Rangers warned going for Liverpool's throats could backfire as ex Anfield star admits shock at passive display

Stephen Warnock says Liverpool didn’t get out of exhibition mode against Rangers at Anfield. But he's warned Ibrox gaffer Giovanni van Bronckhorst that if he decides to go for their throats on Wednesday night - the Reds could cause them MORE problems.

The former Liverpool and England full-back was in Merseyside last week to see Jurgen Klopp’s side win 2-0 in their Champions League Battle of Britain. Warnock was left stunned by Rangers’ passive approach in the Group A clash and expects to see a different outfit in Govan for the return.

But he believes if Gers pile men forward at home - the likes of Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz could have a field day. Warnock told MailSport : “I was disappointed in Rangers. Their system told you they went to Anfield just to try and contain Liverpool. There wasn’t much attacking intent shown at all so it was tough for them.

“Liverpool were always going to play on the front foot. But Rangers surprised me after seeing them in the Europa League last season. They didn’t seem to have a game plan for when they had the ball. It’s a step up in class going from the Europa League to Champions League. There’s a big gulf.

“But they got great results on the road last season so it was disappointing to see them go to Anfield and play so negatively. Maybe the plan was to get a point here and attack them at Ibrox in the hope of getting three. I certainly don’t expect to see the same Rangers on Wednesday. I expect them to go at Liverpool.

“But if they open themselves up they’ll leave themselves very vulnerable. The pace in this Liverpool team can hurt them and that’s going to be a problem. It’ll be a completely different atmosphere at Ibrox. It wasn’t that great at Anfield because it was more