Rangers are in a better frame of mind to take on Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup final after an encouraging return to form.
Philippe Clement’s position as manager is safe, for now, but defeat would see the recent goodwill that a re-energised squad has grown quickly evaporate.
Rangers have a few injury problems, however, they also have more attacking options than they have had for some time against Celtic with Clement hinting at an adventurous game plan.
Philippe Clement wants Rangers to go for Celtic jugular
There have been signs in the Europa League that Clement wants Rangers to be aggressive and play attack-minded football.
It has paid off handsomely too with the Ibrox outfit currently sitting in the automatic qualifying places, it’s just a shame that domestic form hasn’t quite been as consistent.
Clement has been speaking in his pre-match press conference and is adamant that Rangers won’t be sitting in anytime soon:
“I always want to start on the front foot and win duels. You cannot be dominant, you cannot win games if you’re not in that state of mind because then you only defend and you need to suffer all the time and it’s not what we want,” Clement said.
“We want to create something, I didn’t do it one time in my career, to park a bus somewhere.
“So, you want that for a team, it’s important to start like that, otherwise it’s really difficult to make the switch during the game.
“There are some really good teams in the world who managed with a totally different philosophy that I respect because they win a lot of trophies also with that philosophy to defend, to sit in and to wait and when they go behind still to change, some do it.
“It’s not the kind of football that I want to play with my team.”
Is Clement’s game plan brave, or foolish?
Celtic love nothing better than being able to dominate possession and aren’t used to being penned back in their own half.
They don’t have the forward line to play long balls either so the Gers boss is absolutely right to want his team to defend from the front.
A major difference now, is that Rangers’ midfield and forward line is more intelligent, more energetic and technically, more capable than it was before.
Rangers finished the first Old Firm derby of the season with Ross McCausland, Tom Lawrence and Cyriel Dessers as the main protagonists in attack.
There is a very real chance that all three might not be seen at all at Hampden.
Playing with pace, bravery and physicality worked against Spurs, why shouldn’t it work against Celtic?
