THE challenges will be respected and relished by Steven Gerrard. Rangers will fear no foe as they go for 56.
The visit of Livingston this afternoon doesn't just kick-off a new campaign, it is the beginning of the next stage of Gerrard's managerial career. He has won once, now he must do it again.
That is the mantra and mindset that all great Rangers teams and squads must embrace and that will be the message that Gerrard will hope his players take on board as the champions defend their crown and bid for domestic silverware.
On the continent, an arena where Gerrard's side have been so impressive over the last three years, there is now a fresh opportunity ahead of the clash with Malmo next week that will shape early European ambitions.
Rangers will be under a demand to deliver, an expectation to excel. For Gerrard, there is no added burden at Ibrox now that the monkey has been lifted from their backs after a decade-long wait.
"We are very much enthusiastic," Gerrard said. "No-one is talking about pressure.
"In this environment, everyone’s talking about the excitement of going into the new season, really looking forward to the challenges ahead in the next couple of weeks.
"We’ve got a couple of league games, an important cup game domestically. We want to get out of the blocks quickly and start the domestic season very well.
"Sandwiched in amongst those important games are two massive Champions League qualifiers.
"I mean, what a time, what a moment to be involved with this club. It’s very exciting.
"We very much see the pressure as an opportunity and we want to embrace it and look forward to it with excitement rather than fear."
The last time Rangers were preparing to face Malmo in the Champions League, they had just come off the back of a title win that was to prove their final triumph before disaster struck at Ibrox.
Those years since have been the most tumultuous in Rangers' history. Now that league flag 55 has been won, Gerrard and his players can look to the future unburdened by the past.
"First and foremost we have to embrace that pressure of being last season’s champions," Gerrard said.
"It’s important the players remain humble and grounded, keep that hunger and try to keep the level of consistency we’ve played at over the last 12 months, which has been a real, real high level.
"The evidence of what I’ve seen in training and certainly over the weekend is that the players look ready to go again.
"We’ve got a near enough fully-fit squad, besides Ryan Jack and Alfredo Morelos. In the coming weeks, we should have everyone fit and available. We’re in a good place to go and attack this season and it’s a really exciting time."
The celebrations that greeted those title-winning stars in March and May will live long in the memory for everyone at Ibrox but the next success quickly becomes more important than the last one.
Failures in the domestic cup competitions were a source of chagrin for Rangers last season and the ambitions for the new campaign - both at home and abroad - are clear for the champions this time out.
"I think it’s very much a case of the club setting new goals at the end of every year," Gerrard said. "We have quarterly catch-ups with the board from a management point of view.
"Once we were champions in the middle of March it was very much a case of sitting down with the board and resetting. A fresh remit. Fresh challenges.
"They will remain private, but I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist at Rangers to work out what they are.
"It’s basically a case of going for everything available. That’s the way we like it. That’s the way we want it.
"That’s why we have been trying to prepare the strongest squad possible, to attack everything on all fronts."
Rangers may not have swept the board in Scotland last term, but they would prove invincible over the course of the Premiership campaign as they finished 25 points clear of Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Livingston have the first crack at attempting to end that unbeaten run this season and Gerrard is well aware of what to expect from David Martindale's side on a day that Ibrox will roar once again.
Gerrard said: "Davie will have them fired up, he will have them well organised, well drilled.
"I remember a text message conversation I had towards the back end of the season, when he was desperate to be the first team to beat us and take that invincible record away from us.
"I know he will be fired up, he will be ready and he will certainly have his players ready as well. I’ve got a lot of admiration and respect for Davie.
"Since I’ve come into this job, Livingston have always been a tough challenge, home or away. They are a team that never lie down and we’ve got to respect the challenge that’s coming our way."
Share