Barisic: Celts coach’s claim is a joke and disrespectful ... we are 20 points better than them
I loved Arsenal’s win over Slavia - Gerrard On May 15 we’ll lift our 55th title and I’ll be one of the proudest men on planet. I don’t need to listen to anyone outside Rangers
BORNA BARISIC reckons John Kennedy’s claim that Celtic are the best team in Scotland is a “joke” and “disrespectful” to Rangers.
The Croatian defender was shocked by the Parkhead interim manager’s comments ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish
STEVEN GERRARD admits he loved every bit of Arsenal’s slaying of Slavia Prague.
The Gunners hammered the Czechs 4-0 in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday for a 5-1 aggregate win.
Arsenal’s win came on the back of Slavia defender Ondrej Kudela being hit with a 10-game ban for dishing out disgusting racial abuse to Rangers star Glen Kamara when the sides met at Ibrox in the previous round.
Mikel Arteta’s team took the knee in a powerful gesture just prior to kick-off. Stand-in skipper Alexandre Lacazette, below left, kneeled directly in front of the Slavia line-up and stared them down, before he and his team-mates wiped the floor with them. Gerrard said: “I loved everything about the game. I loved Arsenal’s performance, I loved the way they went about it and I admired how they approached it before the game, during the game and after the game. “I was really proud watching Arsenal. Everything about it. I thought the way they prepared for the game, the way the manager spoke, the way the players behaved during and after, and then to back it up with that level of performance, I sat there and really enjoyed that game. “I thought it was a sensational performance.”
STEVEN GERRARD doesn’t care much for outside noise.
As he guided Rangers to their first title in a decade, it was really all about his team.
Like anyone, Gerrard will have some opinions he takes on board at this minute yet very few are likely to come from outside of Ibrox.
It’s probably why he brushed off Celtic counterpart John Kennedy’s assertions about who might be the best team in Scotland.
Gerrard, by his own admission, doesn’t pay much heed to what’s being said elsewhere. There’s no need to get involved. With the league flag in the bag it’s now about the next step for Rangers and that’s winning the Scottish Cup.
It’s the sole focus, it’s the only real focus.
Gerrard claims Kennedy is perfectly within his rights to air his own opinion – it’s just he doesn’t need to pay any attention.
He said: “In football everyone is entitled to their own view. I don’t really focus on anyone outside Rangers in terms of their opinions.
“I just focus on what’s happening inside here. On the 15th of May we’ll lift our 55th title as a club and I’ll be one of the proudest men on the planet. Where that sits right now, we’re 20 points clear with four games to play with the chance to go unbeaten.
“So I don’t need to listen to anyone outside Rangers to get a view on that. I know the reality and the truth. It’s a date we’re very much looking forward to as a club. Anyone’s views from the outside on that are not really important.”
One week after Gers pick up the league trophy, the Scottish Cup Final will be staged and Gerrard intends on being there.
To earn a place in the last eight, Rangers will have to deal with a fixture many would consider as the final before the showpiece.
Gerrard’s men are favourites to make the last eight and little wonder. Unbeaten in the last four derbies. Two wins and a draw from three against Celtic this term puts the odds on their side.
But the Ibrox boss said: “It’s very difficult to predict how the game is going to go and what intensity it’s going to be played at. Cup football is certainly different. It gives everyone a chance.
“You’ve seen it down the years, the magic of a cup competition is that it gives everyone a chance.
“Intensity and the tempo of the game is something we’ll be trying to strive for so we’re at our best. I believe, as a team, we play our best football when we’re aggressive and we play quick.
“We’ve won a lot of football matches when we’ve played at an exciting tempo, so it’s something we’ll try to strive for.”
Should Rangers find their rhythm, they’ll have a striker at the top end of the pitch ready to take the chances. Alfredo Morelos broke his scoring duck against Celtic last time out and has the taste for more.
Gerrard said: “He will definitely have the bit between his teeth and that goes without saying. Anyone who knows Alfredo having worked with him closely, the one thing you can never judge him on is whether he’s game. Whenever he crosses that white line he’s always up for it.
“He always gives his best. I think it was big for him from a personal point of view to get that goal because a lot of people were obviously speaking about that. He’s got the belief and the confidence from myself, the staff and all the players. We know what he can do and if he’s selected I’d have no doubt that he can put in a top performance for us.”
Of course, it’s about the collective at Rangers. It has been that way all season.
It’s why their home record domestically is unblemished and why Celtic need to step up if they are to derail them.
Gerrard said: “We are really proud of our season so far, a couple of defeats in late forties, nearly knocking on 50 games, it is a phenomenal record and a real level of consistency.
“That makes me really satisfied and proud. But as I’ve said in numerous interviews of late, it is about what it is next. It’s not about looking back, it’s about looking forward and this game gives us an opportunity to go into the next round and go and fight for a cup.
“It is a really exciting game to be involved in. What has gone before in previous derbies or what has gone before this season will have no bearing on what is going to happen in the next 90 minutes, or possibly longer.
“It is very much for us, we need to find a performance that is good enough to progress and that is the only focus here right now.
“There has been a slight drop-off compared to where we were in the title run-in.
“But I think we have almost been waiting for a fixture that has an edge about it and a real importance and the preparation has been slightly different this week.
“You can see the focus in the players, see everyone in the zone and really ready to try to put in a top performance.”
I think it was big for him from a personal point of view to get that goal GERRARD ON MORELOS’ FIRST OLD FIRM STRIKE