A COACH wanting his team to play more like Paris Saint-Germain smacks of wishful thinking.
The French champions showed once again this week they are on an altogether different level to most, very possibly all, clubs on the planet at the moment. Their 7-1 demolition of Celtic on Wednesday night saw them set a new Champions League record for goals scored in the group stages - with a game to spare.
Yet, Graeme Murty, the Rangers caretaker manager, believes his charges can learn an important lesson from how Unai Emery’s star-studded side, who have now netted 24 times in just five Group B games, responded to falling behind in the first minute in the Parc des Princes in midweek when Moussa Dembele scored at a corner for the visitors.
Read more: Derek McInnes has told me is going nowhere, says Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne
He may not have players of the same technical ability as Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar - a forward line which will, when Monaco loan player Mbappe joins them permanently next summer, cost PSG in excess of £300 million - but Murty still feels his men can emulate the composure they displayed in adversity.
Rangers slumped to an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Hamilton at Ibrox last Saturday to squander the chance to win three games in a row for the first time in nearly a year and the man who oversaw the defeat felt that not keeping faith with their game plan after conceding early in the second half was partially responsible.
“Everyone in the stadium got a little anxious after seeing us dominating the first half and not scoring,” he said. “We then let in a really poor goal. Everyone gets deflated after that - which is only natural. What we need to do is be more resilient than that and comeback. We need to have a bit of the PSGs about us.
“I just thought they showed a fantastic response after going a goal down so early in the game. They trusted the players, they trusted their methods and they were open, expressive and brave. They have a £200 million man (Neymar) who makes a slight difference, but, other than that, the attitude and application after going a goal down is what you would have expected.
Read more: Derek McInnes has told me is going nowhere, says Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne
“There was no change in method or tactic, they just believed in what they were doing. When you have a team that believes in itself it translates into good performances.
“They players have to stand up to it (the crowd’s reaction to falling behind). It won’t ever change at this football club because it’s built on winning. They have to shoulder that burden if indeed it is a burden. Personally, I think it’s a privilege to have that air of expectation behind you. You can use that as really good energy to go forward and take the game to the opposition.”
Murty could have been forgiven for feeling relieved that Rangers weren’t involved in Europe’s premier club competition this season as he watched their city rivals – who have once again been comfortably the best team in Scotland this season - suffer another abject humiliation at the hands of Saint-Germain.
But quite the opposite is true. The former Scotland internationalist believes that is still the level which the Glasgow giants, beaten by Luxembourgian part-timers Progres Niederkorn, should aspire to play at in seasons to come.
Read more: Derek McInnes has told me is going nowhere, says Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne
Asked what he had thought of the Celtic game, he said: “It made me personally hungrier than ever to get back up there and compete with the very best and see how far we have to go. At the top level, we all want to see European nights at Ibrox and the best teams coming to play and measure ourselves against them. I know the players do, I know the coaching staff do.
“We want to see top, top teams and put ourselves to the challenge. That is what this club needs to be about. Although it was difficult for them across the way the other day, we would love to be in the situation to play against those top clubs like they did.”
One Rangers player who has played in the Champions League in the past is Bruno Alves and Murty revealed the vastly experienced Portuguese centre half had been upset by suggestions that he refused to accept being named among the substitutes for the Hamilton game last weekend.
The defender was suffering from a back injury and will miss the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Dundee at Dens Park this evening because of it.
“He is a consummate professional,” he said. “In all of his career, he has never once refused when he has been part of a squad to play any part that coach has given him. He has been very respectful, very open and very honest. He had an impact injury from an aerial challenge when he landed on his back.”
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