Caixinha’s at it again... but this time Ibrox boss reveals opposition ‘line-up’
AT the end of a week in which he caused a storm by naming his team to face Kilmarnock a day before kick-off, Pedro Caixinha sported a rather mischievous grin.
On the table in front of him, the Rangers manager dropped a document detailing Aberdeen’s probable XI at Pittodrie tomorrow, including their attacking and defensive formations.
Caixinho’s guesswork was not particularly earth-shattering, given the Dons have fielded the same line-up for the past three matches. But the message being conveyed was mainly a symbolic one after the 46-year-old Portuguese was accused of ‘disrespect’ by Kilmarnock striker Conor Sammon for breaking with convention by revealing his hand early.
Clearly, Caixinho could not care less about Sammon’s views, and all that was missing yesterday were the strains of the classic Frank Sinatra song as the Ibrox boss warned his dissenters he will keep doing things ‘My Way’.
‘When something is different from normal life, from the monotony, everyone takes a step back and says: “What is going on here?”, he said.
‘If I am going to be criticised for being different, then I am open to that criticism.
‘But I am not going to be one of those guys who follows the other guy who is going in a certain direction. I think with my own head. I give the answers I want to give. I prepare the things I want to prepare.
‘This is Rangers and we want things to be the way we want them to be. I’m not getting into (Sammon’s comments). For me, the Kilmarnock match was finished after my post-match Press conference.
‘But there is one thing you need to understand. There are wars and if I want to get into a war, I will go until the end, either if I die or if I win. Other (wars), I don’t care.
‘Even if he (Sammon) said from the beginning it’s disrespectful or not disrespectful. It’s his opinion. I don’t care about it.’
As Mark McGhee would surely attest, tomorrow’s destination Pittodrie is a place that puts intense strain on an opposition manager. After being sent to the stand during a 7-0 loss at his former club, the then Motherwell boss lost his temper in a confrontation with supporters that went viral on the internet.
A passionate man, Caixinha will surely have his temperament tested this weekend. But he admitted that he feels more at home in Scotland than in his previous high-profile post in Mexico with Santos Laguna where he picked up the occasional red card.
‘It happened a couple of times in Mexico. I’m not a perfect one,’ said Caixinha, who has not chosen his Scottish assistant yet despite holding a series of interviews.
‘In Mexico, it was like: “This is the circle and that guy (me) is out”. I felt it from the beginning. I felt a bit ostracised, so I justified
myself. I was strong and I resisted. If I have something to say, I will say it directly but I am not feeling that here in Scotland. People are much more friendly, more used to someone coming from outwith the circle. But sometimes when I need to mark my territory, I mark it...’
Caixinha agrees with chairman Dave King that Rangers should have finished runners-up to Celtic this season, not languishing 12 points behind Aberdeen.
After watching Derek McInnes’ side skewer Dundee 7-0 last Friday, he left Dens Park impressed by the ‘anger’ within the Dons.
He hopes they are irate for a different reason tomorrow and smarting from a Rangers victory which would give the visitors an outside chance of finishing second.
‘I totally agree with him (King),’ said Caixinha, whose side arrive in the Granite City following draws against Motherwell and Kilmarnock. Especially regarding the history and tradition of this club, and also the investment that was made at the beginning of the season.
‘If there is a direct link between investment and the position in the table then, yes, we should be splitting Celtic and Aberdeen.
‘But in football, there are sometimes things you can’t control. I can’t say what happened before my arrival because I didn’t watch all of the games.
‘I do know the players here have potential. Maybe it’s inside them and they’ve not expressed it to the level they can. I always believe in my players and I will always say they are the best and we have the best squad.
‘I liked the anger that Aberdeen have and their commitment. They play collectively and they fight for their goals. I see them as a fantastic challenge for us. We need to see if we can find solutions to beat that passion.’
Aberdeen’s 1-0 win over Inverness on Tuesday made it ten home wins on the spin. But Rangers midfielder Jason Holt insists the visitors will not be intimidated by that run of form and believes they are still capable of finishing second.
‘Aberdeen’s home record is terrific and it’s not easy going there but the expectations are still on us to win,’ he said.
‘We are disappointed with the 12-point gap between us but there’s still time for that to change.’