Rangers boss Steven Gerrard responds to being called “tiny man” by Europa League rival

Steven Gerrard has refused to become involved in a spat with Osijek midfielder Robert Mudrazija after the Croatian called the Rangers manager a “tiny man”.

Rangers ran out 1-0 winners against Osijek in the first leg of their Europa League second round qualifier in Croatia last week.

But that didn’t stop Mudrazija claiming Osijek are “better, stronger, more skilful and better organised” than Rangers, according to the Telegraph, despite the Croatian side’s first leg defeat.

The second leg will take place on Thursday evening at Ibrox with Gerrard’s men in a promising position to progress to the next round.

In a press conference before the game, the former Liverpool midfielder revealed he is more concerned with his team’s preparation than Mudrazija’s comments.

"Reading between the lines I think the opposition are very confident,” Gerrard said, via the Telegraph. “I don’t think they have had many positive words to say about us.

"But we can’t control what they say and how they are feeling about the position they are in. My focus is on how my squad feels. Does their comments give us any extra motivation? Not really. My job is to prepare my team and my players.

"We will always respectful to opponents both individually and collectively here at Rangers and we will go do what we’re capable of doing. We can’t control what comes out of opposition camps.”

Gerrard also spoke about the importance of creating a “special atmosphere” for the second leg.

"We’re confident, we can’t wait for the game. We’re looking forward to a special atmosphere,” he added.

"The stage is set for us to go play how we are capable of playing. I made it very clear to the players at the weekend what Ibrox wants to see from us in possession and out of possession. The players will know the game plan and now they need to go and deliver.

"They need to forget what happened in the first leg – this game will be totally different. They need to forget about the scoreline and thinking they have an advantage, because they need to go toe-to-toe with this opposition. If we do and play to our level, I’m very confident we’ll get the right result.”

Rangers finished third in the SPL last season, three points behind runners-up Aberdeen and 12 points behind champions and fierce rivals Celtic.

The 54-time Scottish champions will be aiming to compete more