Rangers manager Philippe Clement was in calm mood as he addressed a press conference ahead of the Old Firm clash with Celtic.
The Belgian boss really has cut a figure of authority and consistency when speaking to journalists and he once again barely flinched this time around.
With the Scottish Premiership title momentum very much on the line at Ibrox this Sunday, you might’ve forgiven Philippe Clement for being a tad more emotional.
But the Rangers manager once again simply insisted that his team focus on the task at hand and didn’t get wrapped up into any bold title predictions.
Addressing everything from Ridvan Yilmaz to Ally McCoist’s comments in midweek, here’s what Philippe Clement had to say as Rangers and Celtic prepare for the third Old Firm derby of the season.
Philippe Clement press conference Rangers v Celtic
Is Ridvan available?
“That’s not sure yet so we’re going to see tomorrow or even on Sunday to make a decision around that. The rest, everybody is available who was available the last game. So the only three players out is Ryan Jack, Danilo and Oscar Cortes.”
Has Ryan Jack been training this week?
“He’s been training but not enough with the team for the moment to be sure that he’s in the squad. But he’s been training yes.”
Is Abdallah Sima fit enough to start?
“He’s fit enough to start but not to play 90 minutes. Depends what part of the game you want him on the pitch, so that’s my decision.”
Do you have a preference?
“Yes I have a preference, do you want to know more? I don’t think I’m going to do that today.”
How big a game is this in the title race?
“It’s always a big game. It’s a six-point game. That we know. We have another one in a few weeks also in that way. But it’s not yet a decisive game so whoever wins is not champion. It’s not like that. I’m happy with what I’ve seen about my team after the last Old Firm. So after that game we’ve had 11 games until now. We’ve took 30 points out of 33. We could’ve took more points in the Motherwell game, so it could’ve been better than that. And we scored more goals than Celtic in that period and less goals against, so that’s really good consistency but it’s not a guarantee for anything. It’s a really big step forward from the period at the beginning of the season, also my first part of the season, that there has been more consistency, better results, a bigger squad, more people ready to do the job. So I see my team growing month-by-month and now this is the next challenge.”
It won’t be decisive as there’s another Old Firm to come…
“And a lot of other games also because don’t forget this, there are still a lot of games to be played also. Not only these two Old Firm games. Also the other games.”
Do you think a win could have a psychological impact?
“On my team, not, no.”
It’ll just be three points and focusing on the rest of the games?
“Yes. Because, this message has been really clear from the beginning and my team knows I don’t want a team that after a deception, stay in the deception. And they’ve proven that, not too much because we didn’t have too much deception. And I don’t want a team that when they have a euphoria moment and a really good moment, like it was in Seville (v Betis), that they stay in that emotion and next game they are not there. Because that’s stupid because then next game you lose the points. So there will not be a difference whatever the result but we’re going to go full to get the three points of course, that’s clear, because it’s a six-point game.”
What are the lessons have you learned from the last time you played Celtic?
“That we didn’t grab the moments and they did. For sure with their second goal, an exceptional goal that I didn’t see that player do in the rest of the season. So you know these are the kind of games that you need to grab the moments, it’s decided in details. It’s decided also in players making the difference, not only offensive but also defensive. And to be on top of your game, 90 minutes long, 100 minutes long. I think a really good example was also yesterday when I was watching my old boys, who play in Chelsea now, against Man U. You see this game was turning side-to-side several times, scenarios several times during the game because everybody kept on going until the last second. And we’ve proven that also in the past, that we can go through difficult moments and if the moments are falling our way that we can keep a result also. So that’s what I expect from my players to do in that game.”
How do you stay mentally sharp over the course of the game?
“Because we work really hard on our structure, on our discipline, on our tasks, on our confidence also. And it’s also about building this month after month with new experiences, so the more experiences we have together, or they have together, on the pitch, they better they will get. It’s another good challenge in that way. I see it in this way and it’s about building consistency in a group of players, not in 11 players but 28 players. This consistency to do this job everyday, to know what they have to do with the ball, without ball, all the movements together, all the reactions together, and to repeat that. Time after time after time, and if you do that, you get consistency and you get at the end trophies and success. Is it now? Is it later? It comes, because the consistency is there and that results in results.”
One game and a time and all that…
“I am boring, I know, I know.”
Are you worrying about scheduling fixtures with the fears over Dens Park?
“That would be a big surprise if its unplayable because it was a good pitch I heard a few weeks ago. No, I am busy now with the Celtic game and if I’m busy with that, to arrange other pitches, I’m not busy with that because that’s work for the groundsmen and other people to do that. No, I am only busy with Sunday’s game.”
Have you been in contact with Dundee?
“I don’t know because we didn’t discuss that, we’re only busy with ourselves now and with our own game. Because we cannot do anything about that this week I think.”
How big is the psychological factor on top of the tactical and the physical?
“The team was psychologically ready last time also in December. And that they’ve proven. Even with 10 at the end of the game to really go hard for the result and we were really, really close to getting that result, even with 10 players. No, the players are ready. They’re ready for that. Already quite a while, not this last few weeks.”
What role do you see for Leon Balogun?
