There’s little time to reflect on what has gone before if you’re a manager fighting on several fronts.
Steven Gerrard already has experience of this. Just hours after securing a brilliant point in Portugal, the Rangers manager was back preparing for the next test.
Rangers welcome Motherwell on league duty on Sunday for a game that is crucial to their title hopes.
Gerrard is delighted with the performance of his players in drawing with a class team in Porto. He would love to keep the same line-up for Ibrox against Stephen Robinson’s third-placed side.
But he fears he may have to tinker with it a touch due to the exertions in Iberia.
The manager said: "There won’t be wholesale changes as we want to keep these players playing for as long as we can.
"There are a few I really need to think hard about. Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack have only just come back and they have played slightly longer than expected so we will have to see how they recover and make late decisions on them."
Gerrard was asked about what is different from this team to that of 12 months ago.
There is no single reason, rather a combination of factors.
He added: "It’s a mixture of things. The players know how we want them to play and they are buying in to learning our style.
"We’ve also got more options and better personnel, certainly in the final third. And defensively if you look at the options at centre-back.
"It’s a combination of things – tactics, personnel.
"It’s not something you can build overnight. You need time on the grass together, experience together, you need transfer windows.
"Last night a saw a different side of us."
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