It’S been a long week.
From the moment Giovanni van Bronckhorst surveyed the scenes of devastation inside his dressing room last Tuesday night, the Rangers boss knew it would be. It wasn’t so much the first-leg scoreline in Belgium which had caused such an outpouring of anger and frustration. Rather it was the sheer sloppiness of an abject performance which has left a crack at the Champions League hanging in the balance.
If van Bronckhorst and his players have been counting down the hours ever since for a shot at redemption then, at last, tonight their moment will arrive. There can be no such carelessness and no room for excuses either. Rangers simply have to repair the damage done against a Union Saint Gilloise side which travelled to Glasgow yesterday intent on doubling down on that 2-0 win and taking a huge step towards another fairytale story in UEFA’s event for the elite.
Van Bronckhorst knows he can’t afford to let that happen. He said: “We were very disappointed after last week’s result. I have never seen my players so disappointed after a game.
“We have the chance now to overturn that and to make sure we have a better performance than last week. I am sure we are capable of doing so and you will see a different team than you saw last week.
“It’s very important because you want to stay in the Champions League for the next round and be able to qualify for the group stage. The first game wasn’t the result we wanted. We have a home game (tonight) when we can all change it. That’s what we are capable of and what we want to do.
“My objective and my desire is to still be in the Champions League next week. I’ve said many times before that if you play in Europe, you can not have an off night because it will make it difficult for you in the whole tie.
“The level we reached last week wasn’t the level we normally reach, or that we have to reach to be competitive in the Champions League. So, yes, our performances and our standards have to be on a high level to have a chance to get to the next stage.”
With either Monaco or PSV Eindhoven waiting in the final play-off round, van Bronckhorst knows a slip up at this stage, against a tiny Belgian outfit playing in Europe for the first time in 58 years, will not be easily forgiven. Not by an Ibrox crowd which feasted on these nights last season as Rangers made it all the way to Seville.
A bond was formed between fans and players throughout that epic Europa League run. And van Bronckhorst is banking on it returning in the nick of time tonight.
He went on: “The fans always have a big role. When we play home games, the atmosphere is fantastic. The support of the fans is amazing.
“I’m sure it will be the same (tonight). We have to make sure that our performance is better than last week because then we can create an atmosphere that will make it difficult for our opponent, as we have shown many times before. We are able to do so and turn it around with the support of our fans but, as I’ve said before, the performance needs to be a lot better.”
Talking of ‘in the nick of time’ the Rangers boss also hopes to have the twin threat of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent restored to his line-up after missing them terribly in Belgium. With Steven Davis turning in a man-of-the-match performance against Kilmarnock on Saturday and Scott Arfield also knocking on the door, van Bronckhorst could opt to send out the old guard tonight rather than continue to bed in his new signings in such a must-win match.
He said: “We have quite a big squad. We have some new additions to the squad and it takes time to get used to each other.
“I can see the development in my players, especially the new ones coming in – adapting to the playing style and to their new team-mates. That’s a process you will always have in the beginning of the season. We just make sure our development and process is together with winning games.
“Now we have a lot of competition in all areas of the pitch, also up front. That gives me more options. I’m really happy with the first goal of Alfredo on Saturday but also Antonio Colak. We have to keep going, creating chances. We have a lot of creativity in the team now and that’s also needed when you have to break defensive blocks.”
Van Bronckhorst, though, also has to achieve the right balance between going for goals and ensuring that no further damage is inflicted upon his team at the other end of the pitch. He nodded: “Now we play at home and of course if you are 2-0 down you have to play a different way because you have to create more chances and you have to score goals. That’s a different mindset to last week.
“But we always have the confidence no matter who we play at home. Most of our ties (in last term’s Europa League) had the second game at home and we had to make up from defeats in three out of four ties in the knockout stages.
“So it’s something we are familiar with. It is another chance for us to be the team we can be. And I know the players will be there with the fans and we will give everything.”
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