Rangers manager Philippe Clement has addressed a pre-match press conference ahead of the Scottish Premiership visit of Celtic.
The Ibrox boss is under mounting pressure in Glasgow and is still without an Old Firm victory in six attempts.
The Rangers manager will be hoping it’s lucky number seven at Ibrox as Rangers look to claw back an astonishing 14 point deficit between themselves and Celtic.
Here are the big takeaways ahead of the Scottish Premiership clash at Ibrox.
Rangers looking for ‘solutions’ to injury crisis
”There’s a very, very, very small chance that Leon Balogun can return, we will see. He did some individual work today.
”For the rest nobody will come back and we lose Tav also, who got an injury at the end of the Motherwell game.
”He could continue but we took a scan and there is clear damage there and he will be out for a few weeks.
”Of course it’s a blow. Every injury is a blow and we’ve had a few blows in that way the last weeks, the last months.
”First with Nana, then with John, then with Leon Balogun, with Ridvan before in the defence and with Tav now.
”But it’s about finding solutions and looking for solutions and work out of that.
“So that’s what the team has been doing in all that time and they did well, only the last two games we get goals a little bit out of nothing, not with really clear mistakes or being out of structure, totally not.
”But in these last two games you have every time you have a shot on goal it’s almost a goal.
”Those are the things that sometimes happen in football, normally not two weeks in a row but it’s been the case and we’ve been chasing games because of that.
”So we need to find solutions now with that position in a good way.”
No ‘crazy’ Leon Balogun risk
”No because it needs to be possible, you cannot play on one leg.
”We always take risks, and you have to do in this business, but it needs to be no crazy risk that players can be out for months.
”That will not be the case with Leon, we will see if he’s ready or not.”
Rangers players ‘stupid’ if they look at Celtic gap
”You cannot look at the gap because then you lose yourself.
“We need to look at every game to take the maximum out of it. We’re very disappointed that we didn’t do that in the last two games.
”And that we get these goals against because those goals made a really big difference in those games.
”The team showed resilience to fight back, not only with creating chances but also scoring goals.
”Pity that it was not a third goal we could make and then you have another dynamic, you have another conclusion after the game also.
”Now you lose two points more so it’s now looking to the next game to go full for the three points.
”I cannot look in all the heads (of my players).
”But it would be stupid to think only about the gap and not to think about the next game.
“It’s about the next game always in football, if you’re in front or you’re behind, it’s always the case.
”We knew it would be a tough season in that way rebuilding a squad with a lot of young players against a squad who’s there already with a core for several years, who spent a lot of money also to create more depth in their squad.
”Because they knew there would be much more games than it was in the past to make a rotation also in that way in the squad to keep everybody fresh.
”So we knew that and we go full in the challenge.”
Rangers must focus on improving squad
”Yeah but the points behind, you are always pointing towards that but it’s also because your opponent gets a lot of points, even more than they have in the past.
”So that’s also something to do with the gap made there.
”We need to look at ourselves and to get the best out of the squad we have now and to make this squad better and better to become stronger and stronger.
”That needs to be our focus for now until the end of the season and for next season and the seasons to come, to build something.
”This club has been one time champion in the last 12 years and not in the first season the squad was built.”
Rangers tried to ‘force’ issue against Motherwell
”Did you give the same question (about being on track) two days ago?
”No. These two games were not good enough and for sure in this first half conceding goals like this and chasing the game.
”Because of that we became too impatient on the ball, we discussed that, we showed that.
”That in moments we did well and how we started the game also against Motherwell with good building, with a good action, with a good clear chance for Cyriel in that moment.
”And a few actions after the goal against we started to rush things too much with too much desire to force things, but with not enough overview in moments.
”In moments yes, because we still created good other chances with two good goals and other good chances also for several players.
”But we took away also several moments that we rushed too much so we need to find this balance.
Rangers must eradicate ‘individual mistakes’
”Those are different mistakes made in the two games and not only new players also players who played a lot of games.
”So we address every time the mistakes we make because we want to learn out of that.
”Does it mean that there will be no mistakes anymore will be made? No, that will not happen, not with us, not with other teams otherwise you never concede goals also.
”But in this moment in these two games every mistake we made was also a goal in that way.
”So we’re working on things to make things better and it’s not that it’s repetitive, the last few weeks, the last few months, the same kind of mistakes.
”It’s individual decision-making or reaction in one moment, that was the case.”
”No I don’t think (the schedule is contributing to the mistakes) because it happened in the opening minutes of the game.
”No excuse about that. If it’s in the 80th minute and you’re dead tired, maybe yes more, but I don’t think so.”
Philippe Clement on transfers in and out
”I hope (we have not had concrete bids for key players). Those are not questions for me, those are questions for our CEO or our sporting director in that way.
”(Questions on the club’s finances) are also for them.
”It will always change things is players are out but of course, everybody knows the January window is a very difficult window.
”Because players don’t want to sell their best players or they cost too much money.
”So we had talks about that and we will see what the possibilities can or could be in that way.”
No ‘psychological barrier’ v Celtic
”Did you see a psychological barrier nine days ago in this cup final?
”No it’s conclusions afterwards. These players have been going full for that.
”It’s the same way now of course. It’s not the ideal situation that you need to mess up your defence again.
”But the team is going to go full to get a result and they have the quality also to do it, they did it nine days ago.
”Circumstances didn’t fall our side that day, let’s keep it like that, and they went full for it.
”And they’re going to go full for it on Thursday also again to get this victory.”
Rangers could play player out of position v Celtic
“It’s a possibility.
“It’s always adapting what is the situation, sometimes you get really positive surprises about that.
”It’s about everybody who is fit going full to get the result, what they did in the last two games also.
”And that’s a pity in that way, that we shot in our foot by conceding those goals and because of that chasing the game too much and missing this small thing to win these games.
”It’s two games that you have one time 70% and one time 75% ball possession in an away game that you have much more chances than the opponent but you lose the points.“
Rangers must ‘take moments’ v Celtic
”We scored two goals, you cannot concede two goals.
“This time it was every time every shot on goal was a goal or it was a penalty.
”There were no clear cut other chances for the opponent in the two games.
“Those things happen sometimes in football, it’s frustrating.
“We need to avoid that they come to these chances and we make mistakes in that way, that’s clear, we talked about that.
”Now it’s about looking forward and taking our moments.”
Philippe Clement addresses away record
”Not conceding these goals and playing better, what we did these last few weeks.
”Ross County away was a really good game, for example.
“We need to get that stability back in the team with not getting these goals against like that and to be efficient on the other side.
”We scored also the goals now but you cannot get every time that you have to chance the game, that’s an important point.”
