Brian Laudrup names Rangers duo he wants to start against Liverpool in Champions League showdown
Brian Laudrup says he wants to see Scott Arfield and Antonio Colak start for Rangers when they face Liverpool at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
The Gers are clinging on to their place in the Champions League after three defeats in three group games so far, without a single goal being scored so far.
And writing in his column with the Daily Mail [11 October], Laudrup has called for Giovanni van Bronckhorst to abandon his 5-4-1 system from the reverse fixture last week and believes that Arfield and Colak’s good form should be rewarded with starts.
“It will be fascinating to see what changes Van Bronckhorst makes,” he said.
“The 5-4-1 set-up didn’t work at Anfield. Liverpool still had plenty of chances so you wonder if it’s time to revert to a back four and have another body in midfield.
“To me, the attacking runs of Scott Arfield could give the visiting defence something to think about.
“It also makes me think you need to pick players whose own self-belief can feed into the team. And who is on a bigger high right now than Antonio Colak?
“Eight of his 10 Premiership goals have come at Ibrox. He responds to the place, feeds off it and enjoys the domination Rangers have been able to exert at home in domestic games.
“It’s different in the Champions League, of course. Even so, I still feel there’s a strong case for him to be given the nod against Liverpool.
“That’s not any slight on Alfredo Morelos, who has been talismanic in Europe before, but Colak is in lethal form.
“Another double against St Mirren on Saturday made it 13 goals in his last 14 appearances. He comes alive in the box. We know that. He isn’t the quickest but if Rangers can find the route to create chances then he will finish them.”
Needed
Rangers basically gave all the momentum to Liverpool in the first game by setting up to be in their own half for the whole game and barely have anything for them in an attacking sense.
With nothing to lose in the game on Wednesday Rangers would be crazy not to go for the win, especially with how poor Liverpool have been in recent weeks.
They have so far won just four games in all competitions this season, with two in the league from eight games plus a late win over Ajax in the Champions League in addition to the win over Rangers.
But by bringing in two attack-minded players to the lineup ahead of the game, it will send a message to the fans inside the stadium that the team will go for it and that will immediately get their voices raised and the atmosphere buzzing.
Liverpool will struggle to cope with the atmosphere and a fast-paced attack with their current form, but only if Rangers really go for it and that starts with the team selection.
In other Rangers news, one player has been getting picked “on his name” according to Laudrup