Barry Ferguson isn’t stupid, he’s been around football long enough to know that Rangers still face an uphill task to make it past Fenerbahce.
A two-goal lead is an advantage, but it is a slender one when you consider some of the recent performances at Ibrox and how mentally fragile this Rangers squad has shown itself to be this season.
Having outsmarted Jose Mourinho in the first leg, Ferguson is fully aware that the Turks will play with an intensity that was missing previously and that any dip in standards or mistakes, will be punished.
One thing that the Rangers manager has also been preparing for is what Mourinho’s teams have been famous for – the dark arts.
Speaking as part of the pre-match press conference for Rangers last 16 Europa League clash with Fenerbahce, Ferguson, as well as giving an injury update, has identified a weakness in his own team.
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Barry Ferguson wants Rangers to be more streetwise
Domestically, there has been a soft underbelly to some of the play this season with the spine of the team lacking leadership and real physicality.
When asked if Rangers need to be more streetwise, Ferguson was in no doubt:
“Yeah, and I think we need to be better at those things as well,” said the Gers boss.
“I’ve mentioned that to my players, sometimes we’re too nice. We can’t be nice all the time.
“I expect Fenerbahce to be a bit like that tomorrow night, but I expect us to be a bit like that as well.”
In front of 50,000 of their own fans, Rangers have no excuse about handling the atmosphere, if anything, it should give them the extra 10% needed to get the tie over the line.
Ferguson also addressed what has become something of an elephant in the room with the home form in recent weeks seeing three successive defeats:
“That’s been a big issue. We know that and I think you all know that as well.
“It’s been an issue at times throughout the season and that’s something that I’m tasked with trying to change, and I’m working ever so hard to do it, and so are the boys as well.
“So, they’re taking everything that we’re giving them on board.
“From what I’ve seen in the last three days, it’s certainly going well.”
Is the form at Ibrox a problem?
Ferguson needs to be careful.
He’s spoken about the “issue” at Ibrox before, however, there isn’t one, with Cyriel Dessers fearing the worst too.
Aside from the last three games, Rangers had won every game but two at home this season, and one of those was against a Lyon side who were hitting the top corner from 30 yards out every time they had a shot at goal.
Continuously saying that Ibrox has been a problem only plants seeds of doubt into the players’ minds, instead, he should be reminding them that teams like Tottenham Hotspur, FCSB, Union Saint Gilloise and Celtic have brought the best out of the current squad.
Hopefully, Fenerbahce can be added to this list.
