What Barry Ferguson thinks of THAT Clement dig as Rangers boss sees Mourinho 'defensive' assessment differently
Barry Ferguson is happy to let people make up their own mind on Jose Mourinho as he responded to the spiky war of words between the Special One and his predecessor at Rangers
Fergie be a managerial novice at this level – but unlike the man who came before him, he was handed the Mourinho seal of approval. The former Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United gaffer slapped down the Belgian who sparked the wrath of the double Champions League winner by insisting he was no fan of Mourinho’s defence-minded style. But Ferguson certainly doesn’t expect his Fenerbahce side to play with the handbrake on.
“It’s easy to say, but he's a top-class manager,” said the former Gers skipper. “He's won, I think, 26 titles in Portugal, England, Italy. So I'm really looking forward to coming up against him. It’s up to other people to decide what they're thinking.”
He added: “I know a lot of people say he's a defensive coach, but he's a top coach also. He knows how to set up teams and the way that they play. We've watched probably 10 games over the last four days and I don't see it, I don't see the way his team play as a defensive team.
“They have so many attack-minded players, whether it's Tadic, Dzeko, the two wing-backs who are really forward-thinking as well, the midfielders are good on the ball, they make aggressive passes. So, yeah, we're expecting a tough game.”
Ferguson made 82 appearances in European action for Rangers and he admits he’ll be using all that experience as he plots a result to take back to Glasgow for next week’s second leg. He said: “I know a lot of people say that I'm new to this job, and rightly so. But I've played in a lot of European games.
“Whether that be the Champions League or the UEFA Cup. I understand the times that you need to play a different way. That's something that me and my coaching staff have sat down and spoken about. We're not going into this blind. We're coming up against a very good team with very good players. And in my opinion, a top manager.
“So we're expecting a tough night. But we're prepared. The guys know their jobs. They know their roles with and without the ball. So let's just look ahead to the game tomorrow night.”
Ferguson’s preparations haven’t been ideal after seeing his Ibrox homecoming ruined by Motherwell at the weekend. But he’s hoping for better news on the injury front.
He said: “Everybody's travelled. Obviously, I guess you're asking about John Souttar and Leon Balogun. Both trained again today and I need to again wait until tomorrow morning to see how they react. But it was good to see them both back training and hopefully be available for selection tomorrow night.”
