Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes his side are ‘mentally ready’ for the Champions League challenge of Dynamo Kiev.
Clement’s new look Ibrox squad is still yet to be completed with the final few weeks of the window, and the Champions League qualifiers, promising more movement in and out of the club.
Rangers manager Clement is a strong communicator and offers a consistency of messaging and tone which might well relax some Gers fans.
But at the same time the Belgian’s realism can be very forward with Clement eager to stress that his team is very much in transition whilst Dynamo Kiev’s squad has been built over the last five years.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the latest press conference as Clement’s side prepare to take on the continent.
Clement clamps critical Cyriel query
Philippe Clement has been keen to protect his under fire squad ever since he come into Rangers.
The Belgian knows what it’s like to play at the top of the game with an ever critical media in Scotland ready to pick the bones out of every Ibrox stumble.
Cyriel Dessers has been a source of huge scrutiny, with the £4.5m transfer fee from Cremonense and a string of missed chances hanging over the hitman.
Whilst Dessers scored 22 goals last season, the striker has yet to consistently prove himself as a reliable goalscorer when the pressure is on.
There have been some big moments for Cyriel but – as the 0-0 draw with Hearts proved – there have also been some big misses.
Rangers need their number nine to be winning these tight league games 1-0.
When Leon Balogun was asked about his confidence in Dessers, Clement interrupted to shut down the journalist.
Clement interrupts: “I think that’s a really strange question to be honest.”
Balogun said: “I mean what do you expect me to say? What do you mean? How confident am I that he’ll start scoring?
“He’s scored quite an amount of goals for us already and this season only started for us last weekend so I don’t really know what you’re getting at.
“I looked at him last season and I think he scored a significant amount of goals, so yeah, I am.”
Ianis Hagi to leave Rangers
Ianis Hagi popped up in the Rangers B team this week to raise further questions over his Ibrox future.
The Romanian international spent last season on loan at Alavés but has been at the Rangers Training Centre building his pre-season fitness for the last two weeks.
Clement has been clear that the playmaker will not be around next season with the intention of both parties to part ways.
When asked if Hagi has a future at Rangers, Clement said: “No, we had clearly talked with him before the pre-season already, and with his agents, about that.
“We need to look, like I said, at a lot of things with the club, about wages, about how many players you can have in a position, with the budget we have, and to get a budget to make transfers.
“It was really clear that the idea is to sell. That’s what he wanted also. So, that’s the clear situation.”
Oscar Cortes faces five weeks on sidelines
Rangers fans got an update they did not want when Clement spoke about Oscar Cortes.
Big things are expected of the Colombian winger at Rangers and there’s a reason why he was handed the number seven jersey ahead of this season.
Going off injured after starting against Hearts, the 20-year-old was only just returning to the XI following five months on the sidelines.
Now, with Clement keen to stress Cortes had sustained a freak impact injury, the gutted winger faces a further five weeks on the sidelines.
Despite this, Clement was clear that Oscar Cortes is a big part of Rangers’ plans this season and that the injury hasn’t changed that.
“No he didn’t travel because we made a scan and he will be out for around four or five weeks,” said Clement.
“It was a really unlucky fall in duel, and he’s knee was twisted so it’s an unlucky injury, nothing to do with load or whatever, just unlucky collision with the player.
“Of course it’s a hard blow for him, for the team, because he was coming back and he’s going to become an important player for the future of the club.
“He has a lot of quality he showed that last season, he was hungry to come back.
“He was on his way back he was not at his best yet but he showed already promising things again.
“So yeah it’s a blow, but it’s part of football. It’s not only with Rangers it’s in every club in the world.
“You can have bad collisions, you can have those things. You need to live with that and make a fast rehab. Everybody is working hard on that.
“I think also the quality in our rehab is better than we had last season also.
“He’s going to come back and he’s going to be important this season but we’re going to miss him of course in these next few weeks.”
Pröpper intro for new Rangers signings
The transfer business at Rangers might be firmly under the microscope, but Philippe Clement has no doubt about two quality additions the Gers have made.
Robin Pröpper signed over the weekend but missed the clash with Hearts despite the Jambos fielding a same-day signing.
Clement has pointed to Brexit as a reason why Pröpper missed the match and prepared fans for the defender missing the clash with Dynamo Kiev as he settles into Glasgow.
