Rangers manager Philippe Clement claimed there was much more to come from his side following their 3-0 defeat at Celtic and vowed they would show that in the New Year fixture.
Celtic are already five points ahead of Clement’s side in the William Hill Premiership and have only suffered one defeat in 13 against their city rivals, that loss coming in May 2023 after they had already wrapped up the title.
However, Clement pointed to a bright start as evidence his side can bridge the gap and bemoaned early misses from Cyriel Dessers and Rabbi Matondo, although the former was flagged offside.
Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside against Nicolas Kuhn before Daizen Maeda swept home a 17th-minute opener after meeting Alistair Johnston’s cutback.
Long-range strikes from Furuhashi and Callum McGregor took the game well beyond Rangers but Clement is adamant there are better times ahead after what he described as a “massive rebuild” during the summer.
“You need to be clinical in these games, and to go in front changes the momentum,” said Clement, who suffered a fourth defeat in five games against Celtic.
“It would have helped the team a lot to go in front here. We need to be more clinical in those moments. It was the same in the second half.
“Celtic had 14 shots, we had 13. They had four on target, we had four on target. That’s a difference in efficiency. And of course, you give them a lot of confidence. If they go 1-0 in front and 2-0 in front, it’s always easier to play.
“But ball possession was also equal, 47-53, between the two teams.
“I was not happy with the reaction after the 1-0. It was not good enough. In the second half there was a better reaction. But you have to become more open as a team, because you need to chase two goals and take more risks. So that also creates chances for them.”
When asked if there was now a “gulf” in class, Clement said: “No, we will see in January. Celtic have some guys who are playing two, three years together. Of course there is more understanding between players.
“We are just at the start with a new squad. In that way, there were really positive things in the beginning of the game, but you need to kill off the game then and to score and then it can be another dynamic.
“Of course when it’s 3-0, you need to shut up and to accept that you lost and it was not good enough. So we’re going to work really hard the next couple of months to be much better in January.”
The Belgian added: “There’s still 34 games to go. We know we need to improve a lot of things and gel people together and get this understanding between players.
“The best is by far yet to come with this squad. I’ve seen a lot of good things in training, in the last games and also today in the beginning, in the reaction in the second half. But we need to reward ourselves.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers dismissed suggestions the margin of victory was a big statement.
“No, I think we’re only starting,” he said.
“For me, the pleasing aspect was the performance. That was what we’d said to the players. We want to always make it really difficult for every opponent that we play.
“It was a fantastic performance. We were electric going forward. But equally as pleasing is that we were defensively solid and strong and right to the very end.
“Overall, it was such a great day for us. It just continues the quality, the speed, the intensity with which we’ve been playing.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Nuno and his 2nd manager of the month award milk Mbappe We're so back Bookies headquarters after the AC Milan red card Man City fans at HT vs Man City fans at FT "What a week, huh?""Gaffer, it's Wednesday." Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss)...
Neymar has confirmed he will return to his boyhood club, Santos, as he looks to recover from an ACL injury that has heavily disrupted his career in recent seasons.In an emotive post on Instagram, Neymar said that re-joining the Sao Paulo-based side that he left for Barcelona in 2013 was "like going back in time," describing it as the perfect place to regain his form and fitness."Only a club like S...
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran is expected to fly to the Gulf state on Friday to complete a £64m move to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Riyadh.Al-Nassr are interested in signing Mateo KovacicJhon Duran is expected to complete a £64m move to the clubBrighton's Kaoru Mitoma is also a target of the Saudi sideThe Saudi Pro League side also lodged a £54m bid for Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.Brighton rej...
Tottenham Hotspur have had a €60 million ($62.5m) offer accepted by Bayern Munich on Thursday for their French forward Mathys Tel, sources have told ESPN.Tel, 19, has decided to leave the German side and is attracting a lot of interest from English clubs.Bayern wanted €60m for the France under-21 international and Spurs have become the first team to agree a deal with the Bavarian giant...
Ramos in advanced talks over free transfer to Mexican clubFormer Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is reportedly in discussions with Mexican club Monterrey regarding a possible transfer.Dorgu to complete €35m Man Utd move as medical scheduledLecce star Patrick Dorgu is reportedly set to fly to England ahead of a medical and a €35 million move to Manchester United.Neymar sends emotional ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Amara Nallo Debut Bournemouth this season (LIV next) true 18 matches at once, it's just too much. Speed describing how Ronaldo smells like in his stream:"You could smell his aura. He smells like a GOAT." lol Juventus Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, trollfootball, The Football Arena, AZR Organization)...
Manchester United have plenty of business to tie up before Monday’s transfer deadline, with Patrick Dorgu closing in on a move to Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford appears to be heading for the exit after facing the wrath of Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, while Alejandro Garnacho could also be set to depart.Chelsea are in the mix for new signings and could rival Napoli for Garnacho. The Blues are...
Marcus Rashford could be at the center of a deadline-day transfer as Manchester United have made him available. Man Utd star Rashford could be set for a deadline day move as the window comes to a closeUnited are asking for £40M for Rashford but are also open to a loan deal, per The Sun. European clubs, including Barcelona, have shown interest, but his £325,000-a-week wages have been a si...
Chelsea’s pursuit of Alejandro Garnacho could be a last-minute scramble late into the winter window – but the club have a contingency plan in place should the Blues fail to secure a Manchester United winger before the transfer deadline, according to reports.The Argentine forward could still leave Old Trafford before February 3, when the window closes, with the club willing to sell him ...
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he does not want Ollie Watkins to leave the club amid interest from Arsenal, but said if Jhon Durán completes his move to Al Nassr then it is "good news" for the club as it shows they are doing the right things in terms of developing players.Emery was speaking after Aston Villa secured their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 4-...
- 1 Kerkez and £83m ace join as Salah signs
- 2 Enzo 'trying to fix romance with childhood sweetheart'
- 3 'exciting' Betis on signing Man Utd flop
- 4 Napoli confirm Garnacho interest
- 5 LaLiga ace Alex Berenguer & model wife ‘have gun pointed at them’
- 6 Kyle Walker’s wife in talks with ITV for HUGE reality show
- 7 Fresh Lauryn Goodman claims rock Kyle Walker’s marriage
- 8 Ashley Cole, wife Sharon, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy on luxury skiing holiday
- 9 Meet Jude Bellingham's new model WAG
- 10 Atletico Madrid in talks for Arsenal Zinchenko