Rangers proved last night that they can cut it with the big boys as they dominated against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
Philippe Clement’s side opened the scoring thanks to another Hamza Igamane strike with the Moroccan hitman proving himself once again in front of goal.
Cyriel Dessers then had the ball in the net only to be ruled out for offside after he had spurned a big opportunity following Dejan Kulusevski’s equaliser up the other end.
It was a major moment in the fixture and one the Nigerian might look back on, but Clement was delighted overall with his stars who put in a shift against top Premier League opposition.
The manager pinpointed one particular strength he felt his players showed at Ibrox in their 1-1 draw which leaves them eighth in the Europa League Phase and still within the automatic qualification spots.
And he was pleased that his side showed how good they can be with the Premier Sports Cup Final against Celtic coming this weekend.
Speaking on his side digging in and ending the game strongly, Clement said: “It’s a culture you need to create.
“It’s good that the last couple of months they learned this, all squads, because it’s starting from almost zero in that way compared with last season where it was also in that way in the dressing room.
“It’s a major thing in football to always restart after those moments and to continue and to do what you’ve been doing well before and to have this hunger and desire to win. That was our strong point today.
Clement says Rangers’ desire to win the game was their strong point vs Spurs
“Nobody was satisfied by having a 0-0 against Tottenham and just defending and hoping that something would fall out of the sky.
“No, everybody wanted to create, wanted to hurt them, wanted to defend also well with the whole team together because that stays crucial. Those were lessons that we had to take the last couple of months also to find a much better balance and a better commitment of everybody in that way.
“We’re attacking together, we’re defending together and that we need to continue to do.”
And on having the fans’ backing, the boss added: “It’s a massive one for sure with the synergy with the fans. I had difficulty in moments to reach my players today because there was so much noise but it was energetic for the team also.
“So it’s a massive thing. Also, if you see after the game, everybody really pleased about the performance.
“So yeah, this is major and this is what Rangers is about. It’s also the strength of the club. If things go well, the fans go really behind the team and give a lot of energy. So I’m happy that that one is back. The belief is there. You cannot play at this level in that way if you don’t start the game with belief.
How Ange Postecoglou reacted to Rangers vs Spurs draw
“To dare to play in that way against Tottenham without belief is impossible. If there’s one player on the pitch who doubts about it, everything falls apart. So the belief is there already for quite a while.
“It’s about doing it every time, doing it every three days. That culture we need to create in the team, that thing we need to create also with their bodies to become strong like that, to do it every three days. So yeah, that’s a job we have to do with all staff. But you see that everybody buys into the story and that you see also really good football.
“I don’t think it was only important for Rangers. I think it’s also important for Scottish football that people see that there’s good football being played in Scotland also. In that way, to compete with the top side out of the Premier League, it’s a massive thing.”
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, was furious with Timo Werner as he offered his own verdict on proceedings at Ibrox last night.
He said: “A tough game as expected. With the atmosphere, first half was pretty tight no real clear cut chances on either side.
“Obviously when they score after half-time the stadium goes up and it’s going to be a tough one to claw back but I thought we worked our way back into the game well.
“I thought the subs made a difference and we scored a good goal.
“Had a couple of other moments and in the end a great save by Fraser gives us, in the context of where we are in Europe, I think an important point.
”It is the result, what’s fair and unfair I think is for others to judge. I thought it was a fairly tight game for the most part.
“They had their moments and I thought in the second half, especially when the subs came on, we got a better foothold in the game.
“Like I said, in the context of where we are in Europe with the next games in the New Year, which should give us a chance to be in a better place squad-wise, I think it’s an important point.”
