THERE appeared little chance of Rangers suffering the same fate as they did the last time they met Progres Niederkorn in Europa League qualifying with former manager Pedro Caixinha and the majority of his signings having long since departed.

Yet, Steven Gerrard’s men still had to perform to avoid another ignominious exit and secure their safe passage through to the third round and an altogether more demanding encounter with Midtjylland of Denmark

They duly did so. But the margin of victory could have been far more emphatic. They will travel abroad for the away leg next week with work still to do. So what did we learn from the latest encounter between these two old adversaries?

RANGERS NEED TO BE MORE CLINICAL

Gerrard was frequently frustrated by his charges lack of ruthlessness up front last season and told them repeatedly they needed to bury a far higher percentage of their chances to compete for silverware.

READ MORE: Rangers 2-0 Progres: How the Rangers players rated

With very good reason. It could be argued that failing in games against Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Hibernian in the second half of the 2018/19 campaign ended their Ladbrokes Premiership challenge. 

But nothing much seems to have changed. Rangers should have had this game, this double header even, done and dusted by half-time. The dominated the ball and had opportunities aplenty to net in the first-half. Only Joe Aribo, though, took one. Scott Arfield, Andy Halliday, Alfredo Morelos all failed to find the net.

Yes, it is early in the season and their finishing will improve as they played more competitive matches. And, yes, a goal from Sheyi Ojo in the second-half wrapped up a 2-0 win which should see them go through. But there is certainly ample room for improvement up front.

ARIBO LOOKS DECENT

Bringing in the former Charlton Athletic midfielder for a development fee in the close season appears an excellent bit of business by Rangers. The 23-year-old put the home team 1-0 ahead from the edge of their rivals’ penalty box in the first-half and supplied those around him with numerous chances to do the same.

He is a big unit and certainly puts a shift in. But it is his ability to unlock a defence which could prove crucial for his side going forward. But he needs those around him to capitalise on his industry and imagination.

READ MORE: Rangers 2-0 Progres Niederkorn: Steven Gerrard's side dominate but don't hammer home advantage at Ibrox

JORDAN JONES GOES DOWN RATHER EASILY

The Northern Ireland winger angered many in Scottish football last season when he was a player at Kilmarnock with how readily he went to ground in opposition boxes following contact. Nothing has changed.

Tom Laterza took great exception to the spot kick that referee Espen Eskas gave Rangers in the second-half after ruling that Jones had been fouled. Understandably so. It was a soft award.   

UEFA SHOULD RETHINK THE QUALIFYING PROCESS

Rangers may have lost to Progres in the first Europa League qualifying round two years ago on their return to continental football after a seven year absence.

But what exactly is the point of the Glasgow giants taking on Luxembourgian minnows? Why did they have to play two matches against tiny St Joseph’s of Gibraltar? These mismatches are non-events.

Yes, Scotland’s poor coefficient means that their representatives in Europe now have to go through four rounds before getting into either the Europa League or Champions League group stages.

READ MORE: Neil Cameron: Where did it all go wrong for Kyle Lafferty...or is it right?

But UEFA should seriously reconsider doing away with these meaningless encounters when they next revamp their competitions.     

RANGERS FANS FOLLOW ON

The remarkable turnout at Ibrox  last night – a crowd of 43,629 flocked through the turnstiles – was no surprise. Rangers fans sold out games against part-time teams when they were in the bottom tier of Scottish football. They were hardly going to miss a European tie regardless of the opposition.

But the backing that James Tavernier and his team mates received from the fans indicates the excitement and optimism there is about the forthcoming season in the stands. With this sort of support behind them they will be very difficult to beat domestically and in Europe.