Rangers, Celtic agony in Europe because of contrasting problems – Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson has found an interesting dissimilarity between Rangers and Celtic struggles in the UEFA Champions League this season.
The Gers have not been able to secure a single point from the first three fixtures whereas their Old Firm rivals have one point from the same number of games.
In his latest column for Daily Record, Jackson was of the opinion that Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ange Postecoglou are completely contrasting in nature which can be seen by the fact that the Dutch manager is too scared to try his team’s real potential whereas the 57-year-old is too stubborn to accept his players’ limitations.
“That meagre return – which was secured by Celtic’s draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk – provides damning proof that neither of these sides is even remotely close to being able to compete at the highest level,” he wrote.
“Scotland’s big two ought to be highly competent Europa League competitors. But, at this stage in their development, they are no more than that.
“And yet, although their predicaments are similar, the fundamentals plaguing Postecoglou and Giovanni van Bronckhorst could hardly be more different.
“One of them appears not to know – or refuses to acknowledge – his team’s own limitations. The other seems too afraid to find out what those limitations might be.
“With a bloodied nose and a missing tooth. Van Bronckhorst, on the contrary, is running around the playground with his hands in the air, screaming, ‘Not the face, Not the face’.
“But what makes these contradictions so frustrating is that neither of them seem willing to accept that they might not have got it right.
“Surely there must be some managerial middle ground for them to agree on. If only Postecoglou could bring himself to be a little bit more pragmatic and a little less slavish to his own philosophy.
“And if only Van Bronckhorst could borrow a pinch of the big Aussie’s courage and self-conviction then both of them might be able to take what they need from this competition despite getting off to woefully inadequate starts.”
Harsh but true
Rangers and Celtic remain the biggest names in Scottish Football and it is no surprise that people look up to them, expecting them to make inroads in the big European competitions.
It is because of this reason that there is a genuine sense of disappointment amongst the fans of both clubs as none have lived up to the expectations.
For Rangers, this season presented an opportunity after an impressive UEFA Europa League campaign where they finished as the runners-up last season.
But it seems that they do not have enough to take that step from succeeding in the second-tier competition to fight against Europe’s elite.
Even though it is looking like a tall order for Rangers to book their place in the next round but Van Bronckhorst must ensure that his players will be able to register at least a win out of the next three matches which will help them significantly going forward.
In other Rangers news, the club now had a record-breaking striker on trial at Ibrox and he’s gone on to make headlines in the United Kingdom.Comment below