Danny Rohl bemoans Rangers set-piece woes in Roma defeat as ‘small steps’ needed to rebuild beleaguered club

Rangers manager Danny Rohl has urged patience and called for “small steps” forward after his side’s 2-0 Europa League defeat to Roma, a result that has left their hopes of qualification hanging by a thread.

The loss at Ibrox means Rohl has become the first permanent Rangers boss to lose three of his opening five matches, with the German still searching for a first European point since taking charge. Goals from Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini condemned the Light Blues to a fourth consecutive defeat in the competition and a seventh straight loss in Europe, extending their 26-year wait for a home victory against Italian opposition.

It was another frustrating evening in Govan, as Rangers were booed off at half-time after falling two goals behind — a margin that could easily have been wider. Despite a slightly improved second-half performance, they rarely troubled the Serie A giants, who comfortably saw out the win.

“We have to take small steps forward”

Reflecting on the result, Rohl admitted his side were simply second best:

“It was an experienced, strong Roma team and they were clinical,” he said. “The result is disappointing. I’ve said many times, we want to win these games in the future, but right now there’s still a lot we need to improve.

“Until around the 75th minute, we were in the game — but you need momentum, you need that goal to come back. In some moments, we weren’t sharp enough. In the second half, we found more space and were a bit more flexible.

“But the goals we conceded were disappointing. We didn’t defend the first set-piece well, and for the second, we weren’t connected enough. It’s similar to what happened against Celtic — we started nervously. That’s something we need to fix. We have to be sharper and more together right from the start.”

The 35-year-old, who took over with hopes of reigniting Rangers’ season, admitted the performance underlined the gap in quality between his side and top European opposition, but remains optimistic about the long-term project.

“This journey is about small steps,” Rohl continued. “Our focus now is on Sunday — we want to get a third league win in a row. That’s important for our confidence.”

When asked whether the task at Rangers has proven more challenging than expected, Rohl dismissed the suggestion outright:

“No, not at all. I’m totally convinced we’re going in the right direction — but we need to work hard.”

With European hopes fading fast, attention now turns to domestic matters, where Rohl will be desperate to steady the ship and build momentum in the league to ease pressure after a rocky start to his tenure.