Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been speaking to a press conference ahead of the League Cup Final clash with Aberdeen at Hampden.
The Belgian manager can pick up the first piece of domestic silverware of the season with victory over the Dons and the club’s first League Cup win in 13 seasons.
Completing the complement of domestic trophies since Rangers ambled back up the domestic tiers, it can also serve as inspiration for the season ahead as the squad competes on four fronts.
Here’s every word of Philippe Clement’s pre-Aberdeen press conference with League Cup Final victory firmly in Ibrox sights.
Philippe Clement pre-Aberdeen press conference
Hi Philippe, do you have any update for us on the Todd Cantwell situation?
“Todd trained today, so it’s a big chance he’s there tomorrow.”
And from the game on Thursday, do you have any new injuries or in the intervening period have you had any comebacks?
“(Jose) Cifuentes will be injured. We don’t know yet how long so we need to take a good look into that. Scott Wright will be in the selection, he’s back, Leon King will be in the selection, who also had a car accident last week with his motor, so he’s back. And of course also the guys who were not in the European selection.”
And lastly if I could just ask, in terms of the tightness between the game in Betis and Sunday’s game, you haven’t had a lot of time. Do you tend to focus on physically just keeping the guys ticking over or do you give them an extra dose of analysis of what you’ll be up against against Aberdeen?
“No not an extra dose because we always do a lot. It’s been important also to start this story together. You need to speak more, you need to explain more. They’re getting better and better in things but we’re for sure not at the end of learning and doing better things together so they had the same meeting than normal in time so it’s not something extra towards the Cup Final. It’s not necessary.”
How do you look ahead to the game tomorrow Philippe and how do you preview the test of facing Aberdeen for the second time?
“Ah there’s always excitement eh? If you can play Finals, if you can win trophies, it always gives something extra. Of course we had a really exciting evening also on Thursday, I was very pleased about the team writing history. The first time that Rangers win in Spain. I though it was the 12th time that Rangers played there so it’s an exceptional thing that they did. But I spoke also after the game that we need to turn our minds because in my past I’ve had good experiences but also bad experiences in that way. After a historical evening if you don’t have the right mindset afterwards you can lose also really fast in a really stupid way. I had it once and I spoke with the players about that. We won with Brugge in Champions League in Milan against a really good Milan with all the best names – Maldini, Nesta, Cafu, Dida, Pirlo, Shevchenko, Inzaghi, all of them – we win 0-1, it was a great party after, we were like kings of the world, then three days later we lost against the smallest team in Belgium. And all the fuss and all the positivity was gone in few days. So I spoke about that with the team and I saw in the eyes they already switched, so they’re ready for tomorrow.”
So what is that? Is that just a case of marking the achievement, which was such a big win not least because of all the injuries you travelled there with?
“Yeah of course. The past is the past and we need to write a really good future. And they can write history again. It’s an amazing thing; in four days you can write two times history. So they need to grab that with two hands. Two hands and two feet.
I wonder how you view the progress overall in Europe. It’s almost a couple of months now. You speak a lot about players believing in the story, and you spoke previously about players really buying into your ideas quickly. How do you view this first couple of months and how this team are taking on your ideas and how they’re playing, especially after Thursday night?
“Story is maybe not a good word but OK, English is not my normal language. Because story can be fantasy. It is more a story I know that if they do the right things together that success comes. I know from the past. I know what to do to get success and the players stepped into that. They are totally focused everyday, every meeting, every game, to try to do the good things together and you see them also growing in that way. To make the right moments together with and without ball, that everyone knows his assignments whatever position he plays. That everybody sticks together in the difficult moments and all the principles we work on. So is that a guarantee? Not for every time, otherwise Man City would be Champions every year. They almost are, but not every year. So that’s never a guarantee short-term, but long-term it’s a guarantee for me and as long as they are doing this we will have a successful season I am convinced about that.”
Just wanted to ask finally about Dujon Sterling, someone who has come on and kind of epitomised that for you, played different positions that’s not his usual position. How have you viewed his time in central midfield so far and what does he kind of offer you as a profile in there because we obviously seen him come on and play well in the second half in Seville?
“He’s really versatile. He’s not only a good defender but he has also good feet, he has a good pass, he has a good shot. He has good physicality so that’s why with all the problems we had the last couple of weeks I was looking for solutions. I told you guys I don’t want to be the manager who is always sticking the problems, I am here to find solutions, whatever they are. So I need to sometimes in these situations look out of the box and Dujon was looking out of the box. First you need to convince the player of that, you need to train it, and then you need to see it on the field. And if it was not a success it would’ve been my mistake, so it works like that. But we are now in circumstances that sometimes we need to look out of the box. I don’t like it but it’s part of my job.”
Philippe, you said that you’ve obviously spoke to your players about previously being on such a high from when they had such a great game to then obviously losing with your previous club. How do your players react when you talk about that?
“They’re very focused. There’s a really good dynamic with the team. Not only with me, with all the staff, with all the club. There’s a totally different vibe now in the building than two months ago that you feel. It’s about the players and about us to keep this and to work hard and to know also that there will deception along the way, it will happen. It can never be a story only growing and getting better. In football, you will lose games during a season but it needs to be done in a way that we have given everything and we’ve done everything. And I feel for the moment they understand this.”
And in terms of tomorrow it’s been almost 13 years since this club won the League Cup. It would be your first as a manager with this club, how do you feel about that?
“No it’s not about me. That’s not so important. It’s about the club, it’s about the players, and they deserve it for the moment also, to get this appreciation. Because winning trophies appreciation from outside. It changes also perception. I’ve read a lot of bad things these players and about this team the last couple of months, so they can change all of that in one game. So that’s interesting.”
