Scott Calderwood reckons you could hardly get a cigarette paper between Rangers and PSV Eindhoven in terms of quality.
Which is why the son of former Dunfermline, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Ross County boss Jimmy believes the Champions League play-off will be decided by what lies between the ears of the players as much as what they can do with the ball at their feet. The 44-year-old followed in his dad’s footsteps by managing in Holland – where Jimmy coached Willem II and NEC Nijmegen before his successful career in Scotland – and is currently the boss of Dutch third-tier side VV DOVO.
The Rotterdam-based outfit are one of the country’s biggest semi- pro clubs and managing them has given Scott the chance to see at first hand what makes top sides such as Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV tick. And he admits there is plenty to like about the team being fashioned by Ruud van Nistelrooy in Eindhoven.
The Dutch strike legend took on his first head coach role in March and has quickly assembled a young, vibrant side that got past Monaco to set up a clash with his friend and former international team-mate Gio van Bronckhorst. Calderwood said: “I’ve been watching the games Rangers have played this season and I really do think it’s a 50-50 tie. PSV have a good team and the way van Nistelrooy has moulded his team is quite impressive.
“This is his first job as a head coach so all eyes were on him and to have got past Monaco was a big achievement – and he won’t want to stop there. They didn’t really know where they were standing before they played Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Shield a couple of weeks ago and beat them 5-3. Guus Til scored a hat-trick so they took a lot of belief from that game.
“There will be a big interest in the Gio v Ruud contest over here. They’re good mates and Gio is a former captain of the national team who had a fantastic playing career and did well as manager of Feyenoord, so of course the Dutch are interested in how he does.
“And Ruud is a very popular guy in Holland. He has received a lot of praise for the way he works with his players on a personal level as well as tactically. He speaks well on television and is a very down to earth guy.
“Before he got the PSV job a lot of people wondered how he would do if he were given the chance and now he’s got the chance to prove himself. He wants to play the Dutch way and Ruud’s a winner. He has been throughout his playing career and that won’t change now he’s on the touchline.
“I watched their game against Monaco and it’s clear he has a team that wants to play football but has got a little bit of himself in it, a bit of an edge – almost a little bit of a British style. The players will work really hard for him because he’s really well liked. I see a team working together, playing hard if they need to play hard to get a result.
“But while Rangers and PSV will play a similar style, which isn’t a big surprise given Gio’s football philosophy is the Dutch way, I’m interested to see how the mentality of the teams differ. I don’t see much between them in ability, so it might come down to who has the mentality to deal with a tie of such importance with such a big prize at the end of it.”
Calderwood suspects the X Factor might be Ibrox, with how PSV handle the atmosphere being key to the outcome of the contest. And in that respect he feels that Rangers’ proven ability to function under such pressure could be crucial.
He said: “Although the teams come from different countries, they both play a similar style of football. The days of Scottish football being known only for lumping long balls and being physical are long gone – certainly as far as Rangers are concerned. I can’t wait for the first leg at Ibrox. The intensity of the people will be a test for PSV.
“I’ve been to big European nights at Ibrox and it’s something you don’t get in many places. Big clubs like Leipzig and Dortmund have struggled to handle it so it will be interesting to see how PSV manage it.”
Calderwood knows former Gers boss Steven Gerrard was desperate to sign midfielder Joey Veerman, who ended up at PSV from Heerenveen, but he believes the real threat will come from elsewhere.
He added: “Some people phoned me about Veerman, asking if I thought he would be a good player for Rangers. He would fit into the Rangers team ability-wise, without doubt. He’d have done a great job. But would he have the mentality?
“There’s an intensity to playing at Ibrox in front of 50,000 every game, having to win all the time, and Veerman is a quiet guy so I’m not 100 per cent sure. They’ve got plenty of goals in the team and obviously Luuk de Jong is a big threat up front. He’s a really experienced international striker who can pose any defence a problem. I also like their defensive midfielder, Ibrahim Sangare, who plays for the Ivory Coast.
“But PSV give you chances and if Alfredo Morelos is getting back to fitness he can thrive on that. He has proved himself on that stage. Rangers would have been happier playing away from home first then coming to Ibrox knowing what had to be done.
“It hasn’t worked out like that so they need to get a good result at home because it will be difficult in Eindhoven, where PSV are strong. It’s going to be really tight but if it comes down to mentality and experience, Rangers have a slight advantage.”
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