6 Rangers presser takeaways as Philippe Clement talks ‘strange’ Motherwell, handball rule and Ridvan Yilmaz improvement

6 Rangers presser takeaways as Philippe Clement talks ‘strange’ Motherwell, handball rule and Ridvan Yilmaz improvement

The Scottish Premiership games are coming thick and fast, and Philippe Clement sat down for another Rangers press conference today.

The Light Blues overcame what could have been a difficult match by coming from behind to defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, and it was a significant victory that maintains them two points ahead of Celtic at the top of the table. The next game comes against Motherwell on Saturday, with the obvious goal of picking up another three points.

Beyond that, they have the huge job of flying to Lisbon to face Benfica in the Europa League, as their already crowded calendar continues. Nursing his players through that was on the topic of today’s press conference, and Clement also gave an update on some injuries.

Oscar Cortes’ injury, but triple boost

“Oscar will be out for an unknown amount of time, which we are discussing with the doctor and specialist. So I can’t say anything more about it right now. It’s a muscle injury, but I can’t say much more. Kemar Roofe will be available for the squad because the pitch is normal. Ryan Jack has been training for the past several days and is also returning to contention. Tom Lawrence is well after midweek. We still need to evaluate how we share playing minutes with guys returning from injury. But he’s available to play a few minutes.”

Keeping players in optimal condition

“It applies equally to all players, not only Kemar. I want all of the players to be in peak condition, so we’re working very hard with the medical and performance teams to achieve that. Every game, we have numerous talks regarding how many minutes we should play. I was laughing with them last week about how they almost chose the squad that starts and ends the game instead of me, so I don’t have much to do anymore! There is a lot of discussion, looking at stats and player history, and then making decisions based on that. And to explain to the players why, because many of them are anxious to receive more minutes when they feel well.

Motherwell threat

“Different opponent, different game, different situation. Even if we played the same squad, the game would never be the same; this is always true. Motherwell, the story is a little weird. I’m always interested in data because it controls or validates your feelings, whether you have them or not. You can see where they are in the league; we played a unique game there. You can’t draw many implications from that because the weather was extremely unusual. I witnessed the game at Ibrox at the start of the event, and it was quite challenging. And, according to the data, they are the league’s third-highest goal-scoring squad. I was surprised! at that because it was something I didn’t know. It shows that we need to play a game where we need to not only be offensively really good to break open the wall, but we need to be defensively really good. It’s going to be also crucial not to be naïve.”

One eye on Benfica?

“I wish I could do that, but right now it’s game by game. Observing how players recuperate, how they return, and then making the appropriate actions. So the answer is both yes and no. I’m always thinking about the game before and after. So you do think about it, but not as much as I would like.”

Handball Rule

“I think there will be greater clarity in the future because decisions are made in a hazy area. I don’t think the handball rule has made things easier for the referee or the VAR. It has gotten more tough. And the decision-making process by UEFA or FIFA is more challenging. That is why it is critical that there is more clarity, because it is my responsibility to explain to my players what they can and cannot do on the field, as well as what handball is and is not. If people come on the pitch believing there is unfairness, we have a problem. It needs to be very clear what is and is not handball. I don’t believe it’s good for the game if all of the players are running about with their hands behind their backs, which you see already now. But even then when your arm is like that it’s still handball. You cannot defend like this, you cannot turn. It’s not good for the game that they run around like penguins. So it’s important if we can get more in the future more contact together outside the tension and stress of games with referees. I think it will be beneficial for both sides.”

Ridvan Yilmaz Improvement

“Ridvan has undergone a significant transformation in the last few months; he has developed in practically every way. There were a lot of rumors in January, but I didn’t notice any shift in his behavior, training mindset, or teamwork. He has matured on the pitch. He is at a superior physical, mental, and tactical level. He is also passionate about his resilience in duels. He is also quite popular in the dressing room, and he has done an excellent job of integrating into the group over the previous few months. I do not believe that was the situation six months ago. He is a fighter, and we need fighters, regardless of their size in centimetres!”

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