James Tavernier, the captain of the Rangers, has urged his teammates to build on their recent success and continue to get better in order to give manager Philippe Clement credit for the incredible turnaround in their team’s fortunes.
The Glasgow team’s tight Premiership victory over Aberdeen at Ibrox on Tuesday night served as another evidence of how far they have come since Belgian coach Clement took over for Michael Beale back in October.
After an embarrassing 3-1 home loss to the Pittodrie club at the end of September, which left them seven points behind league leaders Celtic after just seven games, Beale’s ten-month tenure at Govan came to an end.
However, goals from Todd Cantwell and Rabbi Matondo made sure Rangers defeated the same opponents 2-1 on midweek, moving them level on points with the reigning champions at the top of the league.
Six players who started in the victory, including Ridvan Yilmaz, John Lundstram, Cyriel Dessers, Tavernier, Jack Butland, and Connor Goldson, were also part in the humiliating loss they endured the previous season.
What then accounts for this remarkable reversal? Their right back and captain believe that the improvements in morale under his direction and the adjustments the former manager of Genk, Club Brugge, and Monaco made are what have really contributed to their comeback.
However, the man who raised the Premiership trophy after a perfect league season back in 2021 knows full well that the Viaplay Cup winners cannot relax in the upcoming weeks due to crucial league, Scottish Cup, and Europa League matches.
The man who hoisted the Premiership title following a flawless league campaign in 2021, however, is well aware that the Viaplay Cup champions will have important league, Scottish Cup, and Europa League games in the coming weeks, therefore they cannot unwind.
When asked about the differences between the two games versus Aberdeen at Ibrox, Tavernier responded, “We knew we had the players, we knew the quality was always there.” The team has made minor adjustments and tactical changes, and there is a genuine sense of unity among them.
We exhibit the tenacity and mindset that the gaffer is looking for. We have grown stronger ever since he joined us. When things are going well, you can sense it, and right now we are riding that momentum.
But it’s our responsibility as players to maintain that. No matter how brilliantly we performed, we knew going into the Aberdeen game that we had to win all three points. Although we were aware that the game might not be pretty, we played excellent football and won all three points.
We’re in a great position now that the manager has us. Week after week, the performances we put in demonstrate the increasing intensity of what we’re doing behind the scenes on the training field.
“Our team is full of outstanding individuals. However, the gaffer has introduced a genuine mindset. He demands perfection at all times, whether it’s on the field or in the training area, and we’re meeting his expectations while also growing as a team and advancing his ideas.
As a team, we’re developing, and it’s excellent that we can still do better in some areas. Although we are improving, yesterday night’s goal was to score three points regardless of how we achieved it, so we just accomplished that and moved on to the next one.”
“It’s another important game at the weekend,” he continued, referring to Saturday’s Scottish Cup match at Ibrox against Championship team Ayr United. Everyone who is requested to participate will give a performance that meets the necessary criteria.
“Now that many boys have recently won this competition, it’s about moving forward and getting into the next round,” the group expressed excitement for the upcoming weekend.