Giovanni van Bronckhorst insists Rangers have the squad to cope with the pressure in the tightest title race in over a decade.
The Rangers manager has suffered another blow with the news Ryan Jack is out of tomorrow’s Hibs clash not even two games into his comeback.
Aaron Ramsey is still not quite ready to start, but is liable to be given more minutes tomorrow night as a sub.
And there is better news on Fil Helander who is being pencilled in for a return in Saturday evening’s Scottish cup tie at Annan after being out for five months.
Rangers responded brilliantly last Sunday when they hammered Hearts 5-0 after a 3-0 humbling in the Old Firm game.
Now they need to take care of the other half of Edinburgh as they now chase Celtic, who lead the Premiership by one point.
Here is the press conference in full:
Can you give us an update on squad fitness?
We only have one change. Ryan Jack is out because he has a problem with his ankle. He took a knock in the game against Hearts that gave him a lot of pain but it’s not a serious injury and we hope he will be back in training in the coming days.
Will Aaron Ramsey start against Hibs?
I don’t think he is quite ready. You could see the difference when he came on but he is still building up and he is improving in training each day. It’s good to see the difference in only a week and the more sessions he has the more minutes he gets the closer he will get to starting a game.
Why is Filip Helander not in the European squad and what is the fitness update with him?
It was a hard decision. We could only name 23 on the lists so at that time I could only choose player who were fit. But Fil is really close to getting minutes again and hopefully we can involve him
on the weekend. It’s looking quite positive for him.
What did you make of the challenge on Jack and were you surprised there was no action?
I saw the challenge and I immediately saw he had problems with his ankle. Ryan Jack is a very tough player and if he has something he will let you know.
The ref didn’t see it as a challenge but it was definitely a foul. He had the adrenaline to carry on – and his character is like that.
What did you make of the Balogun and Bassey bookings?
I think in both instances they got the ball. If you accumulate yellow cards it leads to a suspension so I can understand the thinking my players (to complain).
But the ref doesn’t have the luxury of a replay or VAR so we have to respect what happened.
Has the team now set the standard you need in the win against Hearts?
We showed the way we can play, that is our standard and what we want in each game. We have to keep our levels high and achieve the same performance not only playing-wise but also tactically and in terms of character.
Alfredo Morelos was excellent against Hearts but do you need to share the burden?
Well, of course. Morelos is important for us with his link-up play, his runs and his presence in the 18-yard box but we had a threat from different areas on Sunday with different goal-scorers as well as Morelos.
You want a team that’s capable of creating chances not just up front but from midfield as well.
Morelos is out of contract at the end of next season have you opened discussions on a new deal?
I haven’t had a chat with him about his long-term future. He’s definitely a player who’s important for us and I think he’s enjoying his football at the moment.
Of course if a player is out of contract at the end of next season then I think talks will happen at some point this year to see how the future is for both sides.
I’m happy with Morelos and the performances he’s putting in on the pitch.
Do you feel you will have to rotate the squad with a heavy schedule?
It depends on the opposition and the competition you are in. We have quite a fit squad – only Ianis Hagi and Jack are unavailable.
There was a time when we had a lot of players out so it’s a luxury for me to be able to choose which players I need for each game.
What have you learned from the defeat against Celtic followed by the response against Hearts?
We reacted well, we really improved in areas of our play from the midweek game. We were aggressive and pressing as a team. We didn’t let Hearts escape. It was very good for me to see that reaction. The case now is stay on this path and maintain the levels.
What can you expect from Hibs?
A similar game to Hearts. I watched them play last week and they have the same system with five in the back. We had a tough match when we played them away but our main objective is to win the game.
