Annihilated in Amsterdam, nobbled by Napoli and now clamped in front of the Kop.
It’s been a bruising return to the Champions League for Rangers and the worrying news for the Ibrox faithful is that they’re only at the Group A midway point. Pointless and without a goal to their name, the growing concern is that this campaign could end up with the Light Blues sporting faces redder than the blur of scarlet kits that swarmed past them time and time again at Anfield.
Gio van Bronckhorst ’s team can at least look to the home comforts presented by the fact two of their final three games in the section are at Ibrox. First up is Liverpool next Wednesday, with Ajax then in Glasgow at the start of November a week after Gers head to Naples for a showdown with Luciano Spalletti’s sizzling Serie A leaders, a game in truth the fans can see far enough off. But while the punters are preparing to watch the final three games from behind the sofa, Ben Davies is refusing to take elimination sitting down.
Even a point next week would give Rangers hope of teeing up a winner-takes-all clash for third with Ajax in the final game, provided the Dutch cracks don’t pick up anything else between now and the section curtain closer. “We are at the halfway point of the group now and our performances have improved each week,” said Davies.
“We have got two big home games out of three now and when we have got the crowd behind us we have always got a chance. I would say it is definitely not over and we know that next week is a big week.”
Davies spent 18 months as a Liverpool player yet Tuesday night was his first experience of action at Anfield having failed to break in to Jurgen Klopp’s line-up before making his summer switch to Ibrox. “It was a bit strange but I enjoyed it,” he insisted. “I was ready for the challenge, I was up for it. Albeit it was a defeat but it was a night I will look back on with a bit of pride
“Did I have a point to prove? Not really, no. I feel that I have moved on and left that period of my career where it was and I am just fully focused on making a point to the people at Rangers that signed me and call on me now"
“Hopefully I can kick-on and increase my game time. It was 45 minutes against Hearts on Saturday and then 70 on Tuesday. I hope I can now get a decent run in the team. I have had to be patient and be careful.”
Rangers will certainly have to tread with more caution than they managed on Merseyside with Liverpool head north next week. It was Davies' barge which set up Trent Alexander-Arnold to score with a sensational set-piece, while youngster Leon King blotted a commendable first European start by bundling over Colombian star Luis Diaz for the penalty that Mo Salah converted to seal the points.
Davies said: “Obviously they are a top side and the pace that they do it at makes it difficult but we are here or merit and we are testing ourselves. We know their attacking threats but it was two set piece goals with the penalty and the free-kick that beat us. They had chances but overall I thought it was a very good performance.
“Did the early goal put us on the back foot? A little bit. But when there is only one goal in it then it is tight and I felt we could have maybe kept the ball a bit better in the transition. That might have given us a better foothold but, like I said, I thought overall the performance was sound.”
King at 18 has his whole career in front of him but Allan McGregor proved yet again he’s not finished at 40 with a one-man show of resistance to keep the score down. “He made some big saves and kept us in the game at times,” added Davies. “He’s had a really good career and it is good to have his experience behind us.
“You know that you have always got a chance because he can pull out a save when you need him. I got asked about Leon before the game and I said nothing fazes him so I knew he would fit in well. For a player of his age to come in and perform like that is brilliant but I had confidence in him doing just that because I know what his character is like and that nothing fazes him."
