Arthur Numan reckons Rangers are in with a fighting chance of shocking Liverpool with “special” shotstopper Allan McGregor between the sticks. The Dutchman watched his old side go down 2-0 at Anfield in last week’s Champions League showdown.
But Numan admits it could have been a lot, lot worse had it not been for their veteran No.1. McGregor, 40, started the season deputising for Jon McLaughlin but has reclaimed his status as Gio van Bronckhorst’s first-choice keeper having also put up a one-man show of defiance against Napoli last month.
Now Ibrox legend Numan believes that can give his old team hope ahead of their rematch with Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield outfit. "We could see just how special a goalkeeper Allan McGregor is last week,” he said. “His ability has never been in doubt but, at 40, he reminded us all. Allan was exceptional and produced four saves right out of the top drawer. We always have a chance in any game as long as he is between the sticks.”
Numan was also impressed with academy kid Leon King as he made his Champions League debut on Merseyside. He said: “It’s never pleasant to lose a game of football but sometimes you just have to admit that you were up against an extremely talented team.
“That was the case against Liverpool. They have world-class players and showed their qualities. The positives Giovanni will take from the Anfield performance will be the performance of Leon King. The teenager has a bright future, for sure.
“He coped with the pressure and defended well. He will also learn from the penalty he conceded. I really like the look of Leon. He can defend. As part of a back three, Ben Davies also got a game in. Being left sided, Ben brings a natural balance to the team.”
Gers have lost all three of their Group A games so far and Numan says it’s imperative last year’s Europa League finalists pick up something if they want to have another crack at the competition. Writing in his 5 Stars column, he said: “We spent much of the game in our own half but when we did venture into the final third we looked capable.
“Alisson made two excellent saves in the final five minutes to deny Rabbi Matondo and Antonio Colak. Had we scored it would have made for an interesting final few moments in the game. The defeat, however, leaves us with zero points from three games. We now accept that we are fighting to finish in third place.
“We will probably need four points to do that so a point at Ibrox next Wednesday against Liverpool would be a great start. We then need to beat Ajax, of course. Anything away from home at Napoli would be a major bonus.”
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