While he was only at Rangers FC for a short amount of time, Marco Negri will always be remembered as a club legend, scoring 23 goals in his first 10 league games for the Ibrox side.
He’s someone Giovanni van Bronckorst could really do with, with the Scottish club losing their last two games against Celtic and Ajax 4-0, and they will be looking to rebound on Wednesday as they welcome Napoli to Glasgow.
This, however, could be tricky, as the Serie A side are doing great, recently dismantling Liverpool 4-1 in the Champions League, and the fact both clubs are set to enter the game with very different forms could make it very tricky for Rangers.
Negri told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Rangers are in a very delicate period. They lost the Old Firm firmly, 4-0, and it was a huge psychological blow. There was a chance to make up for it with the debut in the Champions League, the culmination of an amazing run-up.
“From the failure of 2012 from which few would have recovered and instead another 4-0 against Ajax, who dominate them. There was no reaction, the first yellow card came in the 62nd minute. It really lacked determination.”
What could play in Rangers’ favour, however, is that they play at Ibrox, infamous for its atmosphere that can help boost their home team into producing unexpected results.
This is something Negri is counting on: “There you can’t not get fired up. It makes you press the red button of aggression, of motivation. Go out and hear the roar, and you’re not afraid of anyone. Go attack without fear. [Ibrox] is the 12th man. Napoli players could be affected.”
We’ll have to wait and see about that, but the ex-Rangers striker does believe there is a chance for his former side, with Ryan Kent the man ‘who can make the difference’.
That being said, being too attacking at home could be what causes the downfall of Van Bronckhorst’s side, meaning they still need to be careful.
Negri added: “Rangers will be aggressive, but Napoli are the team that technically have the best counter moves in Italy when attacked under pressure. And once you get out of the ball you go to those three in front … Even if Osimhen is a big loss.”
