WORK IN PROGRES
Caixinha adamant things will only get better for Rangers
PEDRO CAIXINHA last night insisted there is much more to come from his Rangers side after a laboured europa League victory over Progres niederkorn.
The Ibrox club have only had three weeks of pre-season training and the Portuguese is convinced his men will be in far sharper shape come next Tuesday evening’s first-round qualifying second leg in Luxembourg.
Rangers ended a six-year absence from the continental stage with a win thanks to a 37th-minute goal from Kenny Miller, the only time the Luxembourg minnows were breached in front of a capacity crowd, and Caixinha
admitted he wanted far more impact in the final third. However, he is confident Rangers will quickly improve. ‘It’s not a question of fitness, it’s a question of time to get the fitness,’ he said. ‘I’m not a guy that can make miracles in three weeks and just like this the team is ready to get the rhythm of playing. You only get it by playing and by time. ‘Only after between five and six weeks in pre-season is one team ready to play and we’ve had just three, so we know the reality we are facing. ‘The majority of the players had a good performance, a good rhythm. It’s not a question of fitness but it’s more a question of better decisions and more aggression. ‘I am not patient, no. But we need to understand where we are. This is the first challenge. ‘We were all expecting to maybe win by some more. But we have to give value to the team we were facing. They played with their weapons, defending and looking for a mistake from us. I think they did a great job defending. ‘We could have done a better job of exploring the space, definitely, and getting more presence in the box. ‘If we were not having the quality and the ideas we have been working on since day one, I would maybe be a bit more worried. ‘But I know that it is a question of time. And I know for sure that next Tuesday the team will be much better.’ Summer signings Fabio Cardoso, Ryan Jack and Dalcio started the match, with Daniel Candeias and Alfredo Morelos introduced in the second half. However, it was the returning Niko Kranjcar, making his first appearance since suffering cruciate ligament damage last October, who was the most impressive Rangers performer. ‘He’s a fantastic player, a playmaker, he’s someone that understands the game,’ said Caixinha, who also saw Jordan Rossiter make a second-half comeback. ‘He knows how to play between the lines, how to make the last pass. His delivery on set-pieces was great. So he needs to keep playing to get the rhythm.’ Meanwhile, young Rangers midfielder Jamie Barjonas is the subject of interest from Norwich City. The English Championship club are considering a bid for the 18-year-old, who was given first-team experience by Caixinha at the end of last season.