Kris Boyd doesn’t believe Gio van Bronckhorst will rip up his Rangers team after Saturday’s thumping from Celtic.
The Gers are in Amsterdam ahead of kick off their Champions League Group A campaign against Ajax and a reaction will be expected to the weekend’s Old Firm defeat. The Light Blues were down and out by half-time as the Hoops raced into a three-goal lead before David Turnbull added a fourth late on to compound the misery for their rivals.
Now attention turns to European football once again. Van Bronckhorst ’s men enjoyed success in the Netherlands a fortnight ago when Antonio Colak’s winner against PSV sent them through to the lucrative group stage. Boyd says they can take encouragement from that, but reckons the Dutch champs or an a different level to their domestic rivals even after regenerating yet again this summer following the departure of their manager and several first team stars.
The temptation must have been there for van Bronckhorst to ring the changes from Saturday. But Boyd thinks that those who flopped at Parkhead will get the chance to make amends this evening.
“Rangers have done really well in Europe and you get the feeling that it suits them tonight,” he told Sky Sports. “Going to a cauldron at the Amsterdam Arena where the Ajax fans will demand their team push forward and Rangers have got pace to counter attack.
“It’s going to be a very difficult game. I know Ajax have sold a lot of players - over £180millon of talent and more than half of that was to Manchester United. But they’ve spent around £88million themselves, but it is a team in transition and Rangers will hope to exploit that.
“But it’s a massive step up to what Rangers were used to last season in Europe, especially in the group stage. There were a couple of unbelievable performances and results in the knock-out stage of the Europa League, but this the first test at this level and Rangers are going to have to perform at a level we saw a couple of times last year if they’re going to get anything from the Amsterdam Arena tonight.
“Ajax have started the season really well and PSV are the exact same. Rangers were more than a match for them so there is little things you can look at and say Rangers have an opportunity to go to the netherlands and come back with something., But you get the feeling that Ajax are a step up from PSV.
“Albeit they’re a team in transition, but every single year they bring talented footballers through and sell them on for mega money. That allows them to continue to buy youngsters and sell them on again.
“Do I think he’ll [van Bronckhorst] make changes? I’m not too sure. He reiterated in his press conference that it's not the time to rip everything up. I'd like to see a little bit more of a balance on that right-hand side. Tillman played there on Saturday but he;'s a central midfielder or maybe a 10. We might see Scott Wright or Scott Arfield there but the balance is key.
“The goalkeeping situation I don’t expect him to change. It’s a big decision but I don't expect a lot of changes. It gives players who let themselves and the club down at the weekend an opportunity to go and put it right on the biggest stage of all.”
Alfredo Morelos made his return to action against celtic after being left out of the squad to face PSV due to attitude and fitness concerns. But Boyd doesn’t think he’ll be back in the starting XI any time soon.
He added: ”I think it will be a case of Alfredo getting 20 or 30 minutes here and there to build up his fitness. There’s no doubt he lost the trust of his manager and his teammates a couple of weeks ago so it's up to Alfredo to work really hard and get himself back in there.
"It was a step in the right direction at the weekend in terms of him being back on a football pitch. But he's got a long way to go before he starts games again. I don't expect him to start tonight and Colak will play.”
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