“About Leon, I am very happy about him. I didn’t have the chance the last couple of weeks to put him more on the field because I had so much rotation to do with offensive players that were not ready for 90 minutes that I could not take centre-backs in who could maybe play 70 or 80 minutes and then I had to change. I could not take a risk with that, so he was unlucky in that way, but he’s been really good in the training. He’s been inspiring also for the young players in the building, who are in the squad, who come to train with us, that he’s helping in a really good way. So he’s been a really good asset for the club and I’m really happy with him.”
How do you personally view the derby vibe in the city?
“About this game, yeah this is a massive game. Walk a little bit around the town the next couple of days and you will see. Ask everybody, everybody has an opinion about this game.”
What’s your opinion?
“That it’s fantastic to be a manager in this environment. In an environment where everybody is so passionate about football, where everybody loves football, where everybody is living towards this game. It’s a nice place to be. So that gives a lot of energy and as a manager you don’t want anything else than that, that everybody loves football.”
How well has Cyriel (Dessers) recovered from the miss at Celtic Park?
“He was in a good place then, he’s just scored in Betis, a really important goal to make an historical victory. It was place is Haaland for the moment? That’s the life of a striker. You score chances, you are the guy, you miss chances and then suddenly some people, mostly from outside, they say you’re a bad player. It doesn’t work that way. I think Cyriel is taking good steps. If I compare the last five months, that he’s evolving as a player, that he’s becoming better. I don’t see him yet at his best level what I have in mind with him. I think there are still things to improve but I have seen already a lot of things that he improved in that period together. And he’s scoring also much more goals than he was doing before so his statistics are quite good, for the moment. It can be better but it’s not only for me about his statistics about scoring it’s also all the other things he’s doing with the team. We talked a lot about that already with you guys the last couple of months. I am not only looking at his goals, I am looking also what he has been doing for the team and like this arranging that we’re good as a team defensively also, where he puts a lot of effort in. But also that he gives chances for other players to run in certain spaces or to score goals. No, he’s in a good way. I think everybody sees a better player than five months ago, clearly, so that’s the way we need to go with every player.”
Callum McGregor if fit for Celtic – how important is it to stop him dominating the game?
“I don’t totally agree that he dominated the play in Celtic Park. There were moments that he was good on the ball but there were also moments that he was not dominating the game. I think a few of my midfielders were in moments also dominating the game. I see the first game, then it’s true he was dominating but I OK I don’t need to say too much about that. Yeah, he’s a very good player. He’s somebody with a lot of quality who is really good on the ball and who is very important for their team. So of course it’s important to take that strength out of their team and that’s one part you need to do but it’s not only about one player. They have a lot of good players.”
What’s your message to Rangers fans amid the discussion over the Hate Crime Act in Scotland?
“I am against hate, I am a positive person. Everybody knows. I understand passion of people, that I understand. I think the biggest thing is for me around fans and this game is that, I hear some people are talking about our fans that they can change really fast so those are people who are not the last couple of months not at Ibrox. They didn’t see the change that’s made by the fans, together with the players, so now we have fans who stand behind the team and are busy with that. 90 minutes long, all the time, even when the circumstances don’t fall our way, they believe now in the team. They support the team. And they keep on going until the last second. And a lot of times we achieved to do that and change things, one time not in the league against Motherwell, but still after the game everybody stayed really positive and that’s a really good environment to be a player in. So it’s a big, big step forward and it’s an important thing so we are a team that can change things really fast in a game. Like for example Chelsea was doing yesterday, in less than two minutes scoring two goals, we have also this capacity to do that and the fans believe it now. Because they’ve seen it, and they’ve seen how much work the players are doing in the games and they know also how much work the players are doing everyday in training.”
What is the impact of potentially going five points clear after Celtic and Dundee?
“Yeah but then you make for me a mathematician and not a manager. Maybe you know me too well now. That’s one of the things I like, that’s why I wanted to study got engineer because I like my mathematics and statistics and all those things. But I know football is something else. Football is emotion, football is changing of scenarios, and not one season has been the same. I am now more than 30 years in football and I’ve seen so many twists and changes. I’ve been lucky that a lot of times it went my side but a few times also not. So that’s football and that’s also why everybody loves it, that’s the charm about football also. So I want my players got be focused because I know it’s the only way to success is to control what you can control, and that’s our own performance. So I don’t want mathematicians in my dressing room, I want players, I want passionate players, who give their best every day for the team and that’s what I’ve been seeing the last few months and we will continue in that way, whatever the result.”
Both fans are nervous, are there any nerves from you going into the game?
“No, no, I love it. No, I’m not nervous. I’m excited about it. I am looking forward to it. This is something you need to embrace, not to be nervous about. These are great afternoons. I have a lot of confidence in my squad, I have a lot of confidence in our fans, so those are the challenging moments because you play against a good team, who will compete with you, who will do their best to beat you, and there will be a lot of quality from both sides. So that’s the thing that you want for your players also. It’s the only way also to grow as a player, to have challenges, to have tough games, to play against good opponents. If you make next steps into that you go to another level and that’s what I want to do with this squad, with this club, with the squad next season to become better and to raise the level, time after time. With a lot of success and maybe some disappointments along the way because that’s also a way to success, to get the good lessons out of that. But I prefer to have success on Sunday let’s be clear about that.”
