Tam McManus believes that Scottish football enthusiasts would have preferred witnessing Rangers eliminate Benfica from the Europa League, as he pointed the finger at Celtic for the current coefficient crisis.
The Czech Republic is now breathing down Scotland’s neck for the last spot in the top 10, ensuring a Champions League berth for the Scottish league winners until 2025/26. This automatic qualification brings the allure of a revamped competition with riches, but the downfall is the elimination of all Scottish clubs from European competitions, hindering the accumulation of crucial ranking points.
Viktoria Plzen remains in contention in the Conference League, set to face Fiorentina in the forthcoming round. Any favorable outcome for Plzen could see the Czech club overtake Scotland in the UEFA rankings.
For former Hibernian player McManus, only Rangers have commendably upheld Scotland’s prestige in Europe, with Celtic under Brendan Rodgers failing to contribute significantly to the coefficient points.
In an interview with PLZ Soccer, McManus emphasized the significance of the situation, stating, “Plzen drawing Fiorentina is advantageous for us. Fiorentina is seen as the second-favorite to win the tournament, so one would hope they can overcome Plzen convincingly and prevent them from earning any coefficient points.”
He continued, “Regrettably, it has only been Rangers in recent seasons that have consistently accumulated points. The other clubs, including Celtic, have fallen short. There was likely a strong desire from many to see Rangers progress in that tie from a Scottish perspective, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Hopefully, Fiorentina can dispatch of Plzen, allowing us to hold onto that crucial 10th spot.”
