THE disappointment at the Europa League final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt still hung heavy in the air as Rangers trained on home soil again yesterday ahead of the Scottish Cup final with Hearts.
And for a fair few members of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad that was mixed with uncertainty over what the future holds following the game at Hampden this afternoon.
Both Allan McGregor and Connor Goldson are out of contract this summer and have still, for differing reasons, to agree extensions.
Elsewhere, Calvin Bassey, who was yesterday named in the Europa League Team of the Season along with James Tavernier and Ryan Kent, has been linked with a multi-million pound move down south.
Rangers, then, are not exactly in perfect shape psychologically for the encounter with the third-placed team in the cinch Premiership.
Aaron Ramsey, the Juventus loanee who failed to convert his spot kick in the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, is certainly still raw from the agonising reverse in Andalusia and his role in it.
Yet, Van Bronckhorst, their unflappable Dutch coach, is confident they can end a tumultuous season on a high by lifting the oldest trophy in world football for the first time since 2009.
“Aaron was very down after the game and still on Thursday,” he said. “We needed to lift him up, as we did with every player in the squad. He has all my support and the support of his team mates. I’m sure he will feel the same support in the stadium when the fans will welcome him.
“We are focussing now on the final and we have to take the loss as a team, support each other as part of the Rangers family and make sure we’re ready for the game against Hearts.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team and their ability to re-group and recover from big games. Of course, the final was a big game for us. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but overall it was good for my team to get the experience of playing in such a big game.
“The disappointment is very big. All the big teams in Europe play in Champions League and Europa League finals and there can only be one winner. Sometimes the big team is losing.
“But we have a very important game because it gives us the chance of silverware this season and that’s what we want and that’s what our focus is on. I have full confidence that my team will be ready when the whistle goes.”
Former Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona player Van Bronckhorst was unsurprised to see a report stating that Aston Villa were interested in landing Bassey this summer; the young Nigerian centre half was outstanding against Eintracht despite the final result.
He is likely to move to left back this afternoon - Borna Barisic is sidelined by injury - and his versatility makes him an even more attractive to potential suitors.
“I was very impressed with his performance as I have been recently,” said Van Bronckhorst. “He’s been playing really well in the last couple of months. I think his development as a player and a person is amazing to see. I love working with him.
“If you see how he’s played, especially in Europe in the later stages of the Europa, he played really well. I’m really happy for him because it will benefit his development as a player.
“He’s 22, still young, but he’s very open to advice. He wants to be better and stronger every day, so for me it’s ideal for me to work with him. That’s why I want to work with Calvin as long as possible.
“If you have these kinds of performances in Europe, then there’s going to be attention. But I hope to see him for as long as possible in my team.”
Will goalkeeper McGregor, who will be replaced by Jon McLaughlin once again today, and centre half Goldson be in the Rangers squad for much longer? Van Bronckhorst conceded their futures are unclear.
“With Allan we agreed, also with (sporting director) Ross Wilson, to speak after the season,” he said. “Regarding Connor, the club has been in talks with him to extend his contract. So far, he hasn’t extended it. The chance he will still be a Rangers player after tomorrow will be small.
“I would love to have Connor in the team next year. But as you see quite a lot, when players are getting out of contract, there are two possibilities – to keep playing or to move on and maybe have another challenge.
“I still have in my mind that he will be part of Rangers next year. That’s my feeling more than the reality. We will have to watch in the coming weeks. But I think Connor has been amazing for this team in all of his years as a Rangers player. Will it be his last game on Saturday? I don’t know right now.”
One player who has many years ahead of him in the Rangers side is Alex Lowry. The gifted midfielder scored in the 3-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle last week and many fans would like to see him get more game time. Van Bronckhorst confirmed he will be in the cup final squad and may feature.
“I’m excited to see all my players play tomorrow,” he said. “Alex is a big talent for us who has made his breakthrough this year and hopefully he will extend that development.
“He’s started some games for us in recent weeks, but the prospect of him getting stronger and stronger is pushing me to help him. He will be in the squad tomorrow and hopefully he can play a part in the final.”
Lowry will not be physically drained or mentally jaded having not been involved in the Eintracht game – but Van Bronckhorst has no fears about those individuals who did play being flat either.
“We use a lot of data,” he said. “We can measure a lot of things in football right now about the load of players and the distance they have run. So we are also using software to see where we can help players or when we need to be careful.
“It’s the direction where every club is going. It’s getting more important especially with the load of games we had this season. We played one of the most games in Europe. Some of my players played the most minutes of all the players in Europe as well.
“I think it’s very important to help players with the use of data in your medical departments so we also use it to help them improve and make sure we are not overloading them with the minutes they play.”
