James Tavernier believes Rangers’ crucial win over Servette in Champions League qualifying could be a catalyst for the season to come.
The Ibrox outfit scraped past their Swiss opponents in third-round qualifying of Europe’s elite competition on Tuesday night to set up a play-off round clash with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.
Tavernier bagged the winning goal in Geneva to ensure Rangers ran out 3-2 winners on aggregate and he has now turned his focus fully on the play-off with a spot in the group stages the ultimate prize.
He explained: “I am just really glad we are through to the next round.
“I do love scoring in European football. I knew with Borna Barisic at the opposite side from me there would be great quality coming into the box.
“I just had to be in the right place at the right time. Jack Butland kept us in the game with two massive saves.
“I thought the second half we were much better than the first and that has put us in a place where we are through to the next round against PSV.”
As Tavernier alludes to, Rangers were poor for the opening 45 minutes in Switzerland, but a rousing team talk by Michael Beale at the interval appeared to spark his team into life for the second period.
The Govan outfit were a different animal after the break and they created plenty of chances in the final third before Tavernier secured the decisive nod home.
Tav, the Ibrox skipper, continued: “We all came in at half-time unhappy. We felt we were building the ball really well into the final third but the final pass or the final cross lacked real quality.
“We felt first half they were getting through us a bit too easy, through the lines. We obviously adjusted that in the second half and were stronger.
“We knew we were going to create chances and I think the boys at the back did a great job in trying to shut them off.”
Tavernier’s back post header epitomised the change in mindset from Rangers in the second period and ultimately got Beale’s side over the line to set up an Ibrox showdown with PSV next week.
“The manager wanted us to be more aggressive in the second half,” explained the Englishman. “We maybe lacked that a couple of times throughout the first half.
“You come into the tie a goal ahead and you want to keep a clean sheet. You don’t want to get out there too quick, but we conceded the goal and we knew we had to win the tie.
“Maybe we were wasteful in the first 45 minutes, but we came back the much better team in the second and that is the main thing.”
Rangers endured a slow start to the Scottish Premiership season when they were defeated by Kilmarnock on the opening day of the league campaign at Rugby Park.
Beale and his players were criticised for failing to gel during pre-season after that one, but Tavernier now feels that Tuesday’s big European victory can instil confidence in the Ibrox ranks as the club looks to move forward in all competitions.
“Our objective coming in is we want to play Champions League football,” he explained as Rangers now prepare for Morton in the Viaplay League Cup on Saturday. “That is what every player wants to do, the club want to get to the Champions League and I am sure the fans want to be in the Champions League to have them nights.
“Especially after last season when we disappointed ourselves we want to have a real good go at it again.
“We know it is going to be a tough tie against PSV so we are going to have to really make the most of Tuesday playing at home. We need to try and put ourselves in a really good position for the away leg.”
Rangers will face up against an old friend in Malik Tillman when he returns to Ibrox on Tuesday. The attacking midfielder spent last season on loan in Glasgow, before returning to his parent club Bayern Munich over the summer.
Beale had hoped to keep the talented 21-year-old American in his ranks for the new season, but in a quirk of fate, he ended up signing for PSV Eindhoven and will now be looking to knock his former side out of the Champions League.
On the imminent reunion, Tavernier added: “Both teams have lost players and gained players in.
“We will see a familiar face in Malik Tillman on Tuesday so it will be good to see him.
“Our objective is to have a really good game on Tuesday and put ourselves in a good position.
“We need to do everything in our power to be in the Champions League group stages.”
