STEVEN GERRARD has ordered his shot shy strikers to get their act together after they let FK Shukpi off the hook for the second time in a week. His Rangers side are safely through the second qualifying round of the Europa League after their 0-0 draw in Skopje. Gerrard has ordered his strikers to get their act togetherWillie Vass First leg goals from Jamie Murphy and James Tavernier proved enough as Gers avoided a repeat of last year’s embarrassing early Euro exit. But gaffer Gerrard was still far from happy – demanding an improvement in quality in the final third. Gerrard said: “Yes, it was very professional. “I was happy with the shape, I was happy with a lot of things about our game out of possession and I thought we managed the game well. It was another blank for Morelos in SkopjeEPA “Besides one chance at the death, which was an excellent chance for them, I thought we were pretty solid and clean in terms of out of possession. “But in possession, in the first 30 minutes we were nowhere near good enough at retaining the ball. “We kept giving it back, winning it back, giving it back. “You can’t do that away in Europe, you have got to hide the ball for long periods in a game and enjoy being on the ball. “Our ball retention needs to improve and the thing that is smacking me in the face right now is our quality in the final third. “We need to improve sharpish.” Rangers were rarely troubled on a night when the finally exorcised the ghost of Progres Niederkorn. Windass had chances but failed to find the netEPA They will discover their second round opponent’s on Thursday with the first leg away from home. But Gerrard knows there is much room for improvement between now and then. CHICK STICKS Alfredo Morelos branded a ‘bad amateur’ for FK Shkupi display by BBC pundit Chick Young He confessed: “We are pleased with the result in terms of the progression into the next round. “You saw two sides of Rangers. “You saw a very solid team, very organised, good game management and shape. “I was pleased with how we played out of possession. We were sloppy in the first 30 minutes. related stories REALITY CHECK Rangers need more signings to catch up with Celtic and Aberdeen says Dodds CHICK STICK Morelos branded a ‘bad amateur’ for Shkupi display by BBC pundit Chick Young Man-bys Rangers ratings as one player gets an 8 out of 10 in draw with FK Shkupi FK SHKUPI 0 RANGERS 0 Steven Gerrard’s side get the job done in Macedonia after gritty draw Rams win race Rangers and Celtic target Harry Wilson joins Derby County on loan Top drawer Steven Gerrard shows he’s still got it with sublime touch in Rangers training “In possession, we need to retain the ball better. Also there was a lack of quality in the final third. “We created some chances but at the moment we are not looking sharp and 100 per cent in front of goal. “But I’m confident that will come. As a manager, I’m quite mixed on our performance.” Keep up to date with ALL the latest news, transfers and goals from Scottish football plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
Source: Scottish Sun, News
Source: Scottish Sun, News
