Time to convert EUROS into domestic GOLD
Gerrard has to find the magic formula that turns his Continental warriors into Premiership heroes
AS A player, there was just something about European football that stirred the blood within Steven Gerrard.
Part of Liverpool’s victorious UEFA Cup-winning side of 2001 against Alaves, his career largely came to be defined by his leadership in Istanbul four years later as the Champions League trophy was ripped from AC Milan’s grasp.
Almost two years into his managerial tenure at Rangers, Gerrard’s liking for this rarefied environment never seems to fade.
Thursday’s pulsating win over Braga — the form team in Portugal — was the 15th time he’d taken charge of Rangers at home in Europe. Despite fellow luminaries like Villarreal, Porto and Feyenoord all signing the visitors’ book, he has still to taste defeat.
As welcome as this restoration of Ibrox’s reputation as a European fortress clearly is for the club’s supporters, it comes with a certain degree of bewilderment.
Two goals down to Braga on Thursday, Gerrard’s side started played with a tempo and intent that were conspicuous by their absence up until that point. Through sheer force of will, they turned the game on its head. They’ll now back themselves to complete the job next Wednesday, even in Alfredo Morelos’ absence.
But why was the same flick not switched in the recent defeat at Tynecastle? Where was this courage when two points were spilled against Aberdeen? Where was that guile as Kilmarnock came from behind at Rugby Park?
Notwithstanding the fact no two tests are ever the same, the disparity in results is perplexing.
For Gary McAllister, the final third of this week’s engrossing match set a new standard. While it may be unrealistic to expect the players to robotically replicate that super-human effort, the Ibrox No2 feels they are now compelled to at least go close.
Starting at McDiarmid Park tomorrow, they can’t give their manager cause to once again wonder where their true selves are hiding.
‘Hopefully,’ said McAllister. ‘Since the break, there have been no European games but now we’ve got the bounce of a great result at Ibrox. So hopefully we can go on a nice run. It’s just that ability to change your style from domestic to European.
‘For me, there’s a different look about the games. The difficulty in the domestic games is that we come up against really packed defences. That’s no secret. But we just need to adapt and get better and be more clinical.
‘Every game is different. On Thursday, two teams were trying to win but sometimes in domestic games that’s not the case and the question asked of us is: “Can we break a low block”?
‘We need the magic formula. It’s about players and recreating the same sort of level and speed and repeating and repeating and finding a way.’
Having drawn only four of those 15 Euro matches at home and twice guided the club through the minefield of qualifiers, no praise for the work Gerrard has done on the continental stage is too high.
Victorious away to Benfica last weekend, Braga were arguably a step up in class from any other European side to have set foot in G51 over the past two years.
Two goals to the good inside an hour, it seemed certain the visitors had done enough to render the second leg a formality.
In Ianis Hagi, though, Gerrard had the spark. Coming either side of Joe Aribo’s mazy run and goal, the Romanian’s brace shook the old place to its foundations. In those stirring moments, the character of Gerrard’s players was beyond question.
‘If you’re questioning someone’s mentality, character and togetherness, then you could see it was there in abundance at the end of the game,’ said McAllister.
‘You would say if we repeated the level of some of the Braga performance in a domestic game, and at that speed, then we should run out easy winners but that’s not the case. Maybe a little bit of confidence comes into play.
‘We’ve a few experienced players who have stood up but we’ve got a lot of young players and this is the first time they’ve been asked these sort of questions.
‘They’re playing in front of a very expectant crowd and the pressure of having to win every game.
‘Two draws are a crisis but these are things we’ve all heard before. Being a Rangers player is something you have to actually deal with, and that result should boost confidence.’
In Hagi, Gerrard has a young man for whom such a commodity seems to be in plentiful supply.
If there was plainly a degree of good fortune about his deflected free-kick winner, the Romanian earned it through his courage to seek out the ball when the tie looked to be drifting.
With his father, Gheorghe, pictured punching the air in the main stand, the story was always going to be a family affair.
McAllister accepts that’s inevitable for now but foresees the on-loan Genk player soon enjoying a narrative all of his own.
‘We need to get away from that because he is very much his own man. He has come here, he is enjoying the training and he has settled very quickly. He has talent, there is no doubt about that.
‘I spoke to him (Gheorghe) prior to the game and after. I think he is really pleased because he was aware of Ibrox and Rangers.
‘But I think being there on Thursday night confirmed that his son is in the right place for his development.’
The hope is that it’s not just the
new hero for the Light Blue legions who will be captivated by the experience.
If it’s a plain fact Rangers will struggle to compete financially with many teams, Ibrox still offers an experience money can’t buy. It remains a trump negotiating card.
‘The nights at Ibrox under the lights in Europe are special,’ added McAllister. ‘There’s no doubt that if you’re a player who aspires to play at a certain level, surely that’s where you would want to be.
‘The fact there is an expectant crowd, the expectation levels are massive and you have to win every game.’
Eight league points spilled since hostilities resumed means that applies more than ever to the trip to Perth. The blunt reality is that, for all Thursday was exhilarating for all involved, Europe, for now, is a most welcome bonus. For Gerrard (left) and his players, it simply has to be a help rather than a hindrance for them domestically. ‘The bounce from Thursday should allow us to gather some momentum,’ said McAllister. ‘Hopefully it gives us the start to a positive run. We have to take all the positives from it. The boys will rest and recover and it is quite a quick turnover. ‘You have to use it to get the guys focused and concentrated to put in a performance against St Johnstone.’