MAINTAIN THE CLINICAL EDGE
Rangers have to be more ruthless on the domestic front, says Arfield
AFTER cutting another swathe through the Europa League qualifiers, Rangers can ill afford for a blunt edge to again hinder domestic progress. Scott Arfield knows ruthlessness must be maintained when they head to Fir Park tomorrow.
On Thursday evening, Steven Gerrard’s team delivered a prime example of how consistently effective they tend to be in continental competition.
An away, one-legged meeting with a Willem II side who finished fifth in last season’s Eredivisie appeared far from a walkover. Rangers, though, all but turned into one with a 4-0 scoreline to set up a group stage play-off against Galatasaray.
Attacking incision and efficiency saw a minimal wastage of chances. At the other end, the excellence of Allan McGregor ensured a clean sheet as the hosts were unable to make any of their pressure tell.
Travelling far afield seems to pose little problem for those employed at Ibrox. As Arfield recognises, however, there is work to be done when it comes to shorter trips within Scotland.
Rangers have won just four out of ten domestic away matches in 2020. Last Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Hibernian — when they had trailed 1-0 and then led 2-1 — followed a stalemate at Livingston earlier in the season.
Neither result was calamitous on its own. Yet the previous two campaigns explain exactly what the cumulative effect of too many unnecessary slip-ups will be — another Scottish Premiership title challenge fizzling out.
Arfield actually apologised for a lost chance at Easter Road after being denied by Ofir Marciano’s double save.
He was acutely aware of the need for more clinical work on the visit to Holland and hopes the same will be seen at Motherwell.
‘If you can be ruthless in the final third, it makes the game easier,’ said the midfielder.
‘The higher you go and the more you want to be successful, you need to take chances. They don’t come around as often as you would like.
‘A 4-0 victory away from home stands us in good stead for Sunday and hopefully we can keep that ruthlessness going.It was a fantastic scoreline on Thursday against a very good team.
‘It gives us a bit of momentum and we have to take that into the weekend.
‘First and foremost we have to give Greegsy (McGregor) a massive amount of credit for the scoreline in Holland.
‘Time and time again he has bailed us out in massive situations. He made some amazing saves at vital parts of the game and that made a big difference.
‘It is so reassuring to have him at the back of you.
‘At the other end, we took our chances and that is what we put most emphasis on after Sunday at Hibs. Our finishing was clinical and made it a little bit easier for ourselves.’
After the winter break last term, two defeats at Tynecastle and one at Rugby Park helped end any hope of domestic success for Gerrard’s side. There was also a draw at McDiarmid Park to add to the two this season.
‘Of course we need to get that percentage rate up,’ admitted Arfield. ‘If you want to be successful, you need to win away from home.
‘We never managed to do that last Sunday but we have another chance this weekend.
‘We know it is going to be a tough test. Motherwell always make it difficult for teams.
‘They have not had the best of starts but I think they are in a false position and they should not be taken lightly.’
Ryan Kent continues to provide a benchmark for performance levels within the Ibrox squad. So much so, in fact, that assistant manager Gary McAllister believes he could now be on the radar of England boss Gareth Southgate.
Against Willem II, Kent scored his fifth goal of the season, won a penalty and provided a perfect cross that Filip Helander headed home.
‘Last season, Ryan’s numbers didn’t really reflect his ability,’ said Arfield. ‘But this season, he is flying with the goals and assists he is getting.
‘We would have scored so many more goals last season if we’d taken the chances he created.
‘The boy is on fire and his confidence is high. When he plays well, he takes us to another level. ‘It is a pleasure to play with him as he is making the right decisions at the right times. ‘His pace is frightening and he is now adding goals to his game as well.’ Competition for places is one obvious key driver to raise collective standards. Nowhere does that currently seem more acute at the moment than in Gerrard’s goalkeeping options. McGregor’s highly-impressive recall in Tilburg came after Jon McLaughlin conceded his first goals of the season at Easter Road. Prior to that, the former Hearts man had racked up six successive clean sheets.
‘I don’t think there is anyone better one-on-one,’ said Arfield of McGregor.
‘His shot-stopping gives you so much confidence.
‘Jon has been the same in making big saves at big moments. I think they will bring out the best in each other.’
Rangers enjoyed a night’s rest in Holland before flying back to Glasgow yesterday. That was a far shorter trip than Motherwell’s six-hour flight to return from a 3-0 defeat against Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Israel.
‘I’m not sure why we stayed on this time, but it does allow you to get a better night’s sleep back at the hotel,’ added Arfield.
‘You can get some food in you and have a recovery session in the morning.
‘I can’t speak on behalf of them (Motherwell) but it is a quick turnaround and the games are coming thick and fast.
‘We have had experience of Thursday/Sunday games for the last two years and we want to keep that going after next week.’
We took our chances and made it a bit easier for us