Aberdeen draw to have ‘significant’ impact on ‘non-negotiable’ cup final clash for Rangers – Kenny Dalglish
It is a “non-negotiable” for Rangers to win the League Cup final next month and the draw against Aberdeen at the weekend could have a major effect on the occasion, according to Kenny Dalglish.
The former Celtic and Scotland forward said ahead of the 1-1 draw at Pittodrie on 26 November, as per the Daily Record, that the result of the league meeting would play a “significant part” on the outcome at Hampden on 17 December.
He also excused Philippe Clement from being “on trial” over the crucial period between now and the New Year, in which the Belgian will also take charge of his first Old Firm derby, pointing instead to the squad with changes expected in January and the summer.
Dalglish said of Clement: “No, it’s not him who is on trial in this coming period. He has been appointed to assess the current squad and suggest changes that need to be made in the January transfer window and in the summer.
“The league title was secured in 2021 under Steven Gerrard and the Scottish Cup was in the trophy cabinet in May 2022 under Gio van Bronckhorst.
“Rangers will feel that isn’t good enough and James Tavernier has also admitted that. As the Rangers skipper, he knows he should be winning more. The first test is today and it will be tough at Aberdeen.
“The Gers players will need to impress new boss Philippe Clement in the busy six weeks ahead. Whatever happens today, I do think it will play a significant part on what the outcome will be at Hampden next month.”
Improvement needed
Dalglish is right that the first trophy of the campaign is a must for Rangers and they are going to need to play a lot better than they did at Pittodrie to make sure they lift it.
The first dropped SPFL points of Clement’s reign should indeed have a sizeable effect on the Hampden rematch, but in a positive way more than a negative.
Just as with the semi-final against Hearts, where the Gers had laboured to a stoppage-time league victory at Ibrox the weekend before before a comparatively comfortable 3-1 cup win, Clement will want a similar response for the final.
In the league games against both the Jambos and the Dandies it was a late James Tavernier penalty after a shirt-pulls on Connor Goldson that avoided defeat, so if the similarities continue it should be a much better performance in mid-December.
And while it is obviously difficult to hold the manager too heavily responsible for the shortcomings of the current Rangers squad after the mess Michael Beale managed to leave it in Clement won’t be completely unaffected if he fails to win the cup.
Like Beale before him responsibility won’t be immediately parked at his door but it will use up leeway that he might need further down the line when it is eventually his team, so one way or another Rangers need to come out on top.
In other Rangers news, an official club partner slammed one flop at Pittodrie who shouldn’t be playing any more.