But even if he sought to protect the player, Clement was clear that he has no doubt about Pröpper‘s mentality to succeed at Rangers and readiness to step into the side.
Similarly, the Rangers manager is unflinching in his support of Czech international winger Vaclav Cerny.
The Wolfsburg loanee has big pedigree with his acquisition perhaps a little understated in Scotland.
Clement hints that both are ready to play, but that they aren’t all the way there just yet.
When asked about Robin Pröpper, Clement said: “He’s fit but of course you come in and there’s a lot of things to do in that moment.
“I think Brexit didn’t help in that way and I know out of experience you have to fill in so many papers to come into Scotland and to live here and you need to find a house and you need to find a school for your kids.
“There’s a lot of things going on in his head also this last week because he’s just a few days with us so that’s something to take in consideration for the squad tomorrow.
“That’s the same thing with Vaclav (Cerny). He had four weeks holiday and he had four days training with us so it’s with them looking at what is the right moment to start with them, what is the right moment to let them come in.
“I know their mentality really well otherwise they wouldn’t be in the building.
“No concerns about (playing them v Dynamo Kiev). Vaclav showed it already in Hearts when he came in. No, no concerns about that.”
Rangers transfers depend on Champions League
Philippe Clement has been clear that the Champions League money will be a gamechanger for Rangers’ summer transfer ambitions.
There could be up to £30m on the line should Rangers reach the Champions League main stage and it’s impact would be felt this season.
Explaining that Rangers have two budgets based on progression to the groups, it’s a strong indication the club have their transfer pawns neatly arranged on the window’s chessboard.
Fans might be frustrated but given the difference in finances, the comments suggest our final business may have to wait until the end of August.
When asked if Champions League finances would have an impact on Rangers’ transfer budget, Clement said:
“Yeah, of course, it’s a big world of difference. But you cannot count on that.
“It’s a long road to take. It’s four really important games that you need to win or to qualify in. So it’s a big road.
“So let’s focus now on the first leg and to get a good result towards the second leg and to focus all on that.
“That’s what we need to do now and not to look where we are in September. It’s now the beginning of August.
“We need to get the best out of the situation now. That’s very important.
“It could really vary what you’re trying to do at the end of the window. That’s why you need to be prepared for the two scenarios.
“Also in your talks with players, it’s really clear that in some cases it’s only possible when you get Champions League money.
“But like I said, if you see all the teams that are playing to qualify for this, there’s a lot of quality in that.
“So we need to be really top in the four games to qualify. We know that.”
Dynamo Kiev are no mugs
In a well-rounded press conference from Philippe Clement, it’s clear Rangers are realistic about this stage of the competition.
Champions League qualification is a tough route to navigate and, whilst the Playoff draw has been favourable, there are no easy games at this level.
Dynamo Kiev wiped the floor with Partizan Belgrade in QR2, humbling the Serbs 9-2 on aggregate.
It’s a team that Clement recognises from his time with Club Brugge too, with many of the Ukrainian’s key players still around from that facing Clement in Belgium five years ago.
Make no mistake, this will be a tough match for Rangers but Clement is hoping his charges can keep the tie alive and escape Lublin, Poland, with their Champions League ambitions intact.
When asked if Rangers can qualify, Clement said: I believe we have all the quality to do that.
“It’s about finding the right balance. It’s about taking the moments. Mentally-wise, they are ready, I feel.
“It’s about taking experience together with some new players coming in and then doing the right things.
“You play against a team, and I know them really well because I played them, I don’t know how long ago it was, four or five years ago.
“We qualified against them with Club Brugge, also in the qualifiers for Champions League.
“I see a lot of players still here who played for them that day.
“They are really a team that has been building for years together with their automatism.”
Later Clement added: “These are different games to the normal league game that we have, where you have the domination, where you have the ball most of the time.
“And even though we didn’t play a good first half against Heart, we were still at 63 per cent of the ball possession.
“That’s really difficult against Dynamo, because they’re really, really strong on the ball and holding the ball and making good combinations.
“So, it’s another level, it’s a different style of playing, and that’s really interesting now.
“To challenge, that’s why we wanted also these kind of games in our preparation, to play against teams who are strong in those things, to get the experience already with the boys. Otherwise it would be too much of a surprise.
“So, I don’t expect us to have 60 per cent of the ball possession tomorrow. We don’t need it. We come in for a result, not only to have the ball.”
