Rangers manager Philippe Clement has praised his team for their exploits in a stunning 3-0 victory over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Heading into the Old Firm clash at Ibrox, Philippe Clement was a man under increasing pressure at Rangers having fallen 14 points behind in the Scottish Premiership table.
With Rangers also nursing a serious injury crisis, the Gers team overcame their not insignificant problems to record an impressive 3-0 victory over their eternal rivals.
Here’s what the Rangers manager had to say come full time.
Rangers win about the team, not Philippe Clement
“Yeah for the team, I’ve told you guys already a few times I’m not here for myself. So yeah, very pleased that they get the reward that they deserve.
“They didn’t get it in this League Cup final and that was a cruel one, what the talked about.
”Today they didn’t get it, they grabbed it and that’s what I want to see.
”It was a well deserved victory. It was a very strong collective victory with some players playing out of position also but doing a very good job.
”Players stepping in who didn’t play so much so I’m very pleased that everybody from the outside can see all the hard work that the players have been doing the last couple of months.”
Collective Rangers performance earned Celtic win
”It’s always difficult to take one thing out because to win these kind of games you need to do a lot of things right.
”So all these things are important because if you forget one of those, or you don’t do one of those, you don’t get a result.
”So for sure the collective defensive job that everybody did but also the braveness on the ball.
”It’s not only that we defended well and we reduced the amount of chances for Celtic but we created also a lot today, a lot.
”And we scored also three goals what is also important, and three good goals, so it’s all these things together.“
Rangers manager shuts down rotation debate
”Yeah but I explained to you guys already, we shot ourselves the last two games in the foot by taking with individual mistakes these goals that changed the game.
”Then we were chasing the game, we had the chances also.
”So yeah, different kind of game, of course I want to have this group of players every three days at this level, what they are doing now.
”But it’s hard work and they need to learn that. Their bodies need to adapt to that also.
”We had this discussion with all of you about rotation or things like that, I hope everybody understands now that it’s important in moments.
”I don’t see players from other teams, and let’s say now from Celtic, playing every time 90 minutes.
”Kyogo is also changed and Idah is starting some games. Kuhn is also not starting all the games.
”Everybody was speaking about Hamza and Vaclav so I can hope we can stop this discussion for the rest of the season, or for the rest of my time that I’m here.
”Because it’s the only way that you can do in professional football, to work in that way.
”We need to continue creating depth in the squad. We don’t have the money to buy it, depth in the squad.
“We need to do it by work, by making players better, getting young players in or getting young players out of our academy to make them better and creating the depth like this.
”So that’s what we’re going to do the next couple of months.”
Liam Kelly hailed by Philippe Clement
”I’m very pleased of him and I knew also that he was ready because he played also other games like every international break, we organised games, he played the game against Dundee.
”He’s been also very important when he’s not playing, in the dressing room, before games, after games, around the trainings, in the trainings.
”So he’s really involved. He’s somebody who is a Rangers fan. I think this is his dream to play this Old Firm and then to win it and then keep a clean sheet. It cannot become better for him I think in his head.
”But he deserves by the way that he stepped into the building since the first day that he was involved with all the squad.
”So I am very pleased for him also yes.”
Rangers squad needs ‘more depth’
”That’s the challenge. That’s what we’re working on every day, that’s what I’m pushing on every day.
”That’s what with all the staff we’re trying to create that physically also they can do this every three days.
”But it’s not something that you can do in a few months, to make this evolution with the whole squad. That’s why you need to make this physical rotation in moments.
“In that way we need to make the depth in the squad bigger that everybody can go to this level of the players that played today.”
Rangers midfield ‘dominated’ Celtic
”I don’t want to use that word (bullied) because that’s harsh but we dominated the midfield like we did in the League Cup Final also.
”So I wanted to see a repetition of that and I challenged the players about that because it’s a massive part of the game against them because they have so much quality in this midfield.
”They have so much quality in their building and in creating spaces for themselves and for each other, so that was a really important part of the team.
”It’s not only the midfield also the attacking players worked really hard and the defence worked really hard in that way.”
Rangers manager ‘loves this club’
”No I only think that you guys don’t need to start anymore about never winning an Old Firm, so that’s done that story.
”No I knew in June that this was a really, really big challenge and I do it because I love this club so much and the fans and everybody in the building.
”It’s a massive club but we’re not there yet where we want to be and I want to be part of that to get this club back to the level it needs to be.”
Rangers had belief they could beat Celtic
”The belief was there. You cannot perform like this today if you don’t have the psychology to believe that. That is shown from the first second of the game.
”Although in the first three minutes that we were taken two times in our back.
”But from the start of the game, although we had a crazy week in that way with injuries, with players going out, with injuries out of that, that we had to change things that players had to play out of position or make their debut in that way in an Old Firm, like Liam.
”So that’s not a perfect preparation but you see that everybody in the squad is involved in the story in what to do and how to win games.
”And they did it in a brilliant style today, so they followed the plan from the first second to the last second.
”Of course we still made some mistakes but we made less mistakes than in the League Cup and like this we need to continue.”
James Tavernier & Jack Butland injuries ‘not long term’
”I don’t know yet for the moment but I think the chances is really small in that way, but both of them it’s not long term.
”Tav for sure not and Jack I don’t think also for the weekend but maybe the week after, we will see.
”We will see towards the weekend, it’s not a long, long term but I cannot say anything about it yet.”
Ridvan Yilmaz praised by Philippe Clement
”It shows also, what I said after the game, he took his responsibility with the penalty.
”Really big players, big stars of world football, have missed penalties and he even didn’t miss because the goalkeeper saved.
”So it’s about that moment to stick together in the team. Everybody supported Ridvan directly after the game, all the players, all the staff, because he’s somebody with the right mentality for Rangers.
”He took his responsibility and OK, that happens in football then and it’s disappointing that moment.
”But if the support and the togetherness is not that big Ridvan can never do a performance like this today because then he would’ve run around with his head down for two weeks.
”It’s only two weeks ago, it’s not long, so he made the click the day after because everybody feels safe in this group that they work hard together but they support each other also.“
Robin Propper stepped up as leader
”That’s the job that’s been done the last couple of months, that’s not from the last day.
”That you say, OK Robin you need to coach the team now, along with Nico or Dio.
”That’s getting this experience. Robin has that experience from the past but you come into a new club you need to adapt to everything.
”It takes a while before you feel like that and take that responsibility in the dressing room also so he did in that way today, but I want 11 leaders on the pitch. That’s my dream.
”I didn’t manage to create that yet in one squad until now but I’m pushing for that all the time.
”I give responsibility to the players. We want to make the plan really clear to do the right coaching, that you don’t say silly things on the pitch, but also to create the right mentality and to give everything, every time and to stay positive.
”We had a few moments in the first half that we saw a few players getting too emotional. That’s also one step to take with the squad or with a few players.
”Nico is taking also really good steps in that way. He had one moment in the first half.
”That’s why I give him the responsibility with the captaincy today, to learn these things and to stay positive also in the moments you don’t agree for example with the referee, but that we focus on our football and you don’t get distracted with intimidation of another player from another team saying things to you.
”Those are all steps that we need to take with the young players, the older players need to help, so I am happy that the young players are taking these steps, step by step.”
