This Rangers team has never looked like one that is capable of sitting in, absorbing pressure and counter-attacking. It is one that is at its best playing on the front foot and getting in the faces of opposition teams – a Europa League final appearance last season is as good an indication as any that we should take that approach more often.
Against Napoli, it looked like that was what we were trying to do, it’s not always that simple playing one of the continent’s best, however, the number of decent chances we created shows that it was the right approach. All we need to do now is stop giving away silly goals.
James Tavernier is fully on board with what under-pressure manager, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, is trying to achieve and has put responsibility for recent setbacks firmly on the shoulders of the players, as reported by The Daily Express:
“We are always behind the manager — never once are we not. We have full belief in his tactics and whatever he puts out on match day it’s down to us as players, to go out and put a performance in for him and the fans.
“There have been a few games where it hasn’t been good enough and we accept that as a team. We can’t let that lapse into our game. Against Napoli, we never hid from it. We went toe to toe with them as best we could. As long as we do the basics — put the effort in and really go toe to toe with opponents I’m sure the fans will take to that.”
Actions speak louder than words.
The second half against Napoli was much more like it, even Gio’s harshest critics should be able to recognise that. We tried to play higher up the park rather than being passive and it, almost, paid off but for some poor finishing, particularly by Alfredo Morelos.
If we can compete with a side as good as Napoli then there is no excuse for us not going straight for Aberdeen’s jugular this weekend, anything less than a good performance and three points could see Tavernier taking orders from a new boss.