It is always a grueling fixture calendar for Rangers around the festive period.
The games come thick and fast for Philippe Clement and his squad but with the form they have found, the players are happy to keep pushing for those points.
Vaclav Cerny has been one of the main standouts this season from what has been an up and down campaign thus far but the Czech admits even he is struggling with the schedule.
For the winger it has been “killing” and he insists that is why it is so important for Gers to have a strong base as well as strength in depth to ensure they continue to cope with the demands.
A sentiment Clement also recently reiterated.
A victory over Dundee on December 21 – where Cerny was the match-winner – will be followed by this evening’s clash with St Mirren in Paisley.
Motherwell come next in three days’ time before it is Celtic in the Old Firm derby on January 2.
And the games keep rolling all within three or four days of each other when Gers are set to face Hibs, Dundee, St Johnstone and Aberdeen in quick succession.
Vaclav Cerny says the fixture schedule has been ‘killing’
“The schedule is very tough, so we just have to be very focused on our recovery,” Cerny said. “We have to keep this flow because the team is doing well and we’re fit.
“We need every single player from the squad because it’s really killing. The body needs to be ready for it.
“In the end, that’s what you want because you want to go as far as possible in every competition you play. It’s what you want but it’s also tough.
“My form is very much down to the manager, the relationship I have with him is great. I said before that the talk I had with him helped me so much and we have continued to do that.
“I want to do everything to give it back to him, the boys in the team and the club. Since I got here I have enjoyed it so much, even with the up and downs a few months ago. My only job this year is to give everything to this club, the manager and to those guys.”
Momentum is so important in a title race and Gers have found their flow in recent times.
And with the derby just around the corner, that could hardly have come at a better time even after the Premier Sports Cup Final defeat.
But Cerny has warned his teammates they have other games to come first. And he wants to see further improvements before Celtic come to town.
Cerny wants further improvements before Celtic clash
“It has been going great and I just want to continue with that,” Cerny added. “Most importantly, we are in a good flow as a team now so let’s keep that going. “It was very important for us to get a win over Dundee, get back on track with winning games – that was the main thing last weekend.
“It wasn’t difficult for us to move on because in the end we are professionals. We know that every game is very important, which is true.
“The disappointment was there, a very big one, but in football you need to be able to move on quickly. We have done that, there are other games – two important games before that one.
“Let’s focus on those games before the other one. There are two big games before that (the Old Firm) and a very tight schedule. Everybody in the dressing-room feels the same way, we need to be ready for the two big games before that one on the second of January.”
