Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has expressed full confidence in his squad of players ahead of a challenging run, as quoted by the Daily Record.
It’s highly likely that the next few weeks will prove to be season-defining for the Gers.
Between now and the winter break, there are a host of tough Premiership fixtures, most of which are away from home, two Europa League group matches and of course, the League Cup final.
It’s a stretch that will undoubtedly test the players’ bottle, but Gerrard is convinced they’ll rise to the challenge.
“Is it right for people to talk about the next block of fixtures and challenges within it? 100 per cent, yes,” said the Gers boss, as quoted by the Daily Record. “There’s no getting away from it. There are some really tough games in there.”
“But it would be naive of me to start talking about an Old Firm game, the tie with Young Boys in a couple of weeks or the League Cup Final. That would take my focus off Hamilton.
“Do I have any doubts about the players’ mentality? I never doubt this group of players. I put them together, I signed them for a reason – because I have belief and confidence in them.”
Verdict
We’ve seen a lot of good things from the this Rangers side up until this point in the season, including Premiership victories over the likes of Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hibs – teams who thwarted attempts at a title challenge last season.
Further to that, the players showed their big game nous to secure home victories over Feyenoord and Porto, whilst also competing on the road in Portugal.
Yet, it’s still hard to predict how they will respond to the extremely testing and congested period that awaits them.
The old cliche of taking it one game at a time is sure to be rolled out on the regular, and it all starts at Accies this afternoon.
Three points is a must, especially after Celtic’s victory over Livingston, and with Alfredo Morelos looking likely to miss the game, the pressure is on Jermain Defoe to keep up his outstanding goalscoring record.
