7 Rangers presser takeaways as Philippe Clement bemoans ‘bad injury situation’

The Ibrox manager addressed the media in Lisbon prior to tonight’s Europa League first-leg matchup between Benfica and the last 16.

Philippe Clement does not offer justifications. The Rangers are practically without their first-choice frontline due to a debilitating injury list.

The Ibrox boss is still hopeful, though. Clement is confident that his team can overcome the odds and hand Benfica their first-ever home loss in the Europa League in Lisbon. The Giants are pursuing a historic Treble, or Quadruple, and are undoubtedly the underdogs tonight, but they are competing on all fronts.
Since taking over as Rangers manager, Clement has faced some of the most difficult opponents, but the Belgian doesn’t see tonight’s first-leg match in the round of 16 as a diversion from their home goals. Rather, he desires that his players rise to the occasion and close the season as historical figures. Football Scotland looks at the top seven topics of discussion from the pre-game press conference yesterday night.

The magnitude of the task

“Very large. However, that is also thrilling for us. For the Rangers, there aren’t many games where you have nothing to lose. Usually, you are the favorite; there are huge expectations, and you have to win, dominate, and score a lot of goals. You must use common sense in this situation. They have more than twice as much money as you do, but we have very high goals. We’re going to put in a ton of effort to qualify and win both of the games. We are also firmly persuaded that there are other factors at play besides money and budget, and that we will demonstrate our abilities and put in a lot of effort in the two games.”

Update on injuries
Not what I had hoped for. We’ll be missing four wingers tomorrow, as you are undoubtedly aware. That makes four wingers absent. Ross perhaps as well. We’ll see. He warmed up today, although he worked out alone rather than with the squad. We’ll check tomorrow to see if he’s available to play a few minutes. Four more wingers are not available. I currently have five wingers, and it’s not good that maybe four of them are injured. Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell are two playmakers we miss, and Danilo is one striker we miss. We will be missing a great deal of offensive quality tomorrow. It’s about coming up with different answers. It presents a challenge. As a coach, you must assess whether you continue with the same approach or make changes. I have to consider that. Not any longer, but I still needed to discuss with my staff how to play against a team like Benfica and what to do in this particular circumstance. We came to certain conclusions about it, and tomorrow we will check in with Ross to see if he is available and for how long. We should discuss that with our medical staff.

Do injuries alter how you approach the game?
Yes, in any other case, we would have added more players. I have to decide whether to alter the current system or assign players to positions they are less accustomed to. That’s the choice you need to make. Everyone knows that the starting eleven would be different if everyone was fit.”
Might an injury prevent a triple or quadruple charge?

“I don’t think the impossible is real. If there are issues, as there are at positions right now or in December when we were shorthanded of a midfield player for an extended period of time, we must find answers. There, too, we discovered answers, and we must act upon them. My group is prepared to do the same and to sacrifice all for the group, regardless of role.”

“Not at all. And it was in December, too. Before our European match, a few board members informed me that winning the League Cup might have been more significant. I told them that’s why I never do that—I want guys who want to win on every occasion and who are eager for every opportunity. That is not how it operates. It’s not like ordering food from a menu at a restaurant and having it delivered right to your door. You can’t build a winning culture that way. Granted, we have a packed schedule, but our main goal is to put in a lot of effort working with all of the staff and players to ensure that they are prepared for this level of competition. For this game, we want to sell out, sell out over the weekend, then sell out again on Thursday. Until the end of the season, we’ll continue in that manner.”
Are you shocked to learn that?

“No, since the intentions were genuinely good. Everyone in the club was so focused on winning a trophy again that they could not help themselves. However, following our evening in Spain, they were also ecstatic. And they were even more delighted to have both after winning the League Cup. Everyone, I believe, is aware of our desire to maximize every opportunity and our commitment to working hard to achieve it.”

Benfica has never dropped a home Europa League match.

Yes, that is a nice statistic. A pleasant task. I sincerely hope so, but I am aware that in order to do it, we must constantly be alert and outperforming; also, you require a small amount of good fortune, a very powerful goalie on his game, and high levels of efficiency. That is a substantial amount. However, we have a strong desire to remove those elements from the game.”

GET MORE NEWS ON RANGERS FC FROM SPORTNET247.CO.UK