The Champions League. Can’t live with it …. pass the beer nuts.
Yes, Giovanni van Bronchorst stopped just short of saying all he wants is a bag of cans and the Europa League back. But the strain which comes with being ritually outclassed and heavily outgunned on the biggest stage in club football, continues to weigh down as a burden on the shoulders of the Rangers manager.
Sunday’s 2-1 top-flight win at Motherwell may have lightened the load a little but van Bronckhorst is currently battling through the most dangerous period of his time in charge of the Ibrox club. The wounds inflicted by that 7-1 evisceration from Liverpool are evidently going to take some time to heal. And yet, it’s against this backdrop of European carnage, that he must attempt to keep his side functioning in domestic competition. Fir Park was a start. Tonight against Dundee, the Dutchman hopes to continue the recovery by booking up a place in the semi-finals of the League Cup.
And yet, all the while, he knows the brutality being done to his team on its travels across the continent is also damaging his own credentials in the unforgiving eyes of a fan base which is running low on tolerance. Which is why yesterday he came very close to pleading for some understanding.
Van Bronckhorst said: “For us it’s much easier to be in the Europa League or in the Conference League. You can see the difference in level and we wouldn’t be having the result we are having now.
“But that’s what happens when you go into the Champions League in pot four. You’re going to play against really tough opposition. But we have the strongest opponents from each pot in Liverpool and Napoli from pot three.
“Look at all the big teams. They are still struggling to qualify for the next round – teams that have been playing in the Champions League for many years.
“So we just make sure we have to learn and we are improving – we played better at home against Liverpool than away – but still the result was much higher because in the last 25 minutes we dropped our levels. When you do that against a team like Liverpool, with the players they brought on, they just kill you.”
So far, it’s been a thoroughly sobering return to the highest level, especially on the back of last season’s run to the Europa League Final. But the home fires must keep burning regardless.
And so van Bronckhorst was also keen to emphasise the importance of scooping up every bit of silverware available now that Rangers are back in more familiar territory. The Premier Sports Cup, after all, is a competition he knows well. Albeit by a different name.
When asked how much importance he places on winning it he smiled and said: “A lot of importance! It’s one of the two cups in Scotland – it’s a trophy we can win – and domestic cup competitions are very important.
“The expectation has been here for years, even during my time here as a player. The first cup we won in 1998 was the League Cup.
“Each competition is stronger than the other one but we want to win the League Cup and that means tomorrow we have to be ready for Dundee. For me personally, I want to win every competition I’m in.
"That’s not always that easy, especially in Europe. We reached the final last year but obviously the level we need to step up in the Champions League is really high and demanding.
“But when you are the manager of Rangers or a player, it’s expected to win all the trophies you are involved in. Especially in Scotland.”
With such a bruising schedule to deal with, van Bronckhorst is expected to freshen up his starting 11. Alfredo Morelos could start, with Kemar Roofe finally also back in contention for a place in attack.
Turkish youngster Ridvan Yilmaz is another who may be ready to get some first-team minutes under his belt. While, with options short at the back, another emerging talent in Leon King will almost certainly continue his top-team education.
King, of course, came off the bench last week against Liverpool – replacing Connor Goldson just in time for a second half annihilation. And the 18-year-old admitted yesterday that he’s having to learn quickly.
King said: “I’ve always been quite laid back and I’m not going to change now just because I’ve been flung in at the deep end. I’ve always been really calm. That’s the way I play.
“The Liverpool game was tough. Nobody likes to be on the end of a heavy loss like that, especially in front of your own fans. But it’s about how you pick yourself back up as a group and as individuals.”
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