Walter Smith's Euro strategy puts Rangers in decent shape for Valencia duels

VICTORIES in the Champions League for Scottish clubs have become too rare to be regarded as anything less than a minor triumph.

So while Rangers' 1-0 defeat of Bursaspor at Ibrox on Wednesday night may not have set too many pulses racing with the manner in which it was achieved, the fact it was achieved at all is to the credit of Walter Smith and his players.

As they had done at Old Trafford two weeks before, the Scottish champions carried out the instructions of their unequivocally pragmatic manager to the letter and were rewarded with a result which significantly enhanced their prospects of extending their European campaign beyond Christmas.

Whether the limit of those ambitions will be third place in Group C and relocation to the last 32 of the Europa League will largely depend on the outcome of Rangers' next two fixtures, the double header against Valencia at Ibrox on 20 October and in the Mestalla Stadium two weeks later.

As Smith was quick to observe in the immediate aftermath of the hard-earned but deserved win over Bursaspor, his squad still have a "hard struggle" ahead of them as they attempt to repair the damage done to their European credibility in last season's Champions League.

After just two matches this time around, they have already doubled the points tally they scraped together from all six last year. Even at this early stage of the campaign, those four points appear to give them a meaningful advantage over Bursaspor who have yet to get off the mark.

With the Turkish champions now heading into their own back to back matches against Manchester United before a trip to face a Valencia side who crushed them 4-0 in Bursa on matchday one, it is not difficult to envisage them remaining pointless after five games. Such a scenario, of course, would mean Rangers were guaranteed of at least third place in the group before they travel to Turkey for their final fixture. That involves the kind of supposition, however, to which Smith would never subscribe. The practicalities and inherent difficulties of the Champions League, which has delivered so many disappointments to him down the years, means he will be casting his gaze no further than Valencia's trip to Glasgow in three weeks' time.

If Smith's men could conjure up another home victory, it would give them a four-point lead over the Spanish League leaders before the return game. Valencia, though, are likely to represent a considerable step up in level from the Bursaspor side who were unable to cope with Rangers' early vibrancy on Wednesday night.The 5-4-1 formation, which looks likely to be set in stone by Smith for the rest of the European campaign, may have to be more rigidly applied in a defensive sense than it was against Bursaspor.

Not that Smith will have any reservations about adopting a policy of containment in both games against Valencia. If Rangers were to emerge from them with two more points on the board, there would be no complaints from their supporters who have willingly embraced the prosaic strategy contrived by Smith.

It was embodied on Wednesday night by Lee McCulloch, a player held in the highest regard by his manager but whose qualities are not always as obvious to the layman. But it is hard to think of anyone better suited to the role assigned to him in Rangers' new European formation.

McCulloch excelled in his holding midfield duties against Bursaspor, offering additional protection in front of the three man central defence and providing the platform for full-backs Steven Whittaker and Kirk Broadfoot to push forward to good effect when the opportunity arose.

Uefa's official statistics from the match provide a startling insight into McCulloch's contribution. He enjoyed a pass completion rate of 86 per cent, the highest of any Rangers player. McCulloch also covered more ground than any player on either side, a total of 12,014 metres according to Uefa's number crunchers. It is a perfect illustration of the willingness with which Smith's players buy into his demands of them. As they had in the 0-0 draw against United at Old Trafford, there was also a highly impressive level of game intelligence and discipline to Rangers' display. They committed just 11 fouls in the match, compared to 24 perpetrated by Bursaspor, with just one of them conceding a free-kick in a dangerous position. It led to Allan McGregor being forced into his only significant save of the night as he touched Vederson's effort over.

If Rangers can maintain those levels of unrelenting commitment and fierce concentration against Valencia, then an outcome which would raise their hopes of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League cannot be discounted.

For now, however, Smith will understandably limit himself to an ambition of avoiding the kind of calamity which visited him in the tournament last season. In that regard, he has made an undeniably encouraging start. Like Scottish football in general, he cannot be dismissive of even the slightest measure of success in the Champions League.