Saikat Mandal

Fri 14 October 2022 7:47, UK

Barry Ferguson has been left surprised by how Giovanni van Bronckhorst handled the situation at Ibrox as Rangers lost 7-1 against Liverpool in the Champions League.

The Gers fought bravely in the first half and managed a 1-1 draw at the break. However, they completely collapsed in the second half and conceded six goals, which Ferguson describes as “unforgivable”.

Ferguson has suggested that he thinks that calls for the Dutchman’s sacking are “knee-jerk”, but he feels his former teammate should have approached the game differently.

“There was steam coming out of my ears on Wednesday as a bad night became an unforgivable one. So I’m not about to make excuses for a performance and a result which humiliated Rangers fans all over the country,”

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/cringed-every-goal-rangers-conceded-28231224wrote Ferguson for The Daily Record.

“But, having had time to calm down and reflect, it’s maybe time to add a bit of perspective to the debate about Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s position. Let’s be honest, when the draw was made at the end of August, Rangers found themselves in the group of death. To be lumped in with Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax was probably as tough as it could have got.

“And, after four straight defeats with one goal scored and 16 conceded, it’s been a painful lesson learned. The simple truth is, Rangers are not ready to compete at that level as much as it might hurt to have to admit it.

“But laying all the blame at Van Bronckhorst’s door for that is not just unfair. It’s completely unrealistic. The fact of the matter is we’re still in October, the team is two points behind Celtic and there’s a League Cup semi final to play for next week.

“I know Gio – I shared a dressing room with him – and I can tell you, he’s a really intelligent guy with a proper football brain. So I was surprised that he didn’t see what was developing and do something to stop the bleeding.

“I’ve played in games like that myself. You realise it’s getting away from you against a superior side so you make sure that the damage doesn’t get ridiculous. You don’t concede any more. You get compact, you cut down space and don’t allow them to hurt you. Let them get at you down the wings and deal with cross balls.

“What you don’t do is run around in a blind panic, get yourself out of position and allow them all the room they need to make you look stupid. For whatever reason, Gio simply didn’t react when his team was wide open. They played into Liverpool’s hands and I’m sure he’s been kicking himself for that ever since the final whistle put him out of his misery.”

Surprised

The manner in which the Gers surrendered before Liverpool in the second half was really shocking to see.

There are a few things to consider. Rangers had to pick something from this game and they approached the game with a positive mindset.

Till half time, any manager would have encouraged his side to go for the kill, especially when you’re playing at home.

Now, this is a dilemma. Even at 3-1, Van Bronckhorst probably had thought that had his side pulled one back, the scoreline would have been 3-2, and they could have given a strong fight.

That should be the mindset of every positive manager. However, Mohamed Salah scored three goals within six minutes, and when such things happen, managers get very little time to react.

It was a culmination of poor defending, nervousness, and naivety as well.

However, had Rangers taken a defensive approach just to avoid further goals, it would have given a negative vibe to the team.

In other Rangers news, an official partner of the club has called for van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson to be sacked.