Rangers boss Philippe Clement has addressed a post-match press conference after his team’s thumping 6-0 victory over Kilmarnock.
The Gers manager has been speaking to the press after the thumping victory at Ibrox, which has relieved the pressure on the Belgian’s new-look Rangers squad.
James Tavernier opened the scoring in the first half before Danilo, Hamza Igamane, Vaclav Cerny and a Cyriel Dessers double secured the three points for Rangers.
Here’s the big takeaways as a smarting Philippe Clement addressed the press.
This is football for Philippe Clement
“(This is) the football that I want to see and what we spoke about the last weeks and the last months.
”It’s about timing the right runs, the right passes, to get these connections on the pitch.
“To gel together with a lot of new players, if you see how many new players were on the pitch also. That the players get the reward also what they’ve been doing in the trainings and in the games.
”I don’t think the last two league games they were rewarded in that way because we had also good chances but today you finish it off. Not all the time, because it could’ve been more.
“And like this you see the potential in the way this team can play and open up teams who want to make a low block and man marking all over the pitch.”
Clean sheet just as important for Rangers manager
”Yeah that’s what I want and what we spoke about. We want to entertain our fans but it’s not only the goals it’s also the clean sheet. That’s also an important one for me from today.
“Because it was not only with the ball creating the chances and scoring the goals but also not giving anything and not giving belief to the opponent.
“That’s also a crucial part that needs to stay in the team.
“But I am for sure happy for the players today that they get the reward for all the hard work that they’ve been doing the last couple of months, in a good team spirit, and that people from outside can start to see now the potential that can be in this team the more they play together.
“But also how hard they’ve been working to get these connections also together and to get six really nice goals.”
Rangers attacking depth growing by game
”I think it was a different kind of game against Ross County. I think this was better. Better level.
“The other thing is we have a lot of games in the weeks to come so it’s important with the whole squad also that they understand what to do.
“At that moment we didn’t have the depth in the squad also with the amount of games. So it’s important to have players fit, to have players back.
“Danilo played a brilliant game today. He was the last 12 months for the squad not available.
“Hamza is just coming out of a different league, he is adapting really good.
“There are a lot of examples. The way Jefte is now playing.
“There are a lot of players only two, three, or four months here. It’s normal that it is not top yet.
“But I want to see more of these games. That’s what I’m going to push on like I’ve been pushing the last weeks and the months also to get it better and better and better in every detail, and we’re going to continue in that way.”
Rangers reap rewards of ‘hard work’
”Yes because it’s crucial to have a lot of movement to come free. It’s difficult to play against that kind of system and to create your spaces for sure with only one training, like we had.
“But the players start to understand things more. We show a lot of video. It’s almost every day video the last couple of months with them. But they’re all in the story.
“They’re all in the story to make it better in every detail. Is it about runs, is it about the quality of the crosses, is it about the finishing, is it about the defensive work?
“They’re all really focused and we need to keep it that way because then it can only grow and become better. If they stay humble and if they keep on working that they’ve been doing.
“So in that way I am really happy that they get the reward now for all the work they’ve been doing but now it’s not a place to be in satisfaction and to say, ‘woah we got the reward now’, because in three days it’s the next game.
“And that culture I’m pushing on really hard with all the dressing room. This is what Rangers is about.
“I want to see players with desire to become better every day, every game, and then it can be a really good season.”
Everyone will get chance at Rangers
”Yes but how many times in this one year but how many times in this one year did I have two strikers available in the squad?
“That’s the reality of the story, so it’s major, it’s important to keep everybody fit, but I am sure if we didn’t win with 6-0 that maybe you would’ve said, ‘why is Connor Barron not starting today?’ It’s like that.
“It’s like that but all these players are pushing, they’re working hard, I cannot say anything about that.
“We need to keep it that way and then they all will have their moments to shine, they all will have their moments also to sit on the bench and to be ready for the next game.
“Because it’s such an ultra-marathon this season that we need this rotation and smart rotation in the squad and that’s what we’re going to do the next weeks and the next months.
“So I’m sure maybe you’re going to be the first one if we don’t win the game to say ‘ah why is that one not playing?’ But that’s easy after the games with insight so that’s what is difficult about this job.”
Rangers transfer talks crucial
”We’re going to have big discussions about what we’re going to need in January and of course what the budget will be.
“Because everything stands or falls with the budget and we felt that in the summer transfer window also in that way.
“That we wanted more things we could do, that was the reality.
“So we will see what the budget is now and my job is to get the best out of the squad available, to get the best out of everybody in that way, but also to push to make it better.
“But we will see how the talks will go the next weeks.”
Hamza Igamane a ‘rough diamond’
”I spoke with a lot of people before bringing him in Morocco. I’m lucky that a few people were working there that I knew from before.
“They said ‘it’s a rough diamond, we don’t know if he’s going to be ready from the start, maybe in one year he’s going to be ready to play’. That was the thing that they said.
“But we saw the potential and we went for it because that’s also what the club needs to do now. We spoke about that before the season.
“We come out of a period where the club the last couple of years didn’t have any assets to sell, because of that it’s difficult to make transfers.
“So we need to make players better, who can go to a higher level. We will see with him.
“So I cannot say with anybody in the squad if they can go to the next level, it’s going to be about them if they keep this hunger or desire, but I’m going to be really tough on that and maybe sometimes you need to put somebody also on the bench to create this hunger and desire again, what happened with some players the last couple of weeks.
“That’s part of football and that’s my job to do. But he’s doing really good things.
“I don’t know if you saw the interview with his translator, who helped us really good in the beginning because even his French was minor.
“Now I can speak in French with him that he understands things better. Nico Raskin is also helping in the meetings to translate that.
“So it’s a totally different world for the young boy, but he’s taking the steps really well. Why? Because he has hunger and desire to become better every day.
“He is an example but I spoke about that. John Souttar is also an example in that way. Different characters, different players in that way in the dressing room and I can speak about more players like that.
“The more we have like that, the better we will become and it’s with all staff to work hard with them to make them better.”
Rangers manager happy to have Ianis Hagi back
”You cannot play in this way in every game. It’s not possible. We knew very well how Derek would play against us.
“So we wanted to create spaces for ourselves in that way. The first goal is a good example.
“If Ianis can give an assist but it’s your right full-back who is scoring that goal behind the defence of the opponent, like it was against St Johnstone. It was an own goal but he was in that position.
“So it’s about getting the players in the right positions and a lot of variation in that way that it becomes difficult for opponents.
“Ianis is an interesting player because he can play the three positions.
“He can play on the right, he played a lot on the right with national team also. He can play a ten and he can play on the left and he can give crosses with both feet.
“I am really happy that he’s now in my selection. That was something that was not in my force in that moment to have him in the selection or not, but I talked about that before.”
