THE Europa League gave Steven Gerrard his first major achievement as Rangers manager. Now he is just one tie away from repeating the feat.

When Gerrard was appointed at Ibrox, he spoke of the need to experience high-pressure environments, to celebrate on big occasions as he sought some of the same buzzes he had as a player now that he had stepped into the dugout.

The night in Ufa when his side qualified for the Europa League was a concoction of emotions for the Liverpool legend and come the end of a remarkable and memorable 90 minutes, he had done what he had set out to accomplish eight weeks and four rounds previously.

Few expected Rangers to reach the group stages at the first attempt under Gerrard but Shkupi and Osijek were taken care of before two performances against Maribor that gave an insight into the mentality that had been installed in a new-look and quickly assembled squad.

That resilience, and quality, came through as Ufa were overcome and Rangers can put that experience to good use when they face Legia Warsaw over the next fortnight.

The group that Gerrard has at his disposal is stronger and better equipped to deal with the challenges of combining a European campaign and a Premiership title challenge than it was last term.

The 39-year-old has options at the back and up front and he is spoiled for choice in the middle of the park.

Whatever three from his six he selects, Gerrard can find the right balance of control and creativity and he will be able to mix and match throughout the season should he have another half a dozen fixtures to pencil in come next Thursday night.

The Gers boss wasn’t short of numbers last season, but there was a reliance on certain players to step up time after time and Rangers didn’t have the depth that they do now.

Those that were there 12 months ago will have benefitted from the taste of European action and Gerrard himself will be better for the ups and downs he went through.

Gerrard insisted during pre-season that he wouldn’t write-off the Europa League to give Rangers a better chance of domestic success and there are fewer reasons for supporters to be wary about the impact a Euro run would have domestically than there was this time last season at Ibrox.

Having gone all the way last term, there was a greater demand on Gerrard and his players heading into their second continental campaign and the financial benefits of qualification will once again be significant if the Poles can be beaten at the play-off stage.

European football is important for Rangers in terms of pride and prestige as well, though. So while there are crucial battles to be fought domestically in the coming weeks and months, Gerrard is well aware of the need to return his side to the Europa League proper once again.

If Rangers can replicate their performances from the wins over Midtjylland, Gerrard will surely fancy their chances of seeing off a Legia side that are some 42 places higher than the Danes in the UEFA club coefficients table.

A five-minute spell aside, Rangers were more than comfortable during the first leg in Herning and the tie was emphatically put to bed under the Ibrox floodlights as Alfredo Morelos netted either side of Sheyi Ojo’s strike and a commanding 7-3 aggregate win was secured.

The Gers will head to Warsaw confident and with momentum building but this will be their toughest European assignment yet on Gerrard’s watch.

There would be no shame in falling to a side that are experienced operators at this level but it says much about the progress made under Gerrard that Rangers feel they, as a team, belong amongst the best in the Europa League.

Ufa was memorable, but Ibrox next week could be even more so.