Rangers have a chance v Lyon, and it’s thanks to Steven Gerrard | OneFootball

Rangers host Olympique Lyonnais tonight in the latest meeting between the European regulars who have faced each other more than a few times since 2007, with the French giants overall just shading it, securing two match wins, with Rangers’ sensational victory in 2007 still living long in the memory.

That was of course at the ex-home of the Ligue 1 giants at Stade Gerland, with them playing at the 60,000-seater Parc Olympique Lyonnais these days, but that win in Lyon back then was a true giant kill – Lyon were definitively one of Europe’s best teams and Rangers crushed them on their own patch.

However, the fact is Rangers go into tonight’s crunch test with an iota of actual hope despite dispiriting domestic form, and that’s a testament to Steven Gerrard and what he built six years ago.

That is, one of Gerrard’s remits was not just to win the title, but to build a European-ready Rangers.

This was a sharp move from Rangers’ hierarchy of the time – put Rangers back on the European map by appointing a champion European player, a guy who had won the Champions League twice and the Europa League, and knew what European football took.

And his first signings were Europa level quality, more than, in Premier League regulars Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Steven Davis.

By bringing in that core, and adding more quality to it later, Gerrard laid the foundations of a European-ready Rangers, one arguably more equipped indeed for continental football than for the Scottish Premiership.

Indeed, that first season Rangers ‘punched well above their apparent weight’ in Europe, steam rollering through a staggering four qualifying rounds and making it to the group stage at the first time of asking, managing a very, very credible three draws and a win before bowing out.

This laid the core for a club who simply know how to win at that level, and of course, the following season Gerrard just nailed it totally, 3 draws and 2 wins to get to the last 16.

In short, Steven Gerrard constructed a side and a mentality that just rose to the Europa occasion. Forget the Champions League, the finances aren’t there to compete at that level (for any Scottish club, as we know), but at Europa level Rangers are a staggering animal.

And that’s down to Gerrard – there’s no coincidence that every manager since him has enjoyed some success in the Europa League – Gio obviously taking us to Sevilla, even Michael Beale managing to beat Betis at Ibrox.

Clement might have completely screwed up that last 16 v Benfica, but the opener this season v Malmo was very much Europa Rangers.

And that’s thanks to what Gerrard built.

Who would dare bet against Rangers pulling off another big win v Lyon in Govan?