“I expect a busy week, but more busy in incoming and a few outgoing. But outgoing not for players who are in the squad today. That’s clear. More outgoing for players who are not in the squad”
Philippe Clement spoke after the pleasing six goal win over Ross County on Saturday.
Those words will have sparked some excitement amongst the fanbase, he seemed almost confident that the business he wants done will be done.
So that allows the fans to speculate and perhaps think way more in depth than we normally should, but let’s look at what the comments could mean.
Well, more incoming than outgoing, so who do we expect to leave? Ben Davies has now left and Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi remain in limbo apparently free to leave the club.
Dare we choose to think if they leave we could get more faces incoming?
Because that would be a lot of business for the club but more crucially it could mean the first team starters we crave.
Even if Cantwell and Hagi don’t leave, Ben Davies leaving (if we take Clements words literally) hopefully it means at least two will be coming in.
If those two players were a six or a ten, could we get a winger, will it be a centre back to replace Ben Davies (which the manager hinted at) then we have a lot to be intrigued about.
Crucially they have to be first team quality, but when Goldson left Propper arrived immediately and same with Cerny arriving as Lammers left. Could we dare to hope those deals are ready to go?
Those two players, if that’s how it works out, could make the difference to Clement. Saturday was the taster, a building block to a solid enough victory over St Johnstone, but now the old acid test is upon us.
It’s all ifs buts and maybes, but at least we have something to speculate about and maybe even look forward to.
Parkhead is never an easy game and let’s be honest, it’s been a given for many years that we just don’t come away with anything. Victory over Ross County is welcomed and the manner of it helped also.
Forget the ‘It was only Ross County’, Rangers deserve praise for how they carried out the victory. There was lots of very good play collectively and individually, the fourth goal an almost carbon copy of our goal in Poland. So much for a team that has no style.
Jefte and Rabbi Matondo linking well the past few games is obviously troubling clubs, that could be a welcome tool in games where defensively we can pressure teams high up the field. The obvious test comes in bigger games in the league and that need for those performances consistently.
In Midfield, Connor Barron is impressing, tough and tenacious play where he does the recovery work we have missed for so long. Mohammed Diomande is an eight but he has to ensure that his performance on Sunday resembles that of the cup final and hope that those around him create the chances and crucially take them.
But with Cerny on the right and Matondo on left we now have width, Dessers is playing his best form and instinctively now finishing chances.
IF we are to have any chance then all of these components have to come together, but crucially, the midfield have to get it right and ensure we close down any threat especially from long range as they will take a lot of shots. In our last trip to there that’s exactly how it played out with eventually one going in. If you sit off McGregor, Hetate and Bernardo they will punish you, so stifling that is absolutely key.
Rangers will need to be aggressive in the individual battles and confident on the ball. We are still way off where we really need to be but this is building towards something not trying to accomplish it over night. Defensively we have to be tight, individual mistakes can’t happen as they have done on nearly every recent visit.
Rangers will get opportunities on Sunday, Fabio Silva had missed two clear chances in our last game and they will come again, we have to be ruthless. The defence is there to be exploited, individually they can be pressurised so we have to ensure we do force that.
All sorts of factors have to fall into place for Rangers to get something and we are huge underdogs, but anything can happen. Rangers will have to be on it.
But a few signings, a positive week and we will head into this game feeling a lot better about ourselves than we did last week.
It’s not quite a battle cry, but it’s not a resignation to defeat either.
It’s an interesting week ahead.
Four Lads Had A Dream 