Blog: Revolting Rangers.
Rangers have reached the UEFA Cup Final with an approach that was either “heroic” or enough to make Susy Campanale lose her faith in football
If I were a Rangers fan, I’d frankly be embarrassed right now rather than celebrating. To see a team play that badly, that negatively and that cynically and yet reach the UEFA Cup Final is a painful event for any admirer of this sport.
The British media was all over the “heroic” performance, but can you imagine what the same people would say if an Italian side played like that? The Catenaccio and “typical negative Italian” jokes would come out, combined with complaints that they were out to kill the game for fans and neutrals alike. It’s a farce to see Rangers praised for such an approach.
This is a team that scored five goals in eight games to reach the Final. Having difficulty scoring is one thing, but Rangers seem to start out with penalties at the forefront of their minds. They never intend to get a goal unless it’s on the break or from a lucky deflection.
I have never seen a club side defend so deep and at times I wondered whether the entire match would be played in one half of the field. Watching Scotland play you’d never dream of such a negative tactic, yet Rangers are in the running for four trophies despite the fact watching them is a dispiriting and depressing experience.
At least Zenit St Petersburg can be proud after a fantastic performance to crush Bayern Munich 4-0. Even with Luca Toni back from a ban, the Germans were unravelled by a side that knew how to attack as well as defend. Surely all neutrals will be cheering on the Russians in Manchester?
The UEFA Cup has often been one of shocks in recent years and Zenit are among the most impressive underdogs ever seen in the competition. Before a ball was even kicked in this campaign there have been dreams of the Toni v Viola Final, but as it turns out neither of them are turning up to the reunion. Maybe it’ll have to wait until the Champions League…
Of course this semi-final also proved beyond reasonable doubt that Christian Vieri has left his retirement at least two years too late. Every time Bobo lumbers on to the pitch with a wobbly belly and increasingly daft haircut, a little bit more of the respect that the football world still has for this man ebbs away down the drain. He strikes a pitiful figure and at this rate would struggle to find first team football at Bari. Someone put him out of his misery.
Source:
Football Italia