Gerrard belief in Rangers side 'not changed'
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard says his belief in his players has not changed, despite his frustration over their League Cup semi-final defeat.
The Ibrox side were beaten 1-0 by Aberdeen at Hampden on Sunday and re-iterated his warning for players to “step up”[1].
“My belief and confidence in the players hasn’t changed because of the game at the weekend,” Gerrard said.
“We played really well but got caught on a sucker-punch of counter attack.”
Speaking on Rangers TV, he added that they would put right the problems in attack when they face Kilmarnock at home on Wednesday.
“At a big club, you expect big players to step up on big occasions and provide big moments,” he said.
“If that doesn’t happen at any big club, the manager finds better players who will do that.”
The former Liverpool captain added that the side want to “make supporters happy again” and the way to do that was winning.
Ferguson header sends Aberdeen into final[2]
‘Blame me but team must step up’ – Gerrard[3]
Rangers will be bolstered up front for the game with the return of strikers Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty, who he added will “for sure” make up for some of what has been lacking in the final third.
Kilmarnock go into the Premiership game with a three-point and three-place advantage over their hosts and, for the Ibrox boss, a familiar face in former Liverpool assistant Steve Clarke.
“Steve will come and try and frustrate us, get the crowd on our back,” he predicted.
“He’s got a good team and players and I have respect for Kilmarnock whether we beat them at their place or not, it’s irrelevant. They’re coming in with confidence, so it’ll be a really good test for us.”
Rangers sit fifth in the table, level on points with St Johnstone as they look to record a third consecutive league win.
“The lads are lucky because this game comes around quickly,” he added. “The last thing you want after a semi-final loss is a long time to wait to play again.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the reaction of my players.”
References
^ re-iterated his warning for players to “step up” (www.bbc.co.uk)
^ Ferguson header sends Aberdeen into final (www.bbc.co.uk)
^ ‘Blame me but team must step up’ – Gerrard (www.bbc.co.uk)
BBC Sport – Scottish
Gerrard belief in Rangers side 'not changed' was originally published on 365 Football