ian1964 10,413 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 LOUIS VAN GAAL last night warned Rangers they face mission impossible tomorrow night against Barcelona. The Spanish giants have big injury problems ahead of the Champions League clash with Portuguese ace Deco out for five weeks and fellow midfielders Yaya Toure and Rafael Marquez also on the sidelines. Ronaldinho missed Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Villarreal amid more reports of partying while away on World Cup duty with Brazil while Thierry Henry failed to sparkle at the weekend. But former Barca coach van Gaal has written off Walter Smith's side despite their emphatic Old Firm victory and successive group wins over Stuttgart and Lyon. He said: "Anything can happen in football but it's impossible for Rangers to beat my old club. "Rangers are doing well and have surprised many with the way they've started the group stage of the Champions League but facing Barcelona is something else. "I'm sure they will believe they can do something in Glasgow - but I just don't think it's possible. "Not only do Barca work hard but they also have a great physical strength and I don't think you can stop them at the moment. Rangers can try but I do not think so." Van Gaal knows what it takes to win the Champions League after guiding Ajax to glory in 1995 and the AZ Alkmaar boss believes Rangers' best tactic is to sit in. The man who delivered two La Liga titles during his four-year spell at the Nou Camp knows stars like Ronaldinho, Henry, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o can pick holes in any defence in the world but reckons Barca are vulnerable to the counter-attack. He said: "People talk a lot about Messi but there isn't just one star at Barca - there are 11 stars. "My advice to Rangers is to reduce the space and look for any opportunity to hit them on the break. "The way Barca play there is always space in behind their defence and Rangers must use their quick players to make the most of this." Meanwhile, one of Henry's old Arsenal team-mates reckons the Frenchman can be stopped at Ibrox. Robert Pires was in the Villarreal side that won on Saturday night and he reckons Barca aren't giving Henry the ball enough Pires said: "Barcelona are not playing as they have to with Henry. "They are not looking for him enough. He hardly touched the ball against us. He is a player who needs to be on the ball. "He has to be involved in the game. At Arsenal when we had the ball we would always look for him but at Barcelona that is just not happening." Henry scored three times for France last week to become his country's all-time record goal scorer but delivered his worst Barcelona display ahead of the trip to Scotland. However, Pires blamed the poor club form on Barcelona's failure to play to Henry's strengths rather than any lethargy from his former team-mate. He said: "They both have to adapt to each other. Barcelona have to adapt and Thierry also but he is a player who is very easy to play with - and I'm not saying this because I played for three years with him." Pires led Villarreal's assault on Barcelona's jittery defence with the Barca back-line breached three times inside the first 35 minutes. And he believes a similar hightempo game can earn Rangers a shock win tomorrow. Pires said: "Rangers have to be aggressive in midfield. If you want to beat Barcelona you have to put them under pressure in the middle of the park. "You have to be on top of Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Deco, although Deco won't be playing after his injury on Saturday. "Those three are the most important players in their team and it is from there that the danger comes so you cannot afford to let them play. "It will be very difficult for Barcelona in Scotland because of the pace Rangers play at. "You would expect Barcelona to win but they always give you chances to score. You have to put them under pressure - that is why we won on Saturday. "We put them under pressure, we defended well, we got hold of the ball and we played with great intensity." Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna reckons Ibrox' intimidating atmosphere can roar Rangers to victory. The midfielder, who scored two penalties in the surprise weekend win, played at Ibrox two seasons ago for Villarreal in the last 16 of the Champions League. Senna said: "The fans are like an extra player for Rangers. The Ibrox atmosphere is one of the best in the world. "When I played there it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "I would love it if the fans in Spain were like that. Rangers' supporters are among the best in the world and they can help their team enormously. "When we played there we drew 2-2 - we went ahead and then they came back at us and the fans made anoise I have never heard before. I will never forget that night." Senna agreed with team-mate Pires that Rangers can take the points if they get in among Barca's superstars. He said: "When you play against Barca you can't give them space to play. They have great players in midfield so you have to put them under pressure and play with speed and intensity because if not then they kill you. "I think Rangers can play that way - they are a very strong team, a big team in Scotland - and I think they can play with that intensity and beat Barca. "Of course, they have to play a very complete game because Barcelona are one of the best sides in Europe. "It doesn't get you anywhere to sit back against Barcelona. They will just play the ball around and they will wear you out with their passing game. "We were playing at home and we have a good team so we were not going to just sit back and defend. "We did what we always do - we played our football and tried to get forward whenever it was possible." Barcelona were criticised in the Spanish press following the defeat at Villarreal but Frank Rijkaard's No.2 Johan Neeskens insists his side aren't worried. He said. "Rangers always play the same way - especially at home - so we are not expecting any surprises. We know they had a big win at the weekend but that is good. "It won't change how we approach the game. Always when we go out to play a game we play for the win." 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmck 117 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 ""Anything can happen in football but it's impossible for Rangers to beat my old club." thats one of those statements like in anchorman "60% of the time, it works, everytime" "that, that doesn't make sense". 