We must show our faith again on Sunday

A spirited performance on Thursday night saw Rangers draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League and the manager hopes they can build on that in this weekend’s Old Firm clash.

Speaking to the media at this afternoon’s pre-match press conference, Clement said: “If you don’t have that belief as a player, as a manager, as a club you can’t play like we did against Tottenham. So it starts with belief before the game, not during the game .

“The belief was there before the game, the belief has been there for a while and the team feels they are taking steps in every way, so it’s about doing it again on Sunday.

“It’s about recovery every now and then picking the right squad, getting some fresh legs in the team and playing our football against Celtic, it’s going to be a really good clash with two good teams.”

At his side, the manager said the extent of John Souttar’s injury is still being assessed after the defender had to be substituted in the first half of yesterday’s game.

Clement explained: “I have to have an assessment first and it’s not clear yet. I know John would do everything to play that game. He’s very motivated for the club and to win trophies so I know he will do his best, but it has to be something that is possible, we’ll see.”

When asked if Thursday’s performance was the best we have seen under him, the manager continued: “We have a more energetic team than last season. We had a squad last season with many older players who had fewer legs than before.

“I’m a perfectionist and towards the end of the season the legs were maybe gone. But we have a younger, more energetic squad, but they have to learn, but they are in a good dynamic, tactically you can see that it is getting better.

“We have more work to do after every game to explain everything so it’s clear to the players and they learn from mistakes. We are hungry to learn and it is always interesting with new players.

“You see them playing somewhere in a different formation and tactics, but you have to see what they can do for you. You can see the physical things, and technically what they can do, but how quickly they learn is the hardest thing to analyze before they get here.

“If you see the progress several players have made, we’ve made a lot of good choices.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, Clement said the squad must be clinical in the big moments at Hampden. He continued: “We have to score, be efficient and defend really well. Celtic are a team who are really good on the ball with a lot of quality players.

“They showed it in the league, they showed it in Europe, so we have to play a very mature game and be well organised. We have to play our football and create chances like we have done in the last few weeks.

“We have to grab our moments in the top games, it’s crucial. In the best games you don’t get 20 chances, you have to seize moments. You have to deal with the emotions, there will be mental games during the game. They have to do that and they have to you prepare for as staff.

“It’s interesting the parts you have to come together to have a good game like we did against Tottenham and we have to look to do it in the same way.”

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