Barisic reveals players’ title bid vow: ‘We won’t panic this time’
Born aBari sic believes Rangers have proved they area changed team from the one which couldn’t stay the distance in the title race in the previous two seasons.
The Ibrox club will bid for an 11th straight Premiership victor y when they face St Johnstone in Perth tonight.
As they look to protect their healthy 16-point lead at the top of the table, Barisic insists last Saturday’s recover y from the loss of an early goal to eventually beat Mother well 3-1 was evidence of a significant change in mentality among Steven Gerrard’s squad.
“There was no panic when we were losing 1-0 to Motherwell,” said the Croatian international defender. “We stuck to our game plan and believed in each other more than any other time.
“This is the first time this has happened since I came to the club. When we go behind, we still believe in each other and that goes for the whole squad.”
Bar i sic added :“Last season, the belief wasn’t always there for sure and the season before also. But we are now in our third season together and everyone at the club knows the situation.
“We have been in this situation in the previous two seasons. We have made a deal with ourselves not top anic and to stick with our plan.
Because that is the only way that we will win.
“When we play, we are aware a lot of teams will have a low block as you saw with Motherwell. It is not always easy to score against teams who have ten players behind the ball.
“But in our third season together, we now know the league, we know the expectation. The guys who came here this season have also adapted very well and very quickly. Even from the substitutes’ bench, they bring a lot of energy and quality. That allows the whole squad not to panic and to play right until the end for the win.
“So Motherwell was a very important win for us, especially after losing to St Mirren in the cup last Wednesday night. We showed a lot of character and managed to get the three points.”
On a full night of Premiership action, second-placed Celtic host Ross County.
Rangers assistant manager Gary Mcallister has welcomed the availability of Alfredo Morelos after suspension but insists deciding what part the Colombian striker plays against St Johnstone on Wednesday is not a major issue.
More loss at out the 3-2 Bet fred Cup exit at St Mirren last midweek and Saturday’s 3-1 Premiership win at home to Mother well after Rangers accepted a two-match Scottish FA ban imposed on the 24-year-old for violent conduct in a clash with Dundee United defender Mark Connolly.
With su mm er signingsKe mar Roofe and Cedric Itten now both hitting their stride for Rangers to join Jermain Defoe in providing alternatives up front for Morelos, the club’s top scorer for the previous three seasons is no longer guaranteed a firstteam starting slot.
“I wouldn’t say it is a big call,” said Mcallister. “But we are just pleased that we have four quality strikers. If you look across all the major clubs and the teams that are trying to finish in top spot, they have all got three or four quality strikers and that is what we have.
"Competition is fierce and there are a lot of games, so it is nearly impossible for a striker to play in every game. It is nice and reassuring that we have got real competition now, which is a big plus going into this run of games over Christmas and New Year.”
Morelos has not scored a domestic goal since September but Rangers manager Steven G err a rd has stressed his satisfaction at the manner in which the player has contributed to the overall performance levels of a team now 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership. It’s an assessment with which Mcallister concurs.
“When Alfredo was scoring lots of goals, people would say his general play was a wee bit untidy,” he added. “Now, you’ve seen that he has worked really hard to link and come and be part of the build-up.
“Listen, it’s about scoring goals for strikers, make no mistake. But his general play has definitely rewarded other players round about him. He is pulling defenders away from the goal which has enabled other players to dive into those spaces vacated by Alfredo making clever movements. We welcome him back.”
The visit to Mcdiarmid Park will see Rangers reach the halfway point of their Premiership campaign and is the start of an intense spell of fixtures over the festive period. Hibs visit Ibrox on Boxing Day before Rangers head to St Mirren on 30 December and then play host to Celtic in the second Old Firm showdown of the season on 2 January.
“I’ve been involved in football for a very long time and I always feel the Christmas and New Year period is very pivotal,” said former Leeds, Liverpool and Scotland captain Mcallister.
“If you can get through these games and be positive at the end of it, it stands you in good stead looking forward to April and May. The games at Christmas and New Year are always pretty key and we are approaching this tranche of games with that mindset.
“Obviously we treat them as they come but they come very close together, so our preparation has got to be spot on. We keep our fingers crossed we can stay clear of any little injuries. It goes without saying that the depth of our squad now makes us better equipped to deal with these games.
“If you look at the weekend against Motherwell, we were able to bring Joe Aribo, Ianis Hagi and Bongani Zungu on - quality players arriving at key moments. Zungu can give you the insurance to protect a result, while Hagi and Aribo can express themselves to get a positive result.”
Rangers’ successful run of results so far this season has been largely put together with a possession-based style of football. But as playing surfaces around the country start to show the effects of the winter months, Mcallister admits their approach may need to be adapted.
“It was clear at the weekend, even watching games on TV, that some of the pitches are starting to deteriorate a little bit,” he said.
“So we maybe have to tailor our game every so slightly. We try to win games through our ability to keep good possession.
“But if the pitches don’t warrant that, you’ve got to be clever enough to tailor your game to suit the demands of what is required on a particular day at a particular ground.”
Rangers’ resources will be further bolstered by the imminent return to action of Ryan Jack. The Scotland midfielder is back in training after being sidelined since November 22 by a knee problem.
“Ryan has had a couple of days on the grass and we are really positive
that he could be in and around the squad for Boxing Day,” said Mcallister. “That is a big plus going into this heavy schedule of games. He won’t be in the squad for St Johnstone but we are hopeful he will be in and around it for the Hibs game.
“When you look at Ryan, he is a very key player here, without a shadow of a doubt. I think Stevie Clarke with the national team would say the same. Hei sap layer who is very influential there as well and someone who, I feel, has really blossomed in the last couple of seasons and his game has taken jumps up the levels. When Jacko gets back, it is a big, big plus for us.”
Leon Balogun's involvement in Perth is still to be confirmed after he sat out Saturday' s win over Motherwell with concussion, while George Edmundson and Jordan Jones serve the final game of their coronavirus breach bans. Long-term casualty Nikola Katic (knee) has been allowed to return home to Croatia for Christmas.
St Johnstone captain Jason Kerr is suspended following his dismissal in the 3-2 defeat by St Mirren at the weekend, while Michael O'halloran is working his way back to fitness after a hip injury.