There's been a certain look on the faces of the Rangers players after Champions League games this season. It’s been a mixture of shock and awe.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst recognises it too. It doesn’t seem like so long ago he had the same shellshocked expression staring back at him in the mirror. The Rangers boss had to go through the same painful lessons as his squad when he was a player and a rookie coach.
He fancied his chances when he stepped into the Champions League bear pit with Feyenoord – only to be left stunned at the brilliance of Zinedine Zidane and his Juventus pals. Likewise when van Bronckhorst was in the dugout for his boyhood club, they failed to pick up a point in their first five group matches, just as Rangers have this time out. The Ibrox boss is looking to round off a miserable section with a win against Ajax but the most important thing is learning these painful lessons and coming back strong.
Reflecting on this season’s experience, van Bronckhorst said: “It’s a whole different level. How many players in my team have played Champions League?
“We have players who are coming from the Championship or even the B team. It’s a whole different level. I’ve experienced it as a player at Feyenoord.
"My first experience was playing against Juventus. I didn’t realise the level in Europe until I played against Zidane, (Didier) Deschamps and (Alessandro) Del Piero – then I knew. I thought, ‘Wow, this is a different level. This is the level I want to reach.’ My players faced the same this season.”
Whether they can hit the heights van Bronckhorst reached as a player is debatable, with the Dutchman hitting the very top with Barcelona, Arsenal and the Dutch national team. But there does have to be development and some sort of progress. In the short-term that means trying to make sure Rangers don’t end up in the record books for the wrong reasons.
A two-goal defeat could land them with zero points and the worst ever return in the Champions League groups. It’s not something van Bronckhorst wants to consider but he does have to be wary of another defeat.
He said: “It would be disappointing, of course. We knew the opposition in the Champions League would be a much higher level than we faced last season. You’ve seen the games we’ve played, it has been really tough.
“Once we qualified against PSV I knew it would be a really tough season. I also experienced it with Feyenoord in the Champions League. It took us to the last game against Napoli to get our first three points.
“It’s similar experience. But you always want to play against the highest level of opponents as a player and as a club – even though that means the opposition is quite strong. It would be disappointing not to get any points.”
On the other hand, a victory to bow out would do the world of good. Not that the Ibrox gaffer can bank on it. He said: “It would be positive to get points. The group is really hard. You look at Ajax. They only have three points so far.
“Last season they had an 100 per cent perfect record in the Champions League. If we win we will have the same points but that just shows you the level Liverpool and Napoli showed in this group.” Van Bronckhorst knows what will be required. Rangers can’t afford to switch off like they did in those woeful starts in Amsterdam and Naples.
Or the last half-an-hour against the Italians at Ibrox or when Gers went to pieces in the latter stages in the brutal Liverpool defeat. Van Bronckhorst said: “Our form needs to be there. In Europe you have to be focused for 90 minutes because there have been a lot of moments in this campaign where we have been punished. You need to be 100 per cent for 90 minutes.
“You look at Napoli (at Ibrox) with the sending-off and the two penalties. It was hard but for 60-65 minutes we were in the game.
"Against Liverpool after 65 minutes and the substitutions and the injuries we had, we dropped and they punished us big time. We will need to maintain our levels for the entire game.”
It might be easier said than done, especially with a savage injury list that makes ominous reading. Ben Davies and Ridvan Yilmaz are the latest casualties, joining Connor Goldson, Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara, Filip Helander, Kemar Roofe and Ianis Hagi in a packed Auchenhowie treatment room.
Throw in the fact John Lundstram is banned tonight and it’s no wonder van Bronckhorst is trying to manage expectations. A youthful centre-back pairing of Leon King and James Sands will be in at the deep end without any water wings.
Van Bronckhorst added: “Last weekend went really well against Aberdeen. It was a great result and we had momentum. The game on Saturday was not like it was against the other teams. The way in which we won was the way we want to keep playing.”
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