Months after guiding Rangers to within a penalty shootout of a European trophy, Giovanni van Bronckhorst is under immense pressure to save his job – but is it justified?
Van Bronckhorst is nearing the anniversary of taking over from Steven Gerrard in the Ibrox hot seat after the outgoing coach left Scotland to take up the vacant managerial position at Aston Villa. Gerrard has since been relieved of his duties at Villa Park and all the signs point towards the Dutchman not being too far behind his predecessor.
A desperately disappointing Champions League campaign saw Rangers lose all six of their group games – setting a new record as the worst team in the competition’s group stage. That, along with domestic struggles (including a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Old Firm rivals Celtic), means that many Gers fans are calling for a change.
Has it Really Been that Bad?
Coming off the back of a successful league campaign, in which they were crowned champions having gone the entirety of the league season unbeaten, Van Bronckhorst was always going to have big shoes to fill when he arrived in November 2021. Ultimately, he was unsuccessful in retaining the league title with Celtic lifting the trophy for the 10th time in 11 years – despite Rangers sitting four points clear at the top when Gerrard left.
Van Bronckhorst’s Rangers finished in second, four points adrift, though it was the fairytale Europa League campaign that ignited fans’ imagination. Having qualified for the knockout round play-off, finishing second in the group, Rangers sent a seismic shock through European football by winning 4-2 away at Borussia Dortmund in the first leg, following that up with a 2-2 draw back at Ibrox.
Reaching the quarter-finals, advancing past Red Star Belgrade in the round of 16, would have been a success in itself considering the financial clout and European pedigree the competition’s remaining clubs boasted. Overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit against SC Braga, with Kemar Roofe lifting the roof off Ibrox with an extra-time winner, and the incredible fightback against highly-fancied RB Leipzig in the semi-finals are nights that will live long in the memory.
When Joseph Aribo scored in the 57th minute in Seville to put Rangers ahead against eventual winner Eintracht Frankfurt, Van Bronckhorst’s name was little more than half an hour away from immortality. Loanee Aaron Ramsey’s penalty miss proved to be the decisive factor as the Germans won on penalties.
Rangers did not finish the season empty-handed, however, as they picked themselves back up to win the Scottish Cup at Hampden Park just a few days later, once again having to play through extra time. It wasn’t the silverware that Gers fans had been dreaming of at the start of the week, but it was the club’s first Scottish Cup win since 2009. Add a European final on top, and you could argue that Rangers still had the better season in Glasgow.
This Season
As good as last season may have been, Van Bronckhorst cannot live off it forever and there are those quick to claim that the Dutchman achieved what he did with Gerrard’s team. Departures of star players like Aribo (Southampton) and Calvin Bassey (Ajax) were compensated for with the arrivals of Ben Davies, Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo, Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence, John Souttar, and Malik Tillman in the summer.
Injuries have hit Rangers hard this season, with Ianis Hagi, Filip Helander, Souttar, Davies, Connor Goldson, Yilmaz, Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack, Lawrence, and Roofe all having been notable absentees. Nevertheless, the unforgiving nature of football cares not for injuries and Van Bronckhorst is falling short of his main brief – beating Celtic.
Competing with Celtic
Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys have won 11 of their 12 league games, losing the other one 2-0 at St Mirren, while Rangers have also only lost once in the league (that Old Firm Derby), winning nine and drawing twice. Similarly, Celtic have also endured a disappointing Champions League campaign – finishing bottom of their group with two points (drawing 1-1 twice with Shakhtar Donetsk).
On paper, the only thing separating Rangers and Celtic is that emphatic 4-0 win for the champions earlier this season, though Postecoglou is lauded as a potential successor for English Premier League clubs while Van Bronckhorst constantly facing questions about his future.
The manner of Rangers performances has also been a cause for concern, having struggled past Dundee in the Scottish League Cup and a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Livingston as recent examples. A comprehensive 4-1 win over Aberdeen, though conceding first, and upcoming games that Rangers should fancy themselves in could help to relieve some of the building pressure on Van Bronckhorst.
When you are Rangers manager, your one objective is to beat Celtic and if you aren’t achieving that then you aren’t likely to last too long in the job.