Clement makes Rangers transfer admission and expresses derby belief

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Is that the most complete performance you've seen from your team this season?

The team is on the right track. We're only at the end of August now, so there's still a long way to go. Like I said, I expect the best Rangers to be seen in October, November. I know people maybe didn't like that moment that I said that, but it's a logical thing. We're rebuilding a new squad with a lot of new players. They're taking the right lessons, and the players who were here are also hungry to become better and to learn all the details. So in that way, it's a very positive afternoon. The best examples for me are Cyriel and Rabbi, because they were here last season. But they're making the right steps because they understand all the details more, what we were working on last week, last month, to make them more decisive in the last part of the field. So, that's what I want to see more of all season.

Is that today what you see in your head? Plenty of goals, plenty of attacking football, very fluid going forwards?

Yeah, of course. And then a lot of movement without ball, but doing things together, not just run to run. In the right positions, taking the right positions, making the right decisions in the final third. Because that's what we missed in the St. Johnstone game.  We had also a lot of good movements. We came a lot of times in the final third, but we were not decisive enough in our choices there. So it's every time to work on that, to show the images, to explain to the players how to do better, how to have better communication. And like this to grow as a team. I feel that dressing room has a lot of hunger to become better and to learn every detail. So, we're going to continue this process. It's not that we need to be satisfied now after this victory and that we're there. I saw still a lot of things that we can do better and we're going to work on that the next week and the next month.

You talked about confirmation on Friday. You used that word, building blocks. Do you feel like that happened today?

Yeah, for sure. Because you recognise things from the game of last week and other things that the players are doing better now. So that's confirmation for me. To do the same but to do it better and to grow as a team and to gain confidence in that way. But the confidence was there already. It's more like creating connections between players on the pitch, off the pitch. And that they understand in every situation what they have to do together. That's so crucial in the football we want to play.

How pleased are you with Cyriel just now and what did you say to him when he came off?

That I want to give Dani minutes now. Because he's working hard and he's coming back out of injury. That's also the strong point of Cyriel. He's a team player. You have a lot of strikers who are only busy with themselves and scoring their goals. But he's somebody who genuinely loves the other players, even other strikers like Dani or Hamza. He's giving them also tips in the training, for example. And Cyriel is for me…it's a pity we didn't meet each other when he was younger. Because he's still somebody who can make a big evolution, although he's 29. But he's understanding now more and more what to do in that role in the football we want to play. And he's getting more and more important in that way. Not only by scoring goals, but also in a lot of other things that people maybe don't see, but are really important for me. Also without the ball, but with the ball also.  So, he's getting more and more connection with the rest because it's repeating things. And we're doing that now for months and after a while things become more natural. So that's the process you need to take.

How pleased are you that they still have him here? And is he going to be a key player in the future?

We talk with the board about if there are bid comes for a player, if we can let him go or not. We can only let players go if for that amount you can find better. Or you can find two for example, one in the same position and one in another position. Otherwise you work backwards. That's not the idea. So clearly for him there hasn't been a bid that was enough to let him go. And he's also somebody who loves to stay. He loves to play for Rangers. He loves the shirt and he wants to die for the shirt. That's what he's showing also. In the good moments like today but also in the difficult moments. He was one of the guys who was fighting hard for the club and for the team. So I think he deserves a lot of praise, the stick he got in the beginning when he came here. And maybe it was in moments right that he was not good enough and he knew that he was missing things. But what he's been doing now the last couple of months, not only the last couple of weeks, but also the end of last season, he's just a really good striker and a really good team player. That's important for the rest of the team also.

Can you be sure that Dessers and Matondo will both still be in the club after the transfer deadline?

I'm not sure about anything. Like I said, if somebody comes with a bid that's big enough, then almost everybody can go. It's like that. That's the situation. Because you need to use that to do other things. If you can replace them by at least the same quality, then you can do other things. So I don't know. I will see at the end of the week. I don't expect that it will happen. I don't expect it, but I don't want to be naive also. But then we need to have another solution. that's better, of course. So the shorter you go to the 1st of September, the less chance there is because you need to find also a good replacement.

Do you expect a busy week?

I expect a busy week, but more busy in incoming and a few outgoing. But outgoing not for players who are in the squad today. That's clear. More outgoing for players who are not in the squad.

How is Leon Balogun?

Leon, he fell in the wrong way or got a knock, so his neck was blocked. That's why he could not continue. So there was no concussion or anything. So I expect the medical team that they can deblock it during this week. So that it will not be a bad thing.

Was this the perfect performance and result going into Old Firm game?

No perfect. I think we should have scored 10 or 11 to have the perfect game today. So there were for sure things that we can do better and that I saw. And we're going to work on that. But of course it's a totally different game. The game against Celtic, it's a different opponent. It's a different playing style than Ross County. So we're going to work on that to be ready for that kind of game.

Can this bolster the confidence going to Parkhead?

Yeah, but you guys only talk about one game now. And it's a massive game, I know. And it's a crucial game, maybe, at the end of the road. But I'm looking also further ahead than that. I'm not only focused on this one game. We're going to work hard this week with everybody to be ready for that game. To go hard to take the three points like we do against every opponent. I hope also to get a few signings in this week. So maybe they have one training or two trainings or no training before that game. So maybe I can even not use them in that way. And I'm focused also on the rest of the season. Not only this one game that comes. But we're going to prepare us in the ultimate best way to be competitive in that game. And to go full for the three points. Not to sit and to park the bus in front of goal and to hope that something falls out of the sky. No, we're going to go full our chances.

What makes you believe that you can go there and win?

Because we were really close last season. We were really close at Ibrox. We were really close in the cup final. The difference in the Cup Final was one action that they were efficient and we not. We had the same chances, we had the same possession also. So, okay, I know it will be a new game for a few guys. And I'm curious now how they're going to react the first time to play an Old Firm. But I'm also really positive about that way. If you speak about the Jeftes and the Connor Barrons. Although Connor played there, but it's a different kind of game with Aberdeen. Because those are also two guys who the last couple of weeks they had a few exams for the first time. And they take it every time really good. So, I expect them to do it there also. And the other guys will have more experience in that kind of games.