Smith: we must curb players' instincts

19 October 2010 16:00
Rangers boss Walter Smith admits he will have a problem reining in his players for the Champions League clash with Valencia at Ibrox. The Scottish champions have begun the defence of their Clydesdale Bank Premier League title with eight successive wins, scoring 13 goals in their last four SPL games. However, it was with the deployment of a more defensive formation that the Light Blues have garnered the four points from their two Champions League games against Manchester United at Old Trafford and Bursaspor at Ibrox. And after a convincing 4-1 home win over Motherwell at the weekend, the Rangers players will revert again to a safety-first approach against the highly-rated Spanish side. "It is a little bit of a problem," Smith said. "I don't think there is any doubt about that. We have to play in a manner that is not our normal way of playing but we have had to do that on a number of occasions and we have managed to handle that okay. "I think the players appreciate that there has to be a change of emphasis in these games and they have all done that very well so far this season. Last season, we struggled to handle the balance between attacking and defending but we have been a bit better this season and hopefully it will lead to better results."

Source: PA