Rangers' Europa League hopes hang in the balance, but captain James Tavernier insists his side can still achieve knockout stage qualification despite taking just one point from their opening five fixtures. The 1-1 draw with Sporting Braga, after Rodrigo Zalazar's headbutt of Nicolas Raskin led to a costly goal for the Rangers, ended a seven-game European losing streak but raised concerns over the team's ability to compete at this level.
"We have to be more patient, probing around their final third instead of trying to shoot maybe when it's not on," Tavernier said after the match. "If we keep clean sheets, we win. That's our aim as a team, to keep clean sheets."
But the Rangers' performance in Europe has been underwhelming so far this season, and questions are being asked about whether they have the quality and depth to compete against top-tier opponents.
"Rangers rue Djiga error after draw with 10-man Braga"
The team's captain, James Tavernier, was critical of Nasser Djiga's defensive error that led to Braga's goal. "I've got no complaint with Nasser, everyone makes a mistake," he said. "We ultimately should have had that game tied up before that even happens."
Rangers' manager Danny Rohl also acknowledged the team's struggles but expressed optimism about their prospects for the remainder of the competition. "There is no question that it goes in the right direction," he said. "In European competition you cannot make many mistakes and this is something we have to work on."
The team's performance has been criticized by pundits, with some questioning whether Rangers have the talent and ability to compete at this level.
"My concern, and it's a big concern, is I'm not sure the team is capable of a lot better than that," said former Rangers striker Ally McCoist. "I really hope I'm wrong."
Rangers are set to face Ferencvaros and Porto in their next two Europa League fixtures, with progression to the knockout stage still a long shot.
As one fan succinctly put it, "That Rangers team is terrible. One of the worst to ever don't the famous blue jersey. Not one of them deserves to be playing for the club."
The team's recent form and performance in Europe have raised concerns about their ability to compete against top-tier opponents, but Tavernier remains defiant, insisting that his side can still achieve knockout stage qualification.
"Being a Rangers player, you have to win every single game," he said. "That's what we have to do from now to the end of this competition."
But with the team's European hopes hanging in the balance and their performance against Braga a worrying sign, it remains to be seen whether Rangers can turn things around and make a deep run in the competition.
"We have to be more patient, probing around their final third instead of trying to shoot maybe when it's not on," Tavernier said after the match. "If we keep clean sheets, we win. That's our aim as a team, to keep clean sheets."
But the Rangers' performance in Europe has been underwhelming so far this season, and questions are being asked about whether they have the quality and depth to compete against top-tier opponents.
"Rangers rue Djiga error after draw with 10-man Braga"
The team's captain, James Tavernier, was critical of Nasser Djiga's defensive error that led to Braga's goal. "I've got no complaint with Nasser, everyone makes a mistake," he said. "We ultimately should have had that game tied up before that even happens."
Rangers' manager Danny Rohl also acknowledged the team's struggles but expressed optimism about their prospects for the remainder of the competition. "There is no question that it goes in the right direction," he said. "In European competition you cannot make many mistakes and this is something we have to work on."
The team's performance has been criticized by pundits, with some questioning whether Rangers have the talent and ability to compete at this level.
"My concern, and it's a big concern, is I'm not sure the team is capable of a lot better than that," said former Rangers striker Ally McCoist. "I really hope I'm wrong."
Rangers are set to face Ferencvaros and Porto in their next two Europa League fixtures, with progression to the knockout stage still a long shot.
As one fan succinctly put it, "That Rangers team is terrible. One of the worst to ever don't the famous blue jersey. Not one of them deserves to be playing for the club."
The team's recent form and performance in Europe have raised concerns about their ability to compete against top-tier opponents, but Tavernier remains defiant, insisting that his side can still achieve knockout stage qualification.
"Being a Rangers player, you have to win every single game," he said. "That's what we have to do from now to the end of this competition."
But with the team's European hopes hanging in the balance and their performance against Braga a worrying sign, it remains to be seen whether Rangers can turn things around and make a deep run in the competition.
. One point from five isn't too bad, innit? They're still in with a shout for that knockout stage spot. James Tavernier's right to say they need to be more patient and probing around Braga's box instead of trying to shoot all the time. And Nasser Djiga's error wasn't the end of the world 
. Rangers are a team that's been through tough times before, like when they were relegated to the Championship. They'll bounce back from this, no doubt about it 
. Danny Rohl knows what he's doing, and Ally McCoist just needs to give them more time. I mean, one game where they didn't win is not enough to write them off entirely 
. Let's see how they do against Ferencvaros and Porto, and we'll know if they're capable of competing at that level 
.
. I think they've got some quality players, but they just aren't clicking as a team yet 
, but they need to put that into practice NOW 
! The fans are getting frustrated too, it's like "when will we see some real quality from this team?" 
. Let's hope they can turn things around against Ferencvaros and Porto, fingers crossed 
! #RangersFC #EuropaLeague #ComeOnYouGers 
I'm just walking through a park, but its not like any park i've ever been to before. The trees are all this crazy twisted shape, like someone's playin with their pencil or somethin'. And the grass is all these different colors, like a big ol' patchwork quilt. I swear, it was so vivid... made me wonder if my brain was tryin to tell me somethin'. 
. They've got some talented players, but yeah, they need to step up their game 
️. The fact that we can't even have a debate without people throwing in insults is just frustrating 
. Can't we just focus on the facts and try to help each other out? 
Rangers have got some serious talent on paper, but when you're not getting the results, it's tough to see how that's gonna cut it against top-tier teams. They've been saying all these things about being patient and probing around the final third, but at the end of the day, you can't just keep making mistakes like Nasser Djiga did there... 
Rangers have been in tough situations before, and they've always managed to scrape through. So maybe, just maybe, this time around will be different. But until we see some real signs of improvement, let's not get too carried away with the optimism, shall we? 
. It's like they're not even trying or something 
.
. That's why they're struggling against top-tier opponents, because they don't know how to work together as a team 
.
... and what's with all these pundits questioning the team's quality? should be no surprise considering how poorly they're playing 
but then again Tavernier is still super optimistic 
. James Tavernier saying they need to be more patient and probing around the final third instead of shooting wild is spot on 
. They need to work together and communicate better 
. One point from five games? Not exactly the most reassuring sign of things to come. 
. The team's got some work to do if they wanna make a deep run in the competition 
I'm not convinced they've got what it takes to compete with top-tier teams. And those pundits are right, Ally McCoist seems spot on when he says the team isn't capable of much better than that 
but at the same time, i can feel the desperation in tavernier's voice when he says we just need to win every single game... that's like, not even a strategy anymore 
but seriously though, if rangers wanna make a deep run in the europa league, they need 2 b more clinical in front of goal & work on their defensive cohesion