THERE’S NO BETTER PLACE TO PLAY WHEN IBROX IS ROCKING
JUST because some things are better left unsaid, it doesn’t mean they are necessarily devoid of truth.
When Michael Beale recently claimed that Rangers were better suited to european rather than domestic football, the Ibrox firstteam coach may have been guilty of unfortunate timing but could scarcely be accused of trying to promote an out-and-out fallacy.
When Steven Gerrard’s men walk out beside Bayer leverkusen this evening, they will seek to protect a highly commendable record of just three losses in 30 european games over the past two years.
That Feyenoord, Porto and Braga are among the more recent scalps to be taken makes the abject displays routinely turned in against struggling Scottish sides since the turn of the year all the more difficult to fathom.
To extend the happy sequence against continental opposition beyond this last-16 tie would add a golden veneer.
Fourth in the Bundesliga and having put four goals past eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, Peter Bosz’s side appear to be a step up in class from anything that’s come before them.
Yet, even with a string of experienced campaigners either already ruled out or struggling for fitness, only a fool would bet against Gerrard’s men conjuring up yet another extraordinary result on this stage.
A mainstay of the side which has ensured Ibrox has remained unconquered in europe under Gerrard’s reign, Scott Arfield can attest to the inspiration the players derive from a raucous environment on such nights.
‘european football, under the lights,’ he smiled. ‘If you look at any clubs or fans, they want to come and be involved in those games and players are no different.
‘We want to perform on stages like this. As a whole, particularly when this place is rocking, there’s no better place to play, really.’
Braga were seemingly coasting into the next round three weeks ago when Gerrard’s men rediscovered their mojo and the old place found its voice.
The most extraordinary finale saw the Portuguese completely lose their way and a two-goal lead, with the Scots belatedly building up the kind of momentum that would ultimately be sufficient to see them through in the tie. Such experiences tend to foster a belief that anything is now possible.
‘If you look at the Braga performances, we deserved to be in this round,’ added Arfield.
‘The two performances suggest that — particularly the last half hour at Ibrox in the first leg.
‘We followed it up with a completely different performance over there, when we were compact and contained them for large periods and then Ryan (Kent) scored. We’re going to need that belief and structure this time again if we’re to go any further.’
Should any reminder be needed as to the task that awaits, a cursory glance at RB leipzig’s routing of Tottenham and Bayern Munich’s first-leg breeze at Stamford Bridge should suffice. First and third in the Bundesliga standings, the fact that the domestic form of Bosz’s side is superior to both is surely ominous.
‘It’s very similar,’ Arfield said of the calibre of tonight’s opponents compared with the Portuguese. ‘If you are looking at the league they play in and calibre of players they come up against on a weekly basis, you would say the Germans are in a far better league.
‘We don’t take any opposition lightly. Braga were in a rich vein of form coming into the games with us, so we knew exactly what we were up against.
‘It’s the same with leverkusen, we know what we’re up against. We’ve done our homework and we hopefully know how to hurt them — but we also know how they can hurt us.’
Increasingly, the prospect of tonight’s capacity crowd is at odds with the scenario being witnessed across europe.
Next week’s second leg is just one of a growing number of games that will be played behind closed doors as the world of sport attempts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
While public health is clearly the overwhelming priority, Arfield regrets the fact that the required practical measures will take much away from the occasion.
‘When you play, you want to play in front of spectators, he said.
‘But the biggest picture is the health of the fans. That’s a far bigger picture and they must take the necessary advice on it.
‘We are going to need a Braga-style performance there, whether there are people there or not.’
That famous victory in Portugal two weeks ago has made for a breathless schedule for Gerrard’s men. While, come Sunday, their legs may be a little heavier than a Celtic side resting up tonight after exiting the europa league to FC Copenhagen, Arfield contends that having less time to fret about the derby may prove to be no bad thing.
‘It can be a blessing in disguise, at times,’ said the 31-year-old. ‘However, since the gaffer has come in, we have always adopted a one-game-at-a-time mentality.
‘If you start thinking about other matches, you’re only going to set yourself up for an even tougher night. We’ll start looking at the next game on Friday.’