Exposed: The Real Reason Rangers Turn Into a Different Team in Europe | OneFootball

Once again, fans are scratching their heads at Rangers’ split personality — the ruthless European side versus the limp domestic one. After beating Plzen in midweek, supporters expected the same torrential lineup to deliver against Dundee. Instead, they got the all-too-familiar drop-off.

There are clear reasons for this. First, the midweek win came with a big caveat. Viktoria Plzen had just sold their best player, Pavel Sulc, to Lyon. Sulc was their fulcrum, their Messi, the playmaker who dictated everything in attacking midfield. The previous season, with him, Plzen finished second in the Czech league and looked like Champions League contenders. Without him, they were hamstrung. Against Rangers, they looked clueless — no plan, no rhythm, no direction. Rangers’ performance was solid, but the reality is the opposition had been gutted before a ball was kicked.

The bigger truth runs deeper. Rangers shine in Europe because of Steven Gerrard. Pedro Caixinha oversaw the humiliating 2017 defeat to Progrès Niederkorn, one of the worst results in Rangers’ European history. Everything changed a year later when Gerrard arrived. Chairman Dave King tasked him with building a squad capable of competing in Europe. Gerrard delivered, using his Champions League and UEFA Cup-winning experience to mould a side with the DNA to win on the continent.

That first Europa League season showed the transformation — beating Rapid Vienna, drawing with Villarreal — and doing so with signings like Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Steven Davis, players who knew how to thrive at that level. The European DNA was set.

Since then, no matter the manager, Rangers have kept that edge. Giovanni van Bronckhorst took the club to Seville. Philippe Clement notched big results in the Europa League last 16. Even Michael Beale beat Real Betis ‘ffs’. Even Russell Martin, of all people, can beat Panathinaikos and Plzen.. That isn’t about him. It’s about the foundations Gerrard laid in 2018.

Domestically? No Rangers manager has been able to cultivate the winning DNA at Ibrox, the Walter style, the hard football, the win at all costs. It’s all ‘progressive attempts’ to find their own way, the Warburton nonsense which is tiki tika lite but doesn’t work in Scotland. Until Rangers hire a manager who understands that ethos, it’ll continue domestically.

Gerrard built a squad, a culture and an ethos that works in Europe. As long as that DNA remains in the club, Rangers will keep producing continental results that far outstrip their domestic form. Gerrard planted it years ago, and it still runs through Ibrox today.. Simple as that.