Kent wants progress – not another Progres!
Ryan Kent admits that Rangers trip to Gibraltar this week could be the mostdangerous of their Europa League campaign.
The Englishman loved taking part in some of last season’s glamour ties at home and away, but reaching that stage means taking a route full of potential pitfalls.
The Light Blues famously crashed out of Europe after losing to minnows Progres Niederkorn in 2017.
They could face the Luxembourg side again in the Third Qualifying Round, but it’s much more likely that Dutch outfit, Willem II, would be the opponents.
Before that, there’s the small matter of defeating Lincoln Red Imps on Thursday night.
They’re another team with a history of shocking Scottish opposition.
Celtic lost 1-0 against them in Gibraltar four years ago before turning the tie around by winning 3-0 at home.
The ongoing problems with the Covid-19 pandemic means it’s a one-off tie, and Kent says they know that makes it even trickier.
He said: “In a sense, this could be the most difficult part of the competition.
“You can get caught out by being complacent against teams where you think you should definitely be winning.
“But we won’t overlook any team that we come across in the competition, especially at this stage.
“All the players are aware what it means to the club – and what it means to the fans – to qualify for the Europa League group stages. “We will give everything in every game.” Rangers’ flop against Progres Niederkorn came during the rather chaotic period when Pedro Caixinha was boss.
Kent is sure Steven Gerrard will ensure his men are well prepared for this week’s game.
He went on: “The gaffer will always give us confidence going into every European tie.
“He knows what it takes to compete at that level, and what’s required to get results out of these games, like we showed last year.
“We wouldn’t have been where we were last
year in the competition if we didn’t deserve it.
“We put in good performances, and the team showed a lot of character in games to come back from difficult positions.
“We will treat every game the same – whether it’s one of the first qualifying rounds on Thursday or whether it will be someone like Porto.
“We will go into the game with a lot of confidence on the back of last season’s run in the Europa League, and hopefully get another good run this year.
“There will always be a tactical element to the game, especially when you are coming up against the top team teams in Europe.
“In the past two seasons that I’ve been here, with the sort of new team the gaffer has formed, he has instilled confidence in the players that we can go and achieve something in this competition.
“The players are aware it’s a difficult task. But on the back of last season, there’s no reason why we can’t progress further than we did.
“It’s very difficult because of the level of opposition, but the players have a lot more confidence now.”
The former Liverpool attacker – who was named SPFL Player of the Month for August – is
aware that most of the focus this season will be on stopping Celtic winning 10 titles in a row.
But success in Europe remains a high priority, and Kent believes Rangers are equipped for success on two fronts.
He said: “There isn’t as much expectation to do well in this competition as there is domestically.
“We know where we stand in this competition, but there’s no reason we can’t kick on.
“There’s a lot of chemistry in the team, and everyone knows it’s an important competition for the football club.
“It’s up to us not to let people down.” The 23-year-old picks out his part in helping Rangers reach the Europe League last 16 as his highlight of the 2019-20 campaign.
With the current restrictions for travelling fans, however, he knows the backdrop is likely to be a lot different.
He said: “I would probably say on a personal level it would be scoring that goal in Braga.
“To qualify for the next round was a big achievement.
“It was great to be a part of that.
“The amount of away supporters that we had there that day made it special.”