A walkover. Like a predator pouncing on its prey.
According to Ronald de Boer, that’s how everyone in Holland saw PSV’s Champions League play-off tie against Rangers. Instead, the Dutch ended up with egg on their face. And de Boer is now convinced that Ajax won’t make the same mistake in the group stage. The former Ibrox star’s mouth is watering at the thought of Group A, which commences in Amsterdam on Tuesday night.
For de Boer, trying to pick a winner between Ajax and Rangers is like trying to choose a favourite sibling. When Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side sent one of Holland’s big guns spinning out of the competition, it sent shockwaves around the Netherlands. And de Boer says that will have acted as a warning to Alfred Schreuder not to take Gers lightly. Ahead of match day one in the Champions League, the ex-Barcelona ace told MailSport : “What will Ajax have learned from the PSV games? That you don’t under-estimate Rangers.
“After PSV beat Monaco in the qualifying round, they thought Rangers would be easy prey. They were saying it would be a walkover.
“If you asked anyone in Holland if PSV were going to make the Champions League group stage, they’d have said yes. Certainly, more than 80 per cent of the people expected it.
“But after the game, everyone said Rangers deserved to go through because PSV were so hopeless. And that’s a compliment to Rangers. They made them look hopeless. Ajax have been warned now that they’ll have to be on top of their game if they want to beat Rangers. People here were impressed by Rangers in those games.
Not only were Rangers under-estimated in de Boer’s homeland, he claims the manager was shown a distinct lack of respect as well. He played with van Bronckhorst at Ibrox under Dick Advocaat two decades ago, where they shone in the Champions League group stage.
Now, his old team-mate is excelling as a gaffer – following up his Eredivisie title triumph with Feyenoord by taking Rangers to a Europa League Final last season. De Boer has hailed van Bronckhorst’s impact in Glasgow and says it’s about time the Dutch sat up and took note.
He’s now led Rangers to Europe’s top competition for the first time in 12 years and faces intoxicating ties against Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli. De Boer said: “We have a lot of coaches who have a name in Holland but didn’t succeed abroad. Gio had success at Feyenoord but has now done it in his second step with Rangers.
“He’s under-estimated by a lot of people in Holland. He looks like a gentleman who is quiet. But I know him and he thinks about everything.
“If he’s angry, he’ll show it. Not outside, but inside the dressing-room. He deserves more respect than he’s been shown so far. But it’s getting there. Everyone here has seen it close up now with Rangers beating PSV.
“That was an unbelievable achievement because no-one expected it. He’s certainly gained more respect in the last few weeks. For me, it’s amazing to see Rangers back in the Champions League. The club is so deep in my heart.
“I had a great time there and when I come back, the respect I feel is unbelievable. I always hope that Rangers do well and this is special for me because I’m a youth boy of Ajax. I had all the success in the world there. Those clubs feel like my two brothers, so it’s difficult to choose between them.
“It would be an unbelievable achievement for Rangers just to finish third in this group. They have to be focused, enjoy it and give it everything they’ve got.
“Gio is doing an incredible job and they will only get better. He’s trying to integrate some new players and they’re still getting used to Gio’s system. We haven’t seen the best of him yet.”
If Rangers can stay in Europe going into 2023, van Bronckhorst will be doing well. But for Ajax, de Boer says they fully expect to be battling it out with Liverpool for top spot in the group, leaving Gers and Napoli behind.
He said: “Ajax will see Liverpool as being the top team in the group with them in second. If Liverpool aren’t at 100 per cent, maybe Ajax can go higher because they’ve shown before that they can beat big teams in Europe.
“They can handle the pressure of this stage because most of them have played in the Champions League before. There is no fear there. They’re looking to qualify for the next round, that has to be their aim.
“They’ve got a desire to be there and a club like Ajax are obliged to do so. This is a beautiful group. Every club has an incredible history with brilliant players.
“Also, the stadiums are fantastic. As a player, you can only dream of a group like this. The fans have to enjoy it. And what do they say, see Naples and then die.”
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