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Didn't we have no chance against Lyon? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Thats the sort of statement we need - totally written off as underdogs. However I disagree that we should sit back and hit them on the break, we cant give them so much possession. Id be getting stuck into them coz they wont like it one bit. Its a one off chance to have Barca at Ibrox and id have a go at them. If we lose 3-0 then nobody is going to have a go at the team - we were never expected to win anyway plus we are already on 6 pts in the so called group of death. Coming off topic but I actually wonder if Henry will regret leaving Arsenal - he went from hero and top player to - what Pires says - playing in a team who dont look for him, yet he will be looking on and seeing how good arsenal are doing. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,413 Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Rangers v Barcelona Group E tomorrow Sky Sports 2, kick-off 7.45pm Giovanni van Bronckhorst has spent so many years on the Champions League stage that it feels strange for him to be sitting in front of the television at his home in the Netherlands watching this season’s tournament unfold. Tomorrow night, he will not just be a passive viewer. The Dutchman’s heart will be pulling in two separate directions. It has been six years since Van Bronckhorst left Ibrox but that has not diluted his great affection for Rangers. Normally, the 32-year-old would be giving his complete backing to the Glasgow club. However, they are playing Barcelona, the team with whom he lifted the European Cup in 2006 after a memorable comeback against Arsenal, another of his former teams. “I just hope it is a great game for the fans and obviously I would love both teams to qualify,” is Van Bronckhorst’s diplomatic stance. He may well get his wish. Rangers have come out of the blocks so impressively in Group E that two victories in the first two games, against VfB Stuttgart and Lyons, have given Walter Smith’s side six points and a surprise share of the leadership with Barcelona. Related Links Aberdeen limp off to Athens No one has been more thrilled than Van Bronckhorst, who won two Scottish titles during his three years at Ibrox before a Ã?£7.5 million move to Highbury in 2001. “I said before the tournament started that Rangers could progress this season and their results so far have been fantastic,” the Holland player told icons.com. “However, this will easily be their biggest test. Barcelona are playing some great football and even at Ibrox they will be incredibly dangerous.” Celtic can testify to that. Barcelona are the only one of the past 17 Champions League visitors to win at Celtic Park, thanks in part to Henrik Larsson, who scored in a 3-1 success in September 2004 only months after leaving the Scottish club. The east end of Glasgow reserved a few jeers for Van Bronckhorst that night because of his association with the other half of the Old Firm. However, while Barcelona are the sort of club that players find it hard to say no to, that is exactly what Van Bronckhorst has done. The gifted left-sided midfield player, who frequently played at left back for Barcelona just to get into Frank Rijkaard’s stellar lineup, left the Nou Camp during the summer to return to Feyenoord, his first club and the one he left in 1998 when Dick Advocaat paid Ã?£5 million to bring him to Rangers. Van Bronckhorst put his heart ahead of money, eschewing a larger salary at BarÃ?§a – to whom he was contracted until 2008 – so that he could return to Rotterdam, to the city in which he was raised, and to the club he supported as a child and joined at the age of 7. Feyenoord, however, are not involved in European action this season. They were banned after their supporters caused trouble at a Uefa Cup tie in Nancy, France, last season. He may have thought he had escaped the limelight by returning to the Netherlands but this week he has been besieged by journalists from Spain and Scotland seeking his views on the Rangers-Barcelona contest. One player, above all others, excites him: Lionel Messi. Ibrox should be able to see the mesmeric Argentina player, but Van Bronckhorst already detects a maturity from the forward who turned 20 only in June. “Lionel is living up to all the hopes that everyone has for him,” he said. “He is a player with amazing skill and is putting those talents to the best use for the team. I enjoyed watching him progress at the Nou Camp and, to be honest, we are all amazed by him.” And Van Bronckhorst insists that, at 32, the learning curve is not over for him either. “As a captain now at Feyenoord I know the responsibility of leadership when things are not going well. I have played under some great captains, like Barry Ferguson, Tony Adams and Carlos Puyol, and I learnt from them.” 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraser54 0 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Bring them on We are underdogs, i am confident we can take a point of them 4 points and we are through from this group 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yieldshields loyal 0 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Plenty of folk looking for us to get a result against them by the sounds of it though! What Pires and Senna have said will be true, combine that with a good few hard tackles on the fancy-dans early doors and they will know they are in a game! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Plenty of folk looking for us to get a result against them by the sounds of it though! What Pires and Senna have said will be true, combine that with a good few hard tackles on the fancy-dans early doors and they will know they are in a game! Ayrton Senna spoke from his grave? :fish: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yieldshields loyal 0 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ayrton Senna spoke from his grave? :fish: Aye he wis a Madrid Fan! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmck 117 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 must say though, the guy's right. cant see us getting much else than a humping against the best passing team in the world. two banks of five aren't going to be enough to stop this crowd. hope i'm wrong though. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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