THE visit of Ajax on Matchday Six had the hallmarks of a famous, all-or-nothing European night to remember under the Ibrox floodlights when the draw was made for Group A.
The ambition that Rangers have heading into that fixture isn’t quite what Giovanni van Bronckhorst would have had in mind, though. Indeed, nothing about how this campaign has unfolded would have been wished for or foreseen by the Dutchman.
This was set up to be an outing that gave Rangers the chance to clinch Europa League qualification and give supporters another occasion to savour on the back of so many wonderful evenings during their continental adventures last term. History, of course, paints a different picture.
There is still something riding on this one but the goal of avoiding a Group A whitewash, and potentially landing the ignominious title of the worst-ever Champions League outfit, tells its own story about how the meetings with Ajax, Napoli and Liverpool have unfolded.
The five-goal victory required to overcome Alfred Schreuder’s side and somehow snatch third spot in the group is the stuff of fantasy. The more realistic ambition is to avoid a nightmare campaign having the worst possible finale.
“It would be disappointing, of course,” Van Bronckhorst said when asked about the prospect of finishing with no points in the section. “We knew the opposition we are facing in the Champions League is from a much higher level than we faced last season.
“You can see in all the games we’ve played, it’s been really tough. Once we qualified in Holland against PSV, I knew it was going to be a really tough European season.
“I also had it with my old team Feyenoord in the Champions League. We only got the first three points in the last game at home to Napoli, so it was a similar experience.
“So, yeah, you want to always have the highest level of opponents. That’s why you are a top player and a club. You want to be involved in the highest level even though it means the opposition is quite strong.
“So it would be disappointing not to get any points. We still have one more game to play. But then we have to switch back to all the domestic competitions we are still involved in.”
The Champions League hasn’t been all it is cracked up to be for Rangers this term and the financial benefits of qualification have been overshadowed by the confirmation of just where Van Bronckhorst’s side are when compared to the European heavyweights.
Supporters waited 12 years to hear that famous theme tune reverberate around Ibrox but five successive defeats have taken the shine off the achievement of qualification. That victory over PSV Eindhoven seems such a long time ago now.
Van Bronckhorst said: “Well, I think if we have a positive display and a good performance then that will bring us closer to a positive result.
“What I didn’t know about my team? Well, it is a whole different level.
“How many players in my team have played Champions League? That was a question!
“We have players who have come from the Championship, or even played in the B team, it is a whole different level. I have experienced the level as a player.
“I remember my first experience with Feyenoord coming to play against Juventus in my first year and I didn’t realise how high the level was in Europe until I played against Zidane and Deschamps and Del Piero and then I knew, wow, this is a different level.
“This is the level I want to reach. And my players have faced the same experience this season.”
There have been few moments over the course of the campaign when Rangers have looked like they belong at this level. Ultimately, the step up has just been too great, even for a side that were Europa League finalists just five months ago.
The troubles that Ajax have experienced since their 4-0 win in Amsterdam back in September prove just how difficult it is for teams from lesser leagues to compete with, never mind beat, the biggest hitters on the continent. This encounter is more evenly matched, but the challenge is still considerable for Rangers.
Van Bronckhorst said: “Expect to win in the Champions League? No one can expect to win.
“Not one team in Europe who goes on the pitch can say ‘OK we expect to win’. The level is so hard and so competitive, if you look at all the results in Europe even the big teams, they are not assured of winning games, so why should we go on the pitch and expect to win against Ajax?
“We are going to work hard for it. We are going to give a good a game against them. That is different.
“But our approach should be humble. And we know we can be strong at home because we showed that this season and also last season.
“But it is not easy to get a result. You have to really work hard for it and do not go into the game and just expect to win the game.”
There will come a moment in a frantic season when Van Bronckhorst has the chance to properly sit and analyse where it has all gone wrong for Rangers during their first foray into the Champions League under his guidance.
Finishing on a high note would be a positive and a consolation at least. If that is to happen, it will take a complete performance and for the bar to be raised once again.
“We need our form to be there,” Van Bronckhorst said. “In Europe, you have to be focused for 90 minutes.
“A lot of moments in this campaign, we have been punished for not being 100 per cent over the 90 minutes.
“Against Napoli, with the sending-off and the three penalties, it’s always hard. But the first 60 or 65 minutes we were well in the game.
“Against Liverpool, we were only 65 minutes. With the substitutions and injuries we had, we dropped and they punished us big time.
“We need to have our level but the level for 90 minutes. That’s what expected and needed in the Champions League.”
