GIOVANNI van Bronckhorst believes that the Rangers support can push his players to a positive result tomorrow night as they host Liverpool in the Champions League at a sold-out Ibrox.
The Dutchman reflected on this squad’s journey through their European campaign so far and emphasised the pivotal role that the loyal supporters play in pushing the players in high magnitude games.
Speaking to the press ahead of their sold-out match at Ibrox, the boss said: “At home we have had some strong performances, not only last season but this season too.
"The last game we played against Napoli was a really good one. We were really in the game against a strong opponent until the penalties and the red card.
"That game also gave us confidence that we can get something out of our home games. It’s another chance tomorrow to get points.
“It starts with your tactics and how you approach games. You need players that are in form. It’s connected. The way you start games and how you perform as a player. Especially in the league games we’re playing well, and we need to take that forward into tomorrow.
“We need to attack, but we also need to defend very well because we’re playing against a side who can do both. It’s going to be a very hectic game as it is when we play at home. Ibrox crowd will definitely push us to another good performance.
“You want to start games on the front foot. That’s what we’ve always done at home, especially in games where we needed a good performance. That’s also the key for us that we start the game well and make sure we keep the pressure on our opponents.
“We need to work hard as a team to create chances and score and, at the right moments, defend as well.”
Van Bronckhorst highlighted the squad’s preparations ahead of the match as they aim to secure European football after the group stages of the tournament, and he recognised the threats that Jurgen Klopp’s side will carry onto the Govan pitch.
He added: “We have respect for our opponents. We want to continue in Europe after the break so that means we need to get points in the last three games that we play.
“We analysed the game last week. Today we trained tactically and tomorrow we have to go out, enjoy being in the Champions League, but also we need to get points. We’re here to perform at the level we want, and tomorrow is another chance to do so.
“We need to get points. Ideally, three points. We want to be able to proceed in Europe when we play our last game at home against Ajax. Hopefully we’re in a situation that with a good result we can continue in Europe. That means that we need to get points out of the next two games.
“It’s different when you play away from home, especially after two defeats you don’t want to go to Anfield and open up spaces for Liverpool to exploit. You want to manage the game well.
“We have to be really focussed on the transition moments and the times where we need to defend. There are times where we have to defend. Once you’re in moments where you can be dangerous, you need to be clinical. In the away game we had two big chances to score which we didn’t. Those moments in the Champions League are very vital.”
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