Rangers Manager Clement: Team ‘In Good Place’ for Tottenham Test

Rangers manager Philippe Clement stated that the team is “in a really good place” as they commence a demanding week, noting that Tottenham represents the “level Rangers want to play at.” The Ibrox side is set to host Tottenham Hotspur in a Europa League match on Thursday at 20:00 GMT. Following this, they will compete to retain the League Cup title against Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic in the final next Sunday at 15:30. Rangers secured their fourth consecutive victory across all competitions with a 3-0 Premiership win against Ross County on Sunday. This result narrowed the gap on second-placed Aberdeen to two points, with Rangers holding a game in hand. Clement expressed his belief that his players are “starting to recognise what to do when,” developing “connections,” and achieving “the right timings.” He further commented, “We’re not there yet at our maximum.” Clement elaborated on the upcoming challenge, stating, “Spurs is going to be a really big test. This team never played at this level against that type of opponent.” He added, “I’m really interested in how we will react, how we will make our decisions on the pitch, because it needs to be faster than in the league games.” The manager emphasized the importance of such experiences for growth: “The team can only grow getting experience like that. We’re in a really good place in that way, but we need to prove it on Thursday against one of the better teams in the Premier League, so it’s one of the better teams in the world with a really big difference in budget of course.” He concluded, “That’s the level my players want to play and I want to play and I want to see them play also to challenge that type of team.” In the Europa League standings, Rangers are currently well-positioned within the top eight. They hold a superior goal difference compared to ninth-placed Spurs and are behind two other teams that also have 10 points. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the last 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th will proceed to the knockout round. Rangers’ upcoming fixtures in the league phase also include matches against Manchester United on 23 January and Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on 30 January. In their recent Premier League fixture on Sunday, Tottenham initially led visitors Chelsea 2-0 but ultimately suffered a 4-3 defeat. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound, Clement also remarked, “We have a good amount of points in the Europa League, so every point we take against Spurs and Man Utd will be a bonus, I think.”