Dujon Sterling lifts lid on Rangers dressing room shift as Philippe Clement targets ‘Kill Zone’
Dujon Sterling has lifted the lid on the shift in the Rangers dressing room since Philippe Clement arrived at Ibrox, saying the Belgian wants his players to work in the “Kill Zone”.
The 21-year-old defender played the second half of the Light Blues 3-1 win over Dundee on Saturday (9 December) as he continues to wait for his first start under Clement having been signed by Michael Beale in the summer transfer window.
Despite his lack of involvement in recent weeks, Sterling impressed in his cameo at Ibrox and helped Rangers claim all three points and maintain their unbeaten start under Clement, with the Englishman crediting the shift in attitude in the dressing room.
As quoted by the Daily Record (10 December) he said: “It is just a different mentality.
“He calls it The Kill Zone. That’s where he wants us from minute one, or even before that from the warm-up. That has just transferred throughout the whole squad. That is why everyone is playing their part now.
“It means we try to take the belief out of the other team before you have even stepped on the pitch, show a kind of ruthlessness.”
The Kill Zone
It may sound like something out of a 1980s action movie, but Clement’s idea of The Kill Zone almost completely aligns with the attitude required to be a success at Rangers, where you are expected to thrash every team that you face in the Scottish Premiership.
That level of expectation can bring the best out of some players and drain the drive out of others as they struggle to deal with the idea that they must win and perform well in every game that they play and can never take their foot off of the gas.
But since arriving in Glasgow, Clement appears to have instilled a level of belief in his side that they are good enough to beat any opposition they face and that has led to that level of “ruthlessness” in performances that Sterling mentioned.
This new Kill Zone attitude is serving Rangers well in the Scottish Premiership and they are truly back in the title race after Celtic’s defeat to Kilmarnock.
The true test of this new mentality will be whether or not the Gers can demonstrate that same ruthlessness in the biggest matches, such as Old Firm clashes or the Europa League clash with Real Betis.
In other Rangers news, Kenny Miller was left in a rage by a “shocking” moment in the Gers clash with Dundee