Arfield using final pain as motivation
Eintracht Frankfurt proved Scott Arfield’s point as he spoke to the media in the mixed zone of the Ramon Sanchezpizjuan Stadium.
Two flights of stairs separated the Rangers midfielder from the press conference room above where Oliver Glasner was delivering his own thoughts on the Europa League final, won by his side over Arfield’s, 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Seville.
The manager’s media formalities were gate-crashed by the joyous German squad, spraying their coach and goalkeeper Kevin Trapp with beer. The sort of rowdy celebrations that mark special nights.
Rangers have had a few of those recently. Arfield has been at the centre of them.
Not Wednesday, though. This was the turn of the Germans and the contrast was clear.
Downstairs, his face etched in disappointment, Arfield was discussing the importance of those celebratory scenes.
“I’ve had some horrific nights,” said the 33-year-old. “I’ve been relegated from the Premier League, I’ve lost play-off finals and a cup final to Celtic. Horrific nights.
“But wonderful nights as well – you can bottle the two of the emotions.
"Keep the lid on one of them, and let the other one out and remember those feelings because when they come they’re amazing.
“That is why you need to celebrate how we celebrated against Dortmund and Leipzig because when you have them, you have special nights.”
Those were, but while special in itself as a European trophy final, Wednesday night’s outcome is more akin to Arfield’s list of letdowns and he has warned Rangers youths Leon King and Alex Lowry to make the most of the good times and use the bad as motivation.
“You have to remember these feelings as well on the flip side of this because you don’t want them again,” he mused.
Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst
also used his own World Cup final defeat as a reference point when discussing recovery from such a painful loss in southern Spain.
Overall the European campaign has been a roaring success until their penultimate kick when Trapp stopped Aaron Ramsey’s penalty and won Eintracht the trophy.
“Losing at penalties, at any stage in any competition, is hard but in the final is a tough one to take,” Arfield added. “As always I try to put a positive spin, and said in the dressing room we’ll be back, no doubt about it.
"This team has come too far to let one final destabilise it.
“Once you have got here you get a taste for it and feel as if you can get back to it. I think if you look at the teams we have beaten along the way there is no reason we can’t do that again next year.”
Arfield and his Rangers teammates now have to try and recover – mentally and physically – for
“Losing at penalties, at any stage in any competition, is hard butinthefinalisa tough one to take. Asalwaysitrytoput a positive spin, and said in the dressing room we’ll be back, no doubt about it. This team has come too far to let one final destabilise it”
“I’ve had some horrific nights. I’ve been relegated from the Premier League, I’ve lost play-off finals and a cup final to Celtic. But wonderful nights aswell–youcan bottle the two of the emotions. Keep the lid on one of them, and let the other one out and remember those feelings because when they come they’re amazing”
tomorrow’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park against Hearts. They still have the chance to add silverware to a season that has brought so much but ultimately has no gongs to show for it – yet.
“The wonderful thing is we have a game [this weekend] so there is no choice but to get on with it,” Arfield added.
“We represent Rangers football club and we’re here to win trophies, so we won’t feel sorry for ourselves.”