Philippe Clement shares what he has told Rangers squad recently after Ibrox form
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has revealed what he said before the Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Hearts, and denied the idea that his squad “don’t have the morale”.
The Bears returned to winning ways by beating Hearts 2-0 to set up a Scottish Cup decider against Celtic, but Clement denied that the win repaired any damaged morale within the squad.
The win at Hampden Park came after Rangers lost 3-2 to Ross County and drew 0-0 with Dundee, seeing their pursuit of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race take a hit.
Speaking to STV, the Belgian said: “If you don’t have the morale, you can’t play that way against Hearts.
“If you can win the game the way we did, you cannot do that if the morale is not good before the game. It is impossible.”
Clement said to his squad: “I tell them win the next game. It is the only way, not only here, in every league.
“Everybody who is busy with more games loses his focus. It is about the next game and to show yourselves.
“If you don’t win you need to react.”
Rangers riot act helping Philippe Clement to rescue season
Rangers enter their final five league matches of the season with confidence after reaching the Scottish Cup final, and with St Mirren up first in Paisley, Clement will be hoping his side can build on their 2-0 win over Hearts.
The Belgian denied that his squad had seen their morale dampened by recent results in the league, but recent performances suggested otherwise, particularly their second-half collapse to lose 3-2 at Ross County.
Cyriel Dessers’ double at Hampden Park, however, has seen the Gers get back on track and restored faith in their ability to close down Celtic at the top of the Premiership, after missing out on the chance to overtake them with two games in hand.
Another Old Firm derby awaits at Parkhead on 11 May, with the Scottish Cup final following just two weeks later, and as the title race goes down to the wire, Rangers will be hoping to make up for lost time.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are expected to take a financial hit on a transfer which suits all involved.
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