Rangers captain James Tavernier has claimed that every game is a “cup final” for Steven Gerrard’s side this season in comments which sum up the mentality shift at Ibrox.
Rangers secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice this weekend earning three points which could prove pivotal in the title race.
That result also extended Rangers’ hugely impressive run of 27 games without defeat in all competitions at the start of this season, with the club currently 13 points in front in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers have looked an organised, focused and determined unit of late and Tavernier’s comments give a small insight into exactly why; even as he expressed disappointment over losing a rare Scottish Premiership goal.
“We know we could have done a lot better, definitely. We have been so strong at the back through the league,” said Tavernier [Glasgow Times],
“It’s always frustrating when it’s cheap errors you concede from, and that is what it was today. We did not get tight enough to the lad who did a big diag, I did not get my feet right and who’s tracking the lad at the back post?
“It is something you don’t want to happen again and we will work on the training pitch and get stronger and work that bit harder.
“It is a little mishappening, a misjudgement. We take pride in clean sheets and we will get back to that again.
“We have always said that. We will take it game by game, treat every game like a cup final.
“We know today was a huge game after the strong finish to the European group stage. We will treat every game like a cup final.
“We cannot look too far ahead, what the next fixture is. We just have to prepare right.
“We cannot take our foot off the gas. We showed last season how easy it can be to drop points.
“We cannot afford that. We have plenty of experience in that area now. We are pushing each other on so much and mentally we are in a good place.”
If every game is a cup final at Rangers, then James Tavernier is proving that he’s the biggest big-game player in a squad currently chocked full of them.
Once again the marauding right-back was pivotal in a Rangers victory, his stunning 30-yard free-kick opening the scoring and his assist setting up Connor Goldson’s winner.
The Rangers captain has been a cut above in this campaign and the Ibrox support were running out of superlatives for his free-kick goal in the victory at Tannadice.
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