Clement pinpoints Rangers star who is the 'symbol' of his side

Clement on the fast start...

It was the perfect start to the campaign, and the perfect start to the game also. Malmo are a really difficult opponent to play against. They play with a lot of running actions but in a chaotic style -  it's difficult to defend against. My players did a massive job sticking to the plan, all game, all 90 minutes long. The guys who started, the guys who came on. And we used the spaces also in a really good way with the ball. So it was a very mature performance that I saw from my team. The only small thing that you can say is if you kill off the game in the first half, then it's different again. But I think they showed a really good game today and we will continue working on the finishing.

Clement on the direction of travel...

I'm a perfectionist, but I've been now 30 years in this world and I never played myself the perfect game and I have never seen my team play the perfect game. But it's something you strive for and you work on that to look at all the details that you can improve. But also not forgetting the good things that we are doing. And you see more and more that players are getting connections. If you see how many new players were on the pitch today who were not here one month ago or two months ago, the team has already made a massive step forward to play that kind of football in this environment against that kind of opponent. We need to continue in that way working on all the details that we can make better. And not forgetting the good things that we are doing and staying humble and keep on working hard with the same solidarity and unity that the team has for the moment in the dressing room. Because it's going to be a season with more games than ever, every three days. We're going to need everybody really ready for that.

Was that the best performance of the season?

Yes I think so. But it doesn't mean it's going to stay the best that we’ve had. I think we need to work hard to make it better and that's what we're going to do. 

Clement on the Rangers belief factor...

Yes, but that's a question that comes after these games. If you don't have that belief you cannot produce that performance. So if the belief was not there that they could do it. These are things we work on in training because it's not easy football-wise to come out of the situation, out of the pressing that Malmo were doing. If you don't believe in that, you cannot perform in that way on the pitch. So the belief is there. There is no doubt about that. It's about keeping this hunger, keeping this desire to work on all the details. And that everybody puts their ego aside and works hard for the team and does the job. If we stick to the plan together, we can have a really interesting season. It's good that people from outside start to see much more the potential that this group can have.

Clement on the relationships in attack...

I'm very pleased but it's a job of all teams and it starts with Jack. So you work on things to find spaces. We knew how Malmo wanted to press us. So we had a few options for how to come out of that. We trained on that. And then you need players also of course to do it in the right way with the right technical qualities. And to be brave on the ball. That's a good thing. Today you saw all the game 11 players who were brave on the ball and who wanted the ball. So we continue that way. And then there are good times ahead of us.

Clement on Kasanwirjo's first start...

 I saw him play several times as left full back. He's not the same type of full back as Jefte or Ridvan. It's a different type of full back. More defensively. Also right foot of course. But it was important to have somebody like that in the structure that we wanted to play today. So he did a really good job. He's just in the building. He didn't play too much until now. And he's showing that he has the right mindset. The physical and technical capacities. So it's an interesting one for the future.

Clement on Malmo's social media activity...

No, because I'm totally not busy with those things. Other teams can say whatever they want. Other people can say whatever they want. I'm just focused on my team. On our club. And we need to continue in that way with the players also. To stay humble, to work hard and to focus on ourselves. And not be busy with noise or with what people are saying about us or whatever. It has no importance for me.

Was this one of his favourite night as Rangers manager?

It's difficult to say. If you win in Seville or you win a league cup, it's still a step higher. But I'm happy that everybody will start to see that there are really good things done in the transfer window. Cutting the wages but bringing young, excited players in. Also experienced players in and getting a good balance in the squad in that way. So that this team can grow to become better than it was last season. That was the goal and it was not easy with the situation we were in at that moment.

Clement on being encouraged by the performance and result...

Yes, but they need to confirm this. It's easy to come to the top. No, it's not easy, it's a long way and it's a difficult way. But the good ones are the ones who can do it every three days. And we still have several players in the squad, where we need to prove that as it’s the first time for them. So that's going to be really interesting for the next couple of months and that's what we're going to work on to make them stronger, to make them better. In that way, I don't want to point out one player out of this game, but I'm going to do it because he's quite a symbol about working hard and getting the reward. That's Ross. Six months ago, if he came on his left foot, there was no quality in his shots or in his passes because he was not used to doing that. But he's been working really hard every day with the staff together to get the right shots in, first post, second post, to look at the goalkeeper, to get the good technique, to get the good power. In that way, he had almost a very important one against Kyiv, and he has now a really important one in Malmo, to make the second goal, because it's a massive goal at that moment to kill off the game and to take even more control. It’s about hard work, repeating, repeating, making mistakes, but making it better, and that's the way we're going to keep on working with the whole squad together. But Ross is a symbol in that way because of the goal he scored. 

What was the key to the win?

To get out of their pressing, what they do really well. To see that they cannot make their short combination play and to push you back on your own 16 all the time, and to be in really good positions all the time with all the team. You cannot have one player or two players who don't do the job because then they are lethal. They have so many technical qualities, so many good players also on the ball. But because of that, they run also out of position, and you can use that afterwards to create chances, and that we did in a good way. The only thing we missed was to really finish off the job in that way. In these transitions, we should have scored more.

Clement on why it wasn't as simple as it looked...

No, it's not an easy win. It looks maybe like that afterwards, but it's a lot of hard work, it's a lot of concentration, it's a lot of preparation also from everybody, from all staff. So it's for sure not an easy win, because the team did really good things, and I'm sure that Malmo are going to prove that against other opponents also in the next couple of months.