Giovanni van Bronckhorst makes admission on Rangers squad-rotation
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has made it very clear that Rangers won’t give up in the Scottish Premiership although the task of catching Celtic is now incredibly difficult.
Rangers will face Braga in the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, followed by a league clash against St Mirren on Sunday.
The six-point gap with Celtic means, the Europa League and the Scottish Cup remain Rangers’ best chance of landing some trophies this season.
When asked whether he will field a weakened side in the league, the Dutchman said, as quoted by The Daily Record: “No, we just go out in every game and try to win it with the best possible and strongest team we have. We’re still in all competitions.
“Of course the league is going to be more difficult now but we have to keep going so there’s no chance I will play a weakened team on Sunday. The focus now is on Braga and then after that we switch back to St Mirren.”
Strong message
Wow. That’s the spirit.
Winning or losing is part of the game but how a manager sets up his philosophy shapes the fabric of the squad.
Van Bronckhorst took charge in the middle of the season taking over from Steven Gerrard, and he has done an incredible job in taking Rangers to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and hopefully beyond.
The league form has been a disappointment, but the Gers will have to learn from their mistakes and rectify them next season.
Having said that, Van Bronckhorst gives the impression that he wants to win every game, and that he will pick a strong line-up in the league, irrespective of positions.
Obviously, once mathematically Celtic are beyond their reach, he may look to give rest to some of his key players for cup games, but the present situation doesn’t demand so.
It’s really good to see that Van Bronckhorst is not giving up on the league, even though he knows deep inside the title race is as good as over.
In other Rangers news, the manager has confirmed another injury absence in the squad.