The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
New coach impressed by Caixinha methods
Rangers: Jonatan Johansson hails manager’s ability to organise and inspire
The first day for new Rangers coach Jonatan Johansson working under Pedro Caixinha has left him impressed by the Portuguese boss.
The former Light Blues attacker was confirmed at the weekend as number three to Caixinha and started work with the squad following the 3-0 Ladbrokes Premiership win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday.
The 41-year-old Finn told RangersTV: “I was very impressed.
“I think the plan he laid out in the interview and how he wants to work was very professional and very inspirational for a young coach. “His team is top class. “Today was the first training session for me, and the way everything is organised on the pitch and before the session is very impressive so it will be a fantastic place to develop myself as well and hopefully I can bring a lot to the team.
“There’s a great group of coaches and we’ll all get our specific tasks that we do in training and out of training in terms of analysing and scouting.
“There are very particular tasks and the manager is very open in the way that he works with the group and we know what is expected from us as coaches in the same way as the players do,” he added.
The former Charlton and Malmo player, who left his post as coach with the Finland national team to return to Ibrox, insists he has enough local knowledge to bring something extra to Caixinha’s staff.
He added: “I’ve lived here for a long time, my wife and son are Scottish and I’ve worked with Motherwell for three years and you get a good view of youth football in the country.
“Those players have now progressed into first teams so I have a good knowledge of them and I’ve been watching a lot of Rangers games and a lot of other Scottish games and I think that’s something that I can bring to the group,” he said.
“We’re in an important part of the season so it’s important that we work long hours and get everything right straight away because everything needs to be right every day for the team to be able to perform to a level on the weekend.
“I’m trying to get as much information on board as possible and trying to get as comfortable as possible as quickly as I can.”
Everything needs to be right every day for the team to be able to perform to a level on the weekend. JONATAN JOHANSSON