(Credit: Imago)

Wim van Hanegem destroys Rangers before Champions League showdown v PSV

Dan is a sports journalist who graduated from the University of Gloucestershire with a first-class degree in Sports Journalism. Dan has a huge love for football and has spent time inside newsrooms throughout his time at university. Away from his laptop, he enjoys playing Sunday League football, or watching whatever football, cricket or whatever sport he can find.

Published on:

28 Aug 2023, 8:40 am

Wim van Hanegem has claimed that Rangers "cannot play football" as Michael Beale's side prepare for the second leg of their Champions League play-off with PSV.

The former Feyenoord and Netherlands midfielder has been outspoken in his criticism of the Light Blues after they held PSV to a 2-2 draw at Ibrox in the first leg of the play-off thanks to goals from Abdallah Sima and Rabi Matondo.

Beale's side will play the return leg at the Philips Stadion on Wednesday (30 August) in hopes of reaching the Champions League group stages for a second successive season, but van Hanegem doesn't fancy their chances of coming out on top.

Quoted by the Daily Record on Monday (28 August) he said: "By now we know that Rangers cannot play football. But within a year PSV have played them three times and failed to beat them once. They call it building from the back. The keeper plays a ball to a defender with someone right on him and the ball eventually gets yanked forward anyway.

"This is a game for the riches of the Champions League and PSV are giving goals away all because they are keen to show they can play football? They pass out from the back and swarms of Scots attack them. It's the wrong way to play against Rangers."

Grudge match

There is more than a hint of sour grapes in amongst the comments from van Hanegmen around Rangers, with the Dutchman still reeling from last year's game while also showing his naivety about the style of play deployed by PSV.

While Rangers are likely more physical than most sides that go and compete in Europe, they have some genuinely technically gifted players at their disposal making them much more than a "swarm of Scots."

For Beale and his side, these comments should just act as a spur to make them even more desperate to reach the Champions League group stages, in someways the former Feyenoord man has done Beale's team talk for him as the Gers have plenty of doubters to prove wrong.

It is ultimately a massive week for Rangers with the first Old Firm Derby on Sunday (3 September) providing a real test of just how far Michael Beale's side has come after his revolution this summer.

In other Rangers news, Todd Cantwell has opened up on the "huge" importance of the clash with Celtic

Rangers

Michael Beale