10 years ago, Rangers were preparing for life in lowest division of Scottish soccer. Left in financial ruin, the Ibrox club had to start all over again. They had to assemble a whole new squad in a single summer. After decades of lifting trophies and playing in Europe, Rangers started on a surreal road trip around some of Scotland’s smallest stadiums.
That road, however, has led them back to the top with the Govan side set to face Eintracht Frankfurt in Wednesday’s Europa League final. A decade after losing to teams like Annan Athletic and Stirling Albion in the Scottish Third Division, Rangers are targeting their first European title since 1972.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team have seen off Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig in this season’s Europa League and so there’s good reason to believe they can go all the way. Rangers are in the final on merit. They have proved themselves as one of the best teams in Europe this season.
This season could have panned out very differently for Rangers, though. The shock departure of Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa in November could have derailed the entire campaign. There was an adjustment period as van Bronckhorst took charge, and that period ultimately cost Rangers their Scottish Premiership title, but the Europa League has brought the best out of everyone at Ibrox.
Van Bronckhorst has demonstrated his ability as a modern, forward-thinking coach by switching formations and tactics depending on the opponent. Against Borussia Dortmund, Rangers went to the Westfalenstadion and scored four goals in quick transition. Against Red Star Belgrade, though, they took more control of the ball.
Some players have been liberated by the exit of Gerrard. Ryan Kent, for instance, has been handed more responsibility in the attacking third and has responded by producing a series of eye-catching performances. RB Leipzig had no way to stop the 25-year-old as he created overloads and goalscoring opportunities.
Alfredo Morelos scored against Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade before suffering a season-ending injury in mid-March. Even in the Colombian’s absence, though, Rangers found firepower through Kemar Roofe – and when he was sidelined for the semi-final against RB Leipzig, Fashion Sakala stepped up.
Good fortune was a factor in Rangers’ memorable run to the final of the UEFA Cup in 2008, but the same can’t be said of their performance in this season’s Europa League. If anything, the Ibrox club have suffered bad luck in the number of key players – Morelos, Roofe, Ianis Hagi, Filip Helander, Aaron Ramsey – that have missed matches due to injury.
“We’ll go into the game with the same mindset as we’ve had throughout the competition,” said Kent ahead of Wednesday’s final. “We’re confident, we’ve been confident throughout the whole tournament. Without being naive, we are going in there to win, that’s for sure, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Scottish teams aren’t meant to do this well in continental competition. European soccer has slowly but surely closed the door on the country, as the most powerful clubs have tightened their grip on the sport. Just last week, it was announced that the Champions League would reserve two qualification places per season for countries with the most successful teams. Scotland will lose out from this.
Nonetheless, Rangers have proved their European pedigree over the last few seasons, making the Europa League round of 16 in each of the last two seasons. The process might have started under Gerrard, but it could reach culmination under van Bronckhorst. This is a Rangers team that now knows how to handle the big occasion.
Of course, Wednesday’s final will be the biggest occasion they have experienced so far. Over 100,000 Rangers fans are expected in Seville for the match. The 60,000-capacity Estadio La Cartuja will be opened for ticket-less supporters to watch on a big screen and it is expected to sell out.
All this highlights the opportunity in front of Rangers. They have taken years – 10 years, going all the way back to the dark days in the bottom tier of Scottish soccer – to get to this point. The process has been a long one. Some doubted they would ever reach this level of the game again.
In Eintracht Frankfurt, van Bronckhorst’s team will face a beatable opponent. Victories over Barcelona and West Ham were impressive, but Rangers have already beaten two German teams that finished the 2021/22 season far higher in the Bundesliga table – Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. They have nothing to fear and plenty to push them forward.