RANGERS will have to rely once again on resolute defiance
on a foreign field if they are to reach the Uefa Cup final,
following last night's scoreless draw with Fiorentina in
the first leg of their last-four match at Ibrox.
Far from dismay at another performance which made the home
team look more like the visitors, manager Walter Smith,
not for the first time and with unarguable justification,
clearly regarded the result as a reason for optimism. His
sunny outlook was prompted by the warming recollection of
his team's exploits abroad in the tournament so far
Scoring goals in Athens (1-1) and Lisbon (2-0), following
0-0 draws in the first legs in Glasgow, took Rangers past
Panathinaikos and Sporting respectively in the round of
32 and the quarter-finals. Smith clearly believes his players
are capable of repeating those achievements at the Artemio
Franchi Stadium in Florence next Thursday.
His confidence would be deepened by the return to duty of
two of his first-choice midfield players, captain Barry
Ferguson and Kevin Thomson, both of whom missed last night's
first leg because of suspension.
"We were without a number of midfield players tonight,
including Lee McCulloch as well as the two suspended guys,"
said Smith. "It was a very tight game, with few clear-cut
chances for either side. There were periods when Fiorentina
showed their quality in terms of possession, and there were
times when we couldn't match that.
"But we worked very hard throughout the match and we
now find ourselves in a position we've been in before, having
to go away from home in Europe with a scoreless draw from
the first leg and needing a goal at least to go through.
We've managed to score goals away quite a number of times,
in the Champions League as well as the Uefa Cup.
"If you look at our European matches in general, and
we've always been at home in the first leg, you'll see that
we're in with a chance if we don't concede at home. And
you gain a certain confidence with each European match you
play.
"We had thought it was a bit early this season to do
much in Europe, but we've proved to be a hard team to beat,
and certainly a hard team to score against. That can create
a bit of edginess in the home team, knowing that, if they
concede, it will make it much more difficult for them.
"We'll take with us to Florence next week the confidence
we've got from scoring in Stuttgart, Lyon, Athens, and Lisbon.
I don't think anyone would call them easy places, so our
confidence has been growing as a result of what we've done
there."
On a night when Fiorentina produced the majority of the
forward play, Rangers were, predictably, well served by
defenders, but Smith dwelled on the contributions of goalkeeper
Neil Alexander – making his European debut in place
of the injured Allan McGregor – and the veteran David
Weir, whose 38th birthday is just 10 days away. "I
was perfectly confident that Neil would be fine," said
Smith. "He coped very well with everything, handled
crosses comfortably and the one awkward shot he had to face,
from Adrian Mutu, he also took comfortably. But he's an
experienced international goalkeeper, and that's why I was
delighted to bring him here in January.
"As for David Weir, I never thought in my wildest dreams
he would play as many games for us he has (51 this season
plus five for Scotland). He is a fantastic professional
and a terrific guy as well. Maybe when his birthday comes,
he'll deserve a rest. But, the schedule we're facing between
now and then, maybe he won't make it."
Cesare Prandelli, the Fiorentina coach, also seemed satisfied
with the outcome. Asked about the difficulty of overcoming
Rangers' habit of turning scoreless home draws into triumph
on the road, he answered simply: "There's always a
first time." |
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