NafisaDerek McInnes admitted Rangers were their own worst enemies after throwing away an early lead in Thursday night’s Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Bialystok, insisting his side “beat themselves” rather than being outplayed.
The Light Blues made the perfect start in Poland when a dangerous cross from Tuur Rommens forced Guilherme Montoia into turning the ball into his own net after just four minutes.
With Rangers controlling possession and looking comfortable, it appeared McInnes’ side were on course to take a valuable first-leg advantage back to Ibrox.
Instead, everything quickly unravelled.
The Polish side equalised just nine minutes later before Kajetan Szmyt struck again to complete a dramatic turnaround, exposing Rangers’ defensive frailties and leaving McInnes frustrated at what he described as self-inflicted mistakes.
Speaking after the match, the Rangers boss refused to blame the opposition, insisting his own players abandoned the game plan that had handed them complete control in the opening stages.
“I felt we beat ourselves,” McInnes told BBC Radio Scotland.
“We started the game really well and in absolute control.
“Our three did fine in there at times.
“We got off to a good start with a good bit of combination play, being patient with what we were trying to do, and putting stress on their defenders.
“We scored an own goal and it was a perfect start.
“Then we stopped doing what was working for us.
“We made two mistakes for the two goals.
“I’m not going to watch us all season lose the ball on the edge of the box and have it end up in a chance for the opposition.”
McInnes admitted Rangers lacked the concentration, aggression and organisation required after taking the lead, allowing Jagiellonia to grow into the contest and punish costly defensive errors.
The defeat continued a worrying pattern after the opening-day Premiership draw against Dundee United, with Rangers once again failing to convert promising spells into positive results.
Despite the disappointing outcome, the manager highlighted several encouraging performances after making changes during the second half.
“There are positives,” he said.
“The substitutes did well; Findlay, Nico, Cammy, and Vanya came on.”
Rather than throwing everything forward late in the game, McInnes explained that Rangers deliberately kept the bigger picture in mind, believing they remain capable of overturning the deficit at Ibrox.
“We didn’t throw the kitchen sink at it because it is a two-legged game and we feel there is another big performance in us at home next Thursday.”
The Rangers boss also praised Jagiellonia’s quality, particularly their ability to transition quickly from defence into attack, but felt his own side created enough opportunities after the interval to leave Poland with a different result.
Attention is now turning towards strengthening the squad before the transfer window closes, with McInnes making it clear that more arrivals remain a priority.
Recent signing Daisuke Yokota has joined the club, but the manager believes Rangers still require reinforcements at both ends of the pitch.
“Yes. It doesn’t help that Ben (Godfrey) gets injured.
“It doesn’t help that Makhanya hasn’t played 90 minutes since the back end of May.
“We are trying to get him up to speed.”
McInnes acknowledged that several new players are still adapting to life at Rangers, but insisted the club are continuing to work aggressively behind the scenes to reshape the squad.
“We have reasons for where we are, but we still have work to do.
“It is collaborative; we are all together to try and bring the specific players we need to the club, both in an attacking and a defensive sense.
“The squad will look different when the window closes.
“While we are getting there, we have to be winning games.
“You are judged on winning games. I am hopeful we will win the tie.”
Rangers now return to Glasgow knowing they must produce a much-improved display at Ibrox next week if they are to keep their Europa League hopes alive and avoid an early European setback under McInnes.
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