Rangers legend Kenny Miller has claimed that Rangers' lack of conviction at the moment is down to a "lack of confidence" - sparing manager Gio van Bronckhorst of any negativity.
The Gers have won all of their domestic games since the 4-0 loss to Celtic in early September, with two 4-0 wins being backed up by two 2-1 victories as they continue to heap pressure on the Hoops' title charge. However, four comprehensive losses in the Champions League has seen the Light Blues boss come under serious pressure as a result.
With the Govan outfit's only chances of European continuance being rekindled if they beat Ajax at Ibrox later this month, there is a real onus on Van Bronckhorst to at least give himself a reprieve by beating the club from his home nation and give the Gers a chance of progressing in the Europa League that they did so well in last season. But Miller, who starred for Rangers for four years in two spells, believed that the boss shouldn't come under pressure for recent results - saying that the club are simply just lacking confidence after coming up against Europe's elite.
"You know I would say no," Miller said on Sky Sports when asked if Van Bronckhorst had lost his way of identity.
"When Gio first came in, you did see a clear identity and little subtle changes to the way that his 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation would play compared to Steven Gerrard's.
"I think what they suffering from at the moment is a lot of heavy defeats in Europe, and obviously that Celtic game was also a heavy defeat. As a team and as individuals, they look like they're just lacking a bit of confidence at the moment.
"But as I've said, the positive side of that is that they're still getting wins. These guys went to the Europa League Final last season and put on so many wonderful performances, won the league before, going the whole domestic season undefeated. They're not bad players, they're just suffering a little bit at the moment for one reason or another.
"But they're still getting the job done and they'll be searching every week, working super hard every day to regain that form and that confidence that they've shown over the last two or three seasons."
