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Leaked news about rangers worry
Tam McManus thinks Rangers supporters will be a “wee bit concerned” by a lack of attacking threat shown in their Europa League exit to Benfica.
The Gers would have fancied their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals after drawing the first leg of their last-16 tie 2-2 with the Portuguese giants in the first leg (7 March).
However, a limp 1-0 defeat at Ibrox on Thursday (14 March) meant they were sent packing and McManus thinks it was an opportunity missed in a match where he thought Rangers failed to gel in the attacking third when watching the game.
“I think Rangers will be disappointed, it’s an opportunity missed, I think if they played to their full potential they could have got through that game and in the final third I think they’re lacking quality at the minute, that’s not just in Europe that’s domestically as well,” he said on the PLZ Soccer Show (15 March).
“They didn’t really create a lot of chances and that’s not like the Rangers team of the last few years, they’ve always created chances at Ibrox but they didn’t really look like scoring all night.
“I think they’ll be a wee bit concerned with the quality they’ve got, the players they’ve got missing, I just don’t think they’re quite clicking at the minute.”
Rangers fail to fire versus Benfica in the Europa League
On the face of it, there was very little to split the two teams at Ibrox with Rangers having 12 shots and three on target to Benfica’s 14 and four.
Benfica have obviously traditionally been a great threat in European competition but it really did feel like Rangers missed a fantastic opportunity to progress to the last eight of the competition.
There is still plenty to play for this term, though. Rangers already have the Viaplay Cup trophy in the back, they have a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts to look forward to, and they lead Celtic by two points at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
They will, though, want to see a bit more attacking thrust when they return to Scottish Premiership duties against Dundee on Sunday (17 March).
