Rangers will take on Polish heavyweights Legia Warsaw at Ibrox which could be a decisive week for the Gers in the new season. Steven Gerrard’s men escaped with a 0-0 draw in the first leg, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Warsaw were the better outfit on that day.
The Scottish giants will hope that they can get a result at home. However, Warsaw are known to have a stubborn defence so one can expect this contest to go down the wire. Here are three things which Gerrard needs to do to get a positive result.
Start strong
The opening period of a big European home game is probably the most critical time for the home team. The occasion might slightly overawe the opposition, or they might need some time to adjust to the pace of the game, and that will probably be the best time for Rangers to strike. We hope that the Gers don’t take a conservative approach in the opening half-hour.
Indeed, Gerrard doesn’t need to go gung-ho entirely as the game is evenly balanced right now. But Rangers play at their best when they deploy a high press and can win the ball up the pitch. We expect the forward and midfielders to pin the Warsaw team down early on.
Getting back to the 4-3-3
Gerrard deployed a 4-4-2 formation in the first leg with Ojo starting up top with Morelos in a slightly central role. Morelos and Ojo have combined well, and their partnership had looked threatening. Maybe that was the reason why Gerrard wanted to play them together. However, Ojo wasn’t able to influence the game much when he was used in that role.
The English winger is at his best when he gets to isolate fullbacks in a one on one situation, and he can run at them using his pace and dribbling skills. Gerrard should revert back to the 4-3-3.
Staying organised defensively
Rangers have had a good scoring record in earlier rounds before, but they failed to get an away goal against Warsaw. In fact, Warsaw have managed to keep clean sheets in all their Europa League home games so far. An away goal at Ibrox will change the tie completely, and Rangers need to be wary of that. Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic will need to have a big night, and they need to keep things safe and calm at the back.
We are expecting the home team to not dwell on the ball much when they are under pressure as Rangers should avoid all kind of basic errors in this all-important clash. Jon Flanagan is also likely to come in at left-back, and he too should add more solidity to the backline.
