Barry Ferguson wants Rangers to play anti-football against Liverpool to try and get a Champions League point on Wednesday night. And don’t get me wrong, I know where my pal and former team-mate is coming from. But I prefer to look at it this way.
With Gio van Bronckhorst’s side so desperate to get off the mark in this group - why not go for all three? And to have any chance of doing that, one man has to start at Ibrox. I’m not going to try and pick Gio’s line-up or his formation. And if Fergie wants a back five again, just like at Anfield, I’m not disagreeing with him. But for me, whatever shape Gio goes for against Jurgen Klopp’s men - Scott Arfield MUST be deployed within it.
If Rangers want to take anything from this game, he should be one of the first name’s on the manager’s team-sheet. They need a goal. Whether it’s Alfredo Morelos or Antonio Colak up front, it doesn’t really matter. But they need someone else to provide a threat.
And Scotty Arfield is the ONLY guy in that Rangers squad who can do what he does. He’s one of the few midfielders in this country who runs forward without the ball. He either does it to score himself or to create for someone else. Against Hearts last week, Arfield’s run gets Rangers the first goal.
It gave Ryan Kent half a pitch to get his cross in because it pre-occupied Michael Smith before Colak scored with a header. It all came from Arfield’s forward run. He didn’t even touch the ball but he affects players around him. And he’s the only player on Rangers’ books who does it.
Liverpool do it every week. When a red shirt has time on the ball, there is a forward run and a threat in behind. More often than not, they play the pass. Because if it doesn’t hit its target, they’re ready to pounce on the second ball on the edge of your box.
Picking Arfield isn’t a risk for Gio just because he likes to get forward. It’s the opposite. His work-rate and physicality is outstanding. He’s solid. And he’s been there and done it in the Premier League. So he’s actually a safer option for Gio in that regard.
When he played in Burnley’s midfield, all he did was in-to-out running. He's got legs for days. I still can’t believe that he didn’t get on the pitch at Anfield on Tuesday night. But he has to play at Ibrox this week. Rangers were non-existent as an attacking force on Merseyside. But Arfield will help Rangers’ strikers. He might just take Virgil van Dijk or Joel Matip away from Morelos or Colak.
Runs affect the opposition, they disrupt backlines. But Rangers just don’t do it - it’s not part of their armoury. Arfield is the only player of that type Gio has at his disposal. Of course, Rangers have to adopt a defensive approach at times against a world class team. But when players have the ball, they need to be braver than they were at Anfield.
And they need to have more attacking intent. That’s why Arfield has to play. He’s cute and clever with those runs and he scores big goals. Scotty is actually hungry to get goals. That makes him different to every other Rangers midfielder. He always shows up and that’s something his team-mates didn’t do in Liverpool.
There was an acceptance at Anfield that they didn’t belong on that stage. But they might never have another Champions League night against Liverpool in their career. Those clubs had never met in a competitive game before Tuesday night. So what an opportunity they’ve got.
They can put it right at Ibrox. That doesn’t mean beating Liverpool 3-0. That means turning up and competing. Make Liverpool earn their win. Don’t just allow them to dictate and play how they want to play at their desired tempo. With 50,000 fans behind you, show a bit of energy and passion.
They’ve done it before against Dortmund, Leipzig, Braga, Porto, Feyenoord over the last few years. Show some personality. Show some balls. Say to Liverpool’s players: ‘You know what, you’re a world class player but tonight I’m going to make you play’.
Be horrible and ugly. When you’ve got the ball, do to them what they’re trying to do to you. These Rangers players can do it, they’re better than what they showed at Anfield. And there’s no bigger game to prove it.
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