as Aasgaard is.
Why Oliver Antman needs to be more like Thelo Aasgaard
When you think of the best wingers in the world, your mind likely goes to Mohamed Salah, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Bukayo Saka, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and others like them.
What do they all have in common? They can all score goals as well as assist them. They are not one-dimensional players who can be silenced by cutting off their threat as either a scorer or a creator, because they can be both.
A month into his career at Ibrox, Antman has been too one-dimensional for Rangers on the right wing. If the opposition find a way to shut down his threat from crosses or passes, he does not make much of an impact on the game.
The Finland international showcased his creative quality on his debut for the club against Viktoria Plzen in a Champions League qualifier at the start of August, as he delivered a top-quality ball into box for Djeidi Gassama to score.
Antman, who reporter Chris Jack claimed has “feet like drumsticks”, was signed by the Scottish giants after providing a huge threat as a creator from the right flank during his time with Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie during the 2024/25 campaign.
Starts
28
Goals
6
xG
6.99
Key passes per game
1.6
Big chances created
16
xA
6.54
Assists
15
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old attacker was an exceptional creator for the Dutch side, but did not provide goals on a regular basis, with just six strikes in 28 matches.
In order for Antman to take the next step in his career, and to become an elite player for Rangers, he must learn from Aasgaard’s ability to find space and chances inside the box to become a threat as a scorer.
One way for the Finnish star to do that could be to operate on the left flank. Go back to the names listed among the best wingers in the world, they are all predominantly play as inverted wingers, cutting in on their favoured foot.
Meanwhile, Antman has played on the right wing as a right-footed player. Playing him on the left would provide him with the option to cut infield to take shots with his stronger foot, whilst still being able to go down the line to put crosses in with his left foot, or by chopping back to cross with his right.
This subtle, but potentially game-changing, tactical change, coupled with a bit of learning from Aasgaard on how and when to arrive in the box at right time, could help Antman to become a complete forward who can consistently impact games with goals and assists.
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At this moment in time, the Finnish whiz is too predictable and easy to mark out of games, hence why he has zero goals and zero assists in his last six games for the club, which is why these tactical and player mindset changes need to be made to make him truly elite.