Brian Laudrup on Euro draw
ROYAL ANTWERP are the only team to have beaten Tottenham since the opening day of t he English Premier League season. Said like that, it sounds like a real warning for Rangers about what lies in wait. But I think the truth is a little different.
This is a good draw for Steven Gerrard’s side. Nothing I saw in Antwerp’s surprise defeat of Spurs makes me think Rangers will suffer the same fate at the Bosuilstadion if they hit their usual heights when the first leg of the Europa League last-32 tie comes around in February.
I’ve been covering the Europa League for television in Denmark. The two group games between Antwerp and Tottenham were among those we did live.
Yes, the Belgians won 1-0 at home on October 29. But it was a below- par performance by Spurs. Very below-par, in fact.
They didn’t really turn up at all that evening in what was a hugely-disappointing effort. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min both started on the bench but, even then, Tottenham should have had enough to at least get a point. Jose Mourinho didn’t try to cover anything up afterwards when he described it as a poor performance and result. It was exactly that.
I’m not saying it will be easy for Rangers to reach the last 16. It won’t be. They need to make sure their application is right to reach the performance level they want. But that hasn’t been a problem so far this season.
To offer a comparison, I would say Antwerp are of a similar level to Standard Liege, whom Gerrard’s team beat home and away in the group stage. That view is confirmed by both clubs having exactly the same number of points after 16 games in the Belgian league.
Tactically, Antwerp are sound. I’ve seen them play 3-5-2 or 3-4-3. They have good, physical attributes and are solid in their work-rate. But in terms of real individual quality that brings something tricky or unexpected to upset a system? I didn’t see that. Tottenham won 2-0 quite easily in the rematch in London last Thursday.
If I was to pick out specific players to watch, I would look to the Antwerp strikers. Dieumerci Mbokani has been around a long time and had a strong career with clubs including Standard Liege, Monaco, Anderlecht and Dynamo Kiev. The Congolese international is 35 now. Perhaps his legs are not as quick as they once were, but his link-up play is still good and he can hold off defenders. His experience is obvious.
In the win over Spurs, Mbokani played in a partnership with Lior Refaelov and I would probably regard the Israeli as the biggest single threat to Rangers. He can be a real handful. His movement is good and he can finish, as he showed by scoring past Hugo Lloris.
Connor Goldson and his colleagues will need to keep a close eye on Refaelov
but, overall, I don’t regard Antwerp as being a particularly creative side. They certainly don’t have the numerous threats Benfica posed.
The draw could have thrown up a tie against Dynamo Kiev, with more travelling and the potential of the weather playing a part. It could have been Real Sociedad — who top La Liga right now — or Ligue 1 leaders Lille. Those would have been much trickier. Rangers have a right to feel very optimistic about meeting Antwerp.
I saw a stat recently that said Gerrard, with 22 European wins, was now just one short of matching the number Walter Smith achieved for Rangers. Even accounting for the changes in qualification matches, that’s a remarkable position and sums up just how much Gerrard and his management team have rebuilt the club’s name in Europe.
The thing I like most is that it has been done with an identity. You know how
Rangers want to play. They do not just try to be pragmatic. They go out and play with ambition and style — and they convince i n their beliefs. People in Scotland should be really proud about that, because I can guarantee it is getting noticed.
I was asked in the television studio to pick a team to watch when the group stage was starting. Not the tournament winners but one who could cause a bit of a surprise. I picked Rangers.
People in Denmark maybe laughed a little bit. Fast forward to November when we covered the 2-2 game against Benfica. After that, people wanted to talk to me about how well Rangers had played and the style they have adopted. It wasn’t what they expected from a Scottish side. Perceptions have been altered and that is a real testament to Gerrard’s work.
I actually look back at my own European experiences with Rangers as one of the few disappointments of my time in Glasgow. We never reached our potential for all the quality and experience we had between 1994 and 1998. We could, and should, have done better.
I couldn’t put it right after I left but, of course, Smith returned to Ibrox and achieved the incredible feat of reaching the 2008 UEFA Cup final. That further proved what a brilliant manager he was. Just outstanding.
Many of his European experiences were in the Champions League, which is the toughest environment of all.
And, by the time the first leg against Antwerp arrives, we will have a clearer idea of whether that is where Gerrard could be heading at the end of the season.
Sunday’s win over Dundee United was another good result. All Rangers can do is keep on turning them out. They can’t let their standards drop.
Celtic might just be showing signs of a revival in form. I always thought that would happen. The January 2 Old Firm game could be absolutely monumental in terms of the future course of the campaign and whether the pressure shifts at all. Right now, though, Rangers clearly hold the advantage in the Premiership. The same also goes for their next Europa League assignment.