EURO FOCUS TURNS TO FAMILIAR FOES

Gerrard is aware Ibrox men must improve for Maribor test

AFTER a sterling week for Scottish clubs in Europe the next round of ties has a winnable, if oddly portentous feel.

AEK Athens, Maribor and Molde are all well-known on these shores and not for providing benevolent opposition.

Greek champions AEK come to Celtic Park having slain Rangers, Hibernian and Hearts since their last title win in 1994.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Molde take on Hibs comforted by the fact they beat Celtic home and away in the Europa League just three years ago.

And then there’s Maribor. The Slovenians have knocked out no fewer than four Scottish teams in the past nine seasons — Hibs, Aberdeen, Celtic and Thursday’s Europa League opponents Rangers.

Steven Gerrard may be new to the management game but he does have a handle on the threat coming to Ibrox this week.

‘I have a slight advantage when it comes to Maribor because I watched them play Liverpool twice last season,’ he said. ‘I am aware of their record against Scottish teams — they are a good side.

‘For me, they are a Champions League team. It’s a big test for us but we are growing and improving.’

For the record, Liverpool did not find Maribor to be one of the more challenging hurdles on their journey to last season’s final, routing their hosts 7-0 in the away leg before progressing to a 3-0 home win in the second group fixture.

Rangers, of course, inhabit an entirely different world to that of Jurgen Klopp’s team and are battling their way through a qualifying adventure they hope will lead them to the group stage of UEFA’s secondary competition.

If second-round opponents Osijek represented a significant jump up from Macedonia’s Shkupi, then Gerrard believes further improvement will be needed this week.

‘It’s difficult to say who is better as Osijek have some wonderful footballers,’ muses Gerrard. ‘But in terms of European experience Maribor will be a level up.

‘The test got an awful lot harder from Shkupi to Osijek, but we embraced it and delivered. We will go and try to get that step further but it will be tough as they have good footballers.’

After a 1-0 win in Croatia, Rangers edged further ahead via a goal from new signing Nikola Katic but Osijek’s stoppage-time strike was a sign that the tie was not a one-sided affair.

The presence of Allan McGregor in goal has added big-game know-how and personality behind a defence that has been completely overhauled by the new manager.

Already, Connor Goldson looks a shrewd acquisition, his £3million arrival from Brighton adding presence and valuable composure on the ball.

Katic looks rawer, a trait shared by loan midfielders Ovie Ejaria and Lassana Coulibaly, but the profile of the team has changed. Gerrard’s Rangers are bigger and, he hopes, tougher than their predecessors in the teams forged by Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha.

‘We are in a good place squad-wise and a lot of players have had a positive start to their Rangers careers,’ continued the former Liverpool captain. ‘What’s important is that everyone is ready.

‘The XI won’t stay the same. It’s impossible with the volume of games. So when you are called upon, you need to take your chance.’

Rangers have added nine new players this summer — ten if you include the deal to make Jamie Murphy’s move from Brighton permanent — but Gerrard insists he has not finished.

At a minimum he wants another centre-back to provide competition and cover for Goldson and Katic, the summer departures of Bruno Alves, Fabio Cardoso and David Bates leaving that department of the team light.

As necessary as the heavy recruitment has been, there is the accompanying challenge of knitting all the new players together. For a managerial novice like Gerrard, instinct is crucial.

‘You gel the squad by bringing good people in,’ he stated. ‘It’s not just about talent. You need to look at their background too and get information.

‘By bringing in the likes of Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson and Scotty Arfield, you know straight away they are good people.

‘It’s in their interests, and the club’s, to keep the dressing room healthy. There are table-tennis tournaments going off every five minutes among the players.

‘We have to shout at them to keep the noise down when we are trying to watch games. But the atmosphere is healthy and we want them to own that dressing room.

‘We don’t want to interfere. We need to be a solid group because we know it won’t always be up, up, up. It will be a bit of a rollercoaster, with turbulent times.

‘The more together and solid we are, the better we will be.’

Ibrox was at its noisy best on Thursday night, creating a cauldron that was at once hostile to the opposition and a source of inspiration to the Rangers players.

Gerrard continued: ‘I had a lot of family up at the game on Thursday and they came away talking about

For me, they are a Champions League team. It’s a big test for us but we are growing and improving

the atmosphere rather than our performance, which says everything for the Rangers fans.

‘We want it to be packed out and noisy because that’s a huge advantage to us.

‘It’s now down to us to keep momentum going so they stay with us for the rest of the season.’

The supporters have also fed off the sight of an animated Gerrard straining at the leash on the touchline.

‘I kicked every ball on Thursday,’ he admitted. ‘If I’m judging myself in terms of emotion then I’m getting a little bit too carried away at the moment.

‘But it’s called passion. Sometimes I have to go back to the dugout, take a deep breath and re-start. I apologise for that!

‘It is a crazy world. You take it home with you, but I need to get the balance right of doing my job properly while realising I have a family, too.’