Rangers were given a tough time by Arsenal in London on Sunday

Rangers boss Walter Smith said the 3-0 defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates Cup offered a "sharp reminder" of what his men will face in the Champions League.

The Scottish champions had beaten Paris St Germain on Saturday.

But the Rangers manager said: "It is not very often we come up against a team who play in a manner in which Arsene Wenger has them playing.

"They were excellent in terms of possession and speed. We had a very long afternoon in the dugout."

The Scottish champions were stunned by an early strike from English teenager Jack Wilshere and a killer finish by Croatian Eduardo, with Wilshere then completing the win with 18 minutes left.

If you take away the top four or five in England, I do not think the rest of the league play to a similar level Rangers manager Walter Smith

Rangers only showed some decent form in patches, most notably after the break following the introduction of Nacho Novo.

Smith believes Arsenal have what it takes to challenge for honours in the coming season but maintains that Rangers and Glasgow rivals Celtic could hold their own in the Barclays Premier League.

"The level of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc is not to be compared to the Scottish league - if it was, there would be something wrong with your league and not ours," said the former Everton boss.

"There is a huge disparity at the top level, but not at the other level. From a Rangers and Celtic perspective, it is not there.

"But it is also among the English teams. If you take away the top four or five, I do not think the rest of the league play to a similar level to them."

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