Itten still on the fringes but eyeing centre stage
CEDRIC ITTEN insists he has no regrets about moving to Rangers despite only playing a bit-part role at Ibrox so far under Steven Gerrard.
The Swiss striker has only started four league games for Rangers this season, but has featured in 33 games in all competitions and scored six goals.
And although Rangers have already got one trophy in the bag this season after their title romp, the 24-year-old is determined to make an impact in Europe — and the Scottish Cup — as the Ibrox club get ready for tomorrow’s Europa League last-16 second leg against Slavia Prague in Glasgow.
Itten, in an interview with Swiss broadcaster SRF, admits he is thrilled to be working with Gerrard, despite having to be mostly content with appearances from off the bench.
‘He definitely has a great personality and he passes on his immense experience as a player to us and is also very close to the team,’ said Itten.
‘I also have a good relationship with him and he was one of the reasons for my move to Rangers. He is also satisfied with my performance.
‘You always want to play. But I was aware from the start that it would take some time to fight for a permanent place at a major international club with a big squad. My long-term goal is to become a regular starter.
‘I have