There was certainly no shortage of stand-out performances as goals from Nico Raskin and Vaclav Cerny saw Rangers edge past Union Saint Gilloise in Thursday’s Europa League decider.
Guaranteed a place in the last-16 due to a hard-fought 2-1 win at Ibrox, Raskin capped a typically tireless performance with a rare goal. His first of the season.
Cerny has been a much more common fixture on the scoresheet this term – 13 now for the Wolfsburg loanee – and he took his second-half finish with trademark aplomb following a mesmerising Cyriel Dessers assist.
But with Philippe Clement keen to paint Rangers’ Europa League success as a squad effort, while it may have been Raskin and Cerny who finished off Union Saint Gilloise, it was the adaptability of players like Ross McCausland and James Tavernier, plus the selflessness of an irrepressible Dessers, who laid the foundations for another deep run into the tournament’s knockout rounds.
Philippe Clement hails Ross McCausland and Cyriel Dessers after Rangers win
“It is a massive performance from the whole squad,” Clement said post-match, Rangers’ reward for a top-eight finish a bye into the last-16. “You have seen, in all these European games, with how many players we have to play. Today was also a good example.
“You have Tav as a centre-back. Leon King gets injured and our right winger [McCausland] plays right-back, and he plays a brilliant game also in that position.
“It shows what this squad is really working hard together. Everyone wants to work together to get the results for this club.”
While he may not have managed to score in a fifth successive Rangers appearance, Dessers did set up Cerny’s 55th minute clincher. Roasting USG defender Ross Sykes before serving up the chance on a silver platter for the Czech wideman, this was the icing on the cake during a complete centre-forwards performance from a man playing arguably the best football of his Gers career.
“Cyriel played a brilliant game,” Clement adds. “I want to see him more. The evolution of [him]… I remember when I came in last year, in October, how everybody was talking about him. Or even now some people still [doubt Dessers].
“But the games that he played this season already and how many amount of goals that he made… He’s very important. He’s using all the potential that he has inside of himself.”
James Tavernier was delighted to see John Souttar return shortly after King exited proceedings – the football gods giveth, the football gods taketh away – with the captain shifting back across to his natural right-back role.
This was, however, another impressive if brief showing in the centre of Rangers’ backline for Tavernier. Whoever said you cannot teach old dogs new tricks?
- READ MORE: Rangers Europa League Record Since 2017
Clement suggests new James Tavernier role could extend Ibrox career
“I think he even likes [playing at centre-back],” Clement smiles, wondering if a less physically-demanding role could extend the career of his 32-year-old veteran. “I heard even some rumours that he was saying to people ‘like this I can play a few years longer’.
“So yeah, Tav is a massive player. Somebody with a good view on football, with an understanding of the game, and that helps in that position. He has his technical qualities. So yeah, he likes to be also in that position.
“We talked about that a few months before. I can use him as a right full-back. I can use him as a centre-back. I can use him as a right winger, which we did also in some games, because he can make the difference also in that position. So that shows again the availability of this squad.
“Everybody is in the squad together. There are no egos. There’s nobody only busy with himself in the dressing room, because I will never allow that also. And they’re working hard. Then, you will get the reward at the end.
“I hope as fast as possible. But it’s about hard work. And you always get the result after hard work.
I think it’s a massive achievement of all the squad. And it’s really squad, it’s not team. It’s not 11 players or 14, 15 players. All the squad has been involved in that way, and it was necessary to see it also today again.”
