Tom English: Inspirational James Tavernier and Borna Barisic critical to Rangers vs Liverpool
James Tavernier and Borna Barisic will be “critical” to Rangers if they are to get a result against Liverpool according to BBC Sport’s Tom English.
The Gers head to Anfield on Tuesday night (4 October) looking for their first point and their first goal in the Champions League campaign, and the two full-backs have been highlighted as crucial.
The goalscoring output of the captain is at times astounding, while the Croatian left-back has as good a delivery into the box as anyone in the Light Blues squad, but both can gain negative attention going back towards their own goal, so with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz coming at them they will have to be on their games.
Writing in his BBC Sport preview of the game at Anfield (3 October) English said: “Through their league-winning season and their run to the Europa League final, so much of Rangers’ menace came down the flanks from Borna Barisic and, especially, captain James Tavernier.
“His goal tally – an astonishing achievement in finishing leading scorer in the Europa League with seven, and 18 in all competitions – has dried up. He has three including two penalties.
“Given what Liverpool have out wide, Tavernier and Barisic are critical to Rangers’ prospects. Both can be defensively suspect and both can be thoroughly inspirational. Which is it going to be?”
Clash
Hearing Tavernier described as “thoroughly inspirational” isn’t too much of a surprise, but his teammate on the other side might be wondering if it is another Barisic that English is referring too.
Often picked out as the target when the Bears defence is at its worst, the man who lost his place to Calvin Bassey last year before the Nigerian international’s record sale to Ajax perhaps gets a rough ride at Ibrox.
But with Trent Alexander-Arnold a fixture on the right hand side of the Liverpool line-up the embattled Rangers man might be the key to the game.
The Anfield full-back divides opinion more than both his counterparts from Glasgow put together, such is the apparent gulf between his threat to the opposition goal going forward and the threat to his own when defending.
Therefore Barisic will have to be alive to the Englishman’s deliveries from that flank, but might also find the opportunities that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will need to get into dangerous areas.
A goal or two out of the skipper would be extremely helpful on the other side, after it proved the bedrock of the Europa League run.
But despite the shaky form of Jurgen Klopp’s side it will still be no mean feat to triumph in a meeting of the beaten finalists in last year’s top two European competitions.
In other Rangers news, an ex-Ibrox hero has tipped two players to play themselves into Premier League moves in the game.