If there is one thing that stands out about Rangers’ last European match at home, albeit at Ibrox that time, it was manager Philippe Clement’s suicidally poor tactics that night that were set up for trying to overcome a 0-3 reverse.
It was Benfica, but it was no 0-3 reverse; it was that brilliant 2-2 in Portugal in which Fabio Silva (remember him) had a particularly strong night, but best remembered perhaps for the surprise of seeing Dujon Sterling deployed as a right winger.
That worked because it was the last thing the Lisbon giants were expecting, and Sterling’s muscle, power and pace got to the rearguard without a tactic to cope with it, and Rangers got out of Portugal with a brilliant draw. Clement was a genius.
Who then absolutely effed it all up with the counter-opposite gameplan at Ibrox for the return – a ridiculously high defensive line which was trying to take the game to the visitors when we should have been trying to protect the lead a little and play a much more cautious approach.
It meant Benfica got behind the defence very easily (one lobbed ball after another taking the defence out repeatedly) and but for better finishing and better luck, would have left Ibrox with more than just the one goal.
Why Clement played this way we have no idea, it was set up to lose and was a massively-high-risk approach for very little reason.
Indeed, he has never been further in any European competition than the last 16 – never been to a European quarter as a manager with any club, and his weakness at that level is knock-out football and its pressures.
With this being a qualifier, Rangers are already at the ‘KO stage’ – lose a tie, you’re out.
And we really, REALLY hope Clement learned from his poor tactical choice (which he didn’t even fix in that match) and doesn’t play a crazy high line or suicidal tactics at Hampden.
We really hope the man gives us a real chance of getting through to the playoffs. Doing so would be remarkable.
He has shown, in Portugal, and indeed in Betis, that he can coach successfully at European level, but finishing the job (at Ibrox) has been a more difficult proposition.
We hope the man sets his team up to give Rangers a real chance of going through.