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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Gabriel McKay

Steven Gerrard in Rangers vs Malmo warning as champions lose 'unbreakable' aura in Dundee United defeat

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has warned his players they'll need to buck up their ideas for "the biggest game we've had together" against Malmo.

The Premiership champions slumped to a second defeat on the spin as they were beaten 2-1 by Dundee United at Tannadice.

That followed a 2-1 loss to Malmo in the Champions League third qualifying round, and the Rangers boss has warned his players they'll need to be far better on Tuesday.

Gerrard told Rangers TV: "It's my job to pick the boys up now, we've got no time to feel sorry for ourselves.

"We'll have to accept what's coming our way in the next 24-48 hours and get them ready for Tuesday night which is possibly the biggest game we've had together as a group.

"So I've got a job in my hands in the next 48 hours for sure.

"Every time you face a bump or a setback, or you get a bad result - today's a bad result - I accept that. But it's an opportunity to reset, regroup and we'll analyse it, speak to the players individually and collectively, and come kick-off I'll have to have them ready to go and put in a top performance.

"The level of the last performances won't be enough that's for sure."

(SNS Group)

The defeat at Tannadice was Rangers' first in 40 league games, and the manager admits he was disappointed with his side's showing.

Gerrard said: "It's not the result we came here for or the performance we were looking for.

"That's on me and that's on us as a group. These boys have taken me on an incredible run but to do that we've been really high level, we've been tough - and unbreakable, almost.

"Unfortunately that wasn't the case today. I don't think going forward we've created enough within the game, but at the same time I don't think we deserved to lose the game.

"But you always put yourself in that position for one little deflection or one breakaway like they got, and the kid's put the goal away really well.

"It's on us and we have to accept it, we have to suck the pain up and get them ready for the next three days."

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