ALL-ACTION ALVES
Ahead of his first taste of the Old Firm experience, Rangers star admits keeping his cool in the heat of battle has not always been easy
WITH 94 caps for European champions Portugal and 16 topflight seasons around the continent banked, one might anticipate Bruno Alves bringing some calm along with his vast experience to the Rangers challenge in the Old Firm fixture. The veteran defender, with an extensive derby-day charge sheet, cannot promise this.
Rangers suffered in the opening clash of last season as debutant Philippe Senderos was sent off in a crushing 5-1 defeat. A fortnight in advance of an Ibrox renewal, the man secured by Pedro Caixinha to shore up that dodgy defence confesses that he is no sure thing to maintain his discipline in the depths of a fierce rivalry.
The fans’ favourite will add Glasgow’s bitter football feud to a series of intense rivalries, collisions of a league’s superpowers and city derbies he has sampled around Europe from Portugal to Russia and Turkey.
The four dismissals to his name in these ties suggest Alves has been guilty of sometimes letting the occasion overtake his emotions. And he is making no vows about a change in his uncompromising attitude as he approaches his 36th birthday in November.
‘These things aren’t the kind of things which come with years,’ said Alves. ‘Either you are like this or you are not. Of course, when you are more mature, you understand the situation a bit more.
‘But when these games are so passionate, sometimes you take everything that goes on outside inside. And sometimes things that you don’t want to happen happen. I have had some red cards in these games. I have been sent off.
‘In Portugal, I had one in Porto v Benfica. In Russia, I had one in Zenit v Spartak Moscow, which is also a big derby type of game. And two times in derby matches with Fenerbahce. I don’t want to repeat that. Because it is not good to leave the team with ten players in such an important game.
‘But I think these games are the best games for me. You need to fight but you also need to play. Sometimes the game is very rough and you can’t play so much. Sometimes it is more like a battle but I expect both — quality and passion from the Old Firm game.’
When Alves is capable of a head-high challenge in the first half of a supposedly harmless summer friendly –— as he was when dismissed for attacking Harry Kane at Wembley last June — then Leigh Griffiths would be forgiven for wondering what harm he might come to in the heat of Ibrox battle on September 23.
Featuring in the gory gallery of red-card incidents to which Alves refers from big games in his decorated club career are an infamous headbutt on Benfica’s Nuno Gomes while playing for Porto in 2005 and taking his studs to the shoulder blades of Galatasaray’s Blerim Dzemaili. He was one of four Fenerbahce players sent off in the final 11 minutes of a draw against Istanbul Basaksehir as his team conceded the 2015 Turkish Super Lig title to Galatasaray.
Alves admits that the eccentricities of the rivalry in a country or city make each one unique, so he would not begin to claim that his experiences around the globe will allow him to take an Old Firm match in his stride.
‘Of course, I have the experience of all my years before, all my derbies, important games — I have lots of memories,’ said Alves.
‘In Portugal, we had great derbies, Russia too, Istanbul. Fenerbahce-Galatasaray is a great derby.
‘That is something that you need to experience. The stands are really crowded and everybody is just focused on the pitch. Everybody gives it everything they can. It is an amazing environment.
‘I don’t think that makes it easier for me now because everywhere is different. I want to start this game against Celtic and feel how it is.
‘I hope I can have good memories from it and bring it into my life for the future also. I love these kind of games. It is important that you are always testing yourself and proving how good you are.
‘This is one of the games that all the players want to play — not just myself. It will be a great experience because I am used to great matches.
‘Of course we have spoken about the Old Firm game already. Pedro spoke to me about his time here and the importance of this game for the fans. But I think I am ready.’
Alves recovered from illness to move to within six caps of a century of appearances for Portugal last week, helping the Euro 2016 heroes to a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Hungary.
He believes signing a two-year deal for Rangers will prove key to prolonging his international career to Russia 2018 — and beyond.
‘That was one of the reasons I decided to move to Scotland,’ he said. ‘Rangers are a big team and this allows me to compete and, hopefully, stay in the national team.
‘There is big motivation to be here, to win, and to fight for titles.’
This is one of the games all players want to be part of — not just myself