By Lee Clark
Just short of a month ago, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst declared that Rangers ‘couldn’t compete’ after a humiliating defeat away to Ajax in the Champions League. Like most other Bluenoses, I was appalled at the statement, not least because I felt the team could’ve done a lot more on the night but, after the highs of last seasons’ run to the Europa League Final, surely, we could muster a bit more belief than that? Fast forward to Tuesday night and after going into the game feeling quite optimistic, I’m starting to understand where Gio was coming from.
It’s now three defeats from three in the Champions League, as Rangers were soundly beaten by a rampant Liverpool at Anfield. Whilst the 2-0 score line has an air of respectability to it, the truth is, Allan McGregor saved Rangers from a much heavier defeat as the veteran ‘keeper made a string of fantastic saves to deny Liverpool, as he was hailed by both managers for his efforts, after the match.
And yet, despite the obvious negativity surrounding a large number of our support right now, I once again, find myself unable to share that complete dejection, as Rangers were dispatched by a team many many levels above ours. I said a few weeks ago after the Napoli game, that there had been a marked improvement from that shambolic night in Amsterdam, despite the 3-0 defeat and I felt that we competed, whilst the game was 11 v 11. Tonight though, we were simply beaten by a team who were far better on the night and when they can bring on substitutes with quality such as Fabinho and Firmino, it was a stark reminder of where both Clubs find themselves at the minute. The fact that so many of our supporters are outraged at this defeat, serves as its own reminder as to the journey we have been on.
Keep in mind, this is a team that has reached three of the last five Champions League Finals and whilst it’s fair to say they have had an indifferent start to their own season, Liverpool came out the traps like a team who had a point to prove, none more so than the much talked about Trent Alexander Arnold and his fledgeling England career. After he swept home a superb freekick on the 7th minute, there was a feeling that the floodgates could open. Liverpool had us pinned and, despite a huge effort from the players on the night, the reality is, Rangers struggled to get any sort of foothold in the game and seriously trouble the home side, until late on, with anything salvageable looking extremely unlikely, at best. All that being said, there was an air of positivity around the manager and some of the Rangers’ fans I spoke to after the match.
‘It always frustrating when you lose, we knew it was going to be a difficult game and the attacking threat they have. Of course, it’s always difficult when you lose goals to set pieces but, the free kick has been taken really really well. I felt in the second half there was an improvement, the players kept fighting and kept us in the game and we had some chances ourselves to get back to 2-1. I thought in the first half we made many mistakes with our passes and our technical first touches but don’t forget the opposition we are playing. I’ve seen this week that Liverpool is out of form and this somehow could, be an easy game but, you see today the levels they can reach.’
Whilst I’m possibly not fully in agreement with Gio in the context of tonight game, I do agree that there has been an improvement in our approach to these matches. It’s very fine margins at this level and the small mistakes that GVB spoke of are punished in the most severe way with some of the best teams in Europe have been humiliated at Anfield in recent years. Of course, that will be little comfort to disappointed Bluenoses this evening but, some context is required and despite some of our lads having a poor night, the gulf in class cannot be ignored.
I think the gap is obvious, we are competing against one of the best sides in Europe. This doesn’t mean that you will automatically lose the game but, the gap is there for all to see. But I’m pleased with how we fought and competed in the game. They had a lot of set pieces which we defended well from (overall) and I believe we will learn from this and these experiences and take the positives into the next match.
This won’t go down too well with some but, for me, there were positives to take from tonight. Allan McGregor put in another ridiculous goalkeeping performance which defies all of his 40 years and Leon King once again showed that he could cope on the biggest stage with a minimum of fuss. So too, did Ben Davies on his return to Anfield. I appreciate my singling out of those two in particular will raise eyebrows given both played their part in Liverpool’s two goals however, Davies provides a balance to the defence that we have been crying out for. He absolutely strolled it at Tynecastle and whilst tonight was a huge step up in class, he coped very well, as did King, in what was an extremely busy night for the Rangers defence.
We know Allan can perform really well at this level and his saves were a huge positive for me. Also, Leon King, an 18-year-old defender coming through the Academy to a place like this and performing so well, he was one of our best defenders and likewise Ben Davies. He is only just playing his first minutes of the season and returning to Liverpool I thought there were positives to take from his performance too. As I said before it’s a very difficult group with teams from a very high level. You see big defeats all over the group stages but, we still, have a chance and belief that we can keep playing in Europe after the break.
So, the manager is remaining upbeat which will certainly divide opinion. Let’s be honest, this was far from vintage stuff from Rangers. To get anything at a place like Anfield you need a lot of factors to go your way and have every single player ‘at it’. It’s fair to say that wasn’t the case but, it’s easy to see why the manager is choosing to look at the performance from a slightly more positive point of view. A thumping win at Tynecastle (arguably the more important game this week in the context of Rangers season?) saw the players come into this one with a spring in their step and a bit of good feeling around the place for the first time in a number of weeks. Does a comprehensive defeat at the home of one of the best attacking forces in Europe really warrant the wrath of the support? I’m not so sure. For the record Gio isn’t saying tonight was great either, far from it.
They were able to switch the play out of nothing tonight which put us under pressure. It’s a big experience for us and it’s a tournament we want to compete in but, we also know how difficult that is. We certainly done better that the first game against Ajax but this is a level where you need to think, move and pass quicker. There were moments, particularly first half where we won the ball, then had a sloppy pass, or our first touch was poor. These are things that absolutely need to improve along with our speed of passing and movement. As I said before the margins are so small at this level.
Much to ponder then, for the Rangers manager and indeed the supporters. Being Rangers, it’s very likely many will disagree, some more vehemently than others but, for the managers part, he certainly has belief that the players can turn this Champions League form around and get us knock-out stage European football for yet another season.
One final word, and I make no apologies for this, must go to our magnificent fans. Much is made of the intimidating Anfield atmosphere and despite the online nit-picking, it’s fair to say both sides made it a fantastic spectacle but, the Rangers support more than held their own out-singing their counter-parts for large periods. Once again, they travelled in their thousands, packing out pubs and clubs before, during and after the match, singing their hearts out in support of our team. You can spare me the ‘birthday caird pish’ comments too. Despite the best efforts of the naysayers ‘up the road’ our support has shown the whole Country in recent weeks what we are all about and that was another fantastic effort tonight, well done to all involved!
