SHOW NO FEAR
Gerrard urges Rangers to be brave in De Kuip
STEVEN GERRARD has backed his battle-hardened rangers players to show no fear against Feyenoord in the face of one of Europe’s most intimidating atmospheres.
and the Ibrox boss is confident that alfredo Morelos will keep his cool amid the white heat of an enormously important Europa League clash in de Kuip.
rangers will go into the last 32 of UEFa’s second-tier competition with one game to spare if they better Group G rivals Porto’s result against Young Boys tonight.
Gerrard doesn’t expect any of his men to be daunted by a 50,000-plus crowd at one of the game’s great traditional arenas, declaring: ‘We bring the players here to see it, walk on the pitch and get a feel for it.
‘and you can see their eyes light up. They shouldn’t be spooked by it or fear it. It’s my job to take all that away from them.
‘all I ask from them is to go and be themselves, be brave, stand up and do your job for the team. respect the opposition, but definitely don’t fear them.
‘It’s a wonderful arena to come and play football in. It’s almost built like a baseball field, the fans
are right on top of you and the atmosphere is going to be world-class. ‘Having said that, the important thing is to focus on the job and the game plan. ‘But this is what they all want. It’s what they signed up for. These are the arenas you have got to come and perform in. ‘I need players with big character. They need to stand up and be counted. ‘We’ve certainly rehearsed this type of challenge. We took on Legia (Warsaw) in a hostile atmosphere. But I’m still going to need players to perform. ‘I’ve got belief and confidence that they’re capable. We’ve got two chances — but I want it done tomorrow if we can. It will be tough. It will be a challenge. ‘Feyenoord have got fantastic players and they have improved a lot under Dick Advocaat.’ Morelos is guaranteed to start after Jermain Defoe picked up a minor strain in training. And Gerrard acknowledges the turnaround in his disciplinary record may be tested amid the mayhem in Rotterdam, admitting: ‘It’s always an issue for every player in Europe. ‘You’ve got to make sure you behave and respect the referee — and don’t do anything stupid. ‘Because there are some things you won’t get away with in Europe that you might get away with domestically. ‘Alfredo deserves big praise for his behaviour this season, of course he does. We’ve had many a conversation with the whole team about discipline. We’ve changed the code of conduct. ‘And I’ve sat down and had a man-to-man with Alfredo — and he’s listening and learning. ‘But there’s a realisation he needed to do it for his own career. He wants to be a successful international footballer for Colombia — and I’m sure every manager who manages Colombia from now all the way through his international tenure is going to be asking him to be disciplined and stay on the football pitch. ‘So it’s just common sense. He needed to improve for himself, first and foremost, and then we all benefit from it.’