Ianis Hagi has his say on disappointing result at Brondby
Ianis Hagi had his say on a disappointing night in the Europa League, questioning Rangers’ mentality after their 1-1 draw with Brondby.
The forward was his side’s saviour on Thursday evening, scoring a second-half equaliser to earn a point in Denmark. The draw moves them level on points with Sparta Prague, who simultaneously lost at Lyon to tee up a thrilling conclusion to matters in Group A.
Hagi, despite notching his first Europa League strike of the campaign, was visibly downbeat speaking to BT Sport after the full-time whistle.
“It’s a draw,” he said. “We came here to win and we didn’t win. Away from home, I know it’s the Europa League, it’s a tough competition but, yeah, we wanted to win.”
He went on to question the mental strength of the side, who achieved an unbeaten Scottish Premiership win last season.
“I think our mentality should have been better from the beginning. We are Rangers and we have to come here to try to win, not wait for the second half to go out there and attack,” he concluded.
Common theme
The pattern of having to react to earn something from games is becoming a worrying pattern for Rangers.
Since beating Brondby on matchday three of the Europa League, Steven Gerrard’s men have had to come from behind in each of their last four fixtures, registering two wins and two draws.
While the side hasn’t lost in that time, the seeming inevitability of having to chase games is simply not an effective way to play football – sooner or later it will catch up to them and take its toll.
Relying on a potentially fatal event to wake you up and provoke a reaction is not the mentality of winners – in that sense, Hagi is right.
Rangers have the required quality to compete with their opponents on the European stage and the talent to blow teams away domestically. The ruthlessness and literal invincibility they showcased last term must come to the fore once again.
The Gers may not achieve continental glory, but reaching the knockout stage is an expectation and possible reality. To have a successful season, the composure and control that we know they have must return.
In other Rangers news, this BBC Sportsound pundit destroyed Leon Balogun during coverage of the Gers’ Europa League clash.