Wieghorst urges Brondby to switch style for Rangers
MORTEN WIEGHORST, the former Dundee and Celtic midfielder, believes his old club Brondby will need to change their counterattacking style of play in order to beat Rangers and keep their hopes of reaching the Europa League last 32 alive.
Niels Frederiksen’s team, defeated 2-0 by Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox last month, go into the Group A match at the Brondby Stadium tomorrow evening on the back of a three-game winning run in domestic competitions.
Wieghorst, who is now the Denmark assistant manager, ended his playing career with Brondby, who are set to have Mikael Uhre back in their starting line-up after the freescoring striker recovered from an ankle injury, and feels they are capable of triumphing in front of their own support.
A win will see the Danish champions leapfrog their Scottish counterparts into third place in their section and give them an outside chance of finishing second and going through to the knockout rounds.
However, Wieghorst was impressed with how James Tavernier and his teammates prevented their opponents from playing to their strengths in Glasgow and has advised Frederiksen to tweak his game plan.
“Rangers were comfortable winners at Ibrox,” he said. “I watched the game on television. They were well prepared for the way that Brondby wanted to play and nullified their strengths effectively.
“To me, it looked as if Rangers had another gear. They could have stepped up their performance if they had needed to. I think Brondby are going to have to come up with something different this time.
“If they try to use the same game plan – playing on the counter – they are going to have to do a lot better. They didn’t really threaten Rangers playing that way and Rangers were well prepared for them.
“The main strengths of this Brondby team are their pace up front and the way they hit teams on the counter. But I thought Rangers were well on top at Ibrox. Brondby will have to find a different way to get an edge.
“A lot depends on how Rangers want to play the game. If Rangers sit back away from home then Brondby will find they have more possession and that is not their strength.”
Denmark, who booked their place at next year’s World Cup finals last month, have not included any Brondby players in their squad for their final Qatar 2022 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Scotland this month.
But Wieghorst has worked with many of them in the national set-up in the past and thinks centre-back Andreas Maxso, defensive midfielder Morten Frendrup and striker Uhre can cause Rangers problems.
“Maxso is their captain and centre-half,” he said. “He is a linchpin of their team. He performs very well for them and is somebody we keep tabs on. He is a very important player for them and is playing well just now.
“Their young midfielder Frendrup is in the Denmark Under-21 side and is playing well for them. He is a good prospect with a big career
ahead of him. The two strikers up front, Hedlund and Uhre, are both very valuable to Brondby. Uhre in particular would have been a big loss to them if he couldn’t play.
“His numbers speak for themselves. He is their top scorer. He causes a lot of problems for opposition teams with his pace, especially in the Danish league.
“The partnership of Simon Hedland and Mikael Uhre was one of the major strengths of Brondby’s team last season when they won the league. They play with a 3-5-2
“Marko Divkovic, the Croatian forward, has joined them on loan from Dunajska Streda this season and they are happy with his progress. But he hasn’t scored for them yet.
“But for Brondby to do well in the Europa League, they have to find more of what they had last season. They need strong team performances because they don’t have the same big names that Rangers have individually.”
Wieghorst won every domestic honour in Danish football during the two years he spent at Brondby and knows from personal experience how fanatical their supporters are.
“Brondby are a different team at home,” he said. “They have a very loyal and very vocal support and having their backing will help them to perform at their best against Rangers. Of course, Rangers are used to playing in front of intimidating atmospheres and they will not be scared by this. But it will definitely help Brondby.
“With the home support behind them they can be competitive.”
If they try to use the same game plan they are going to have to do a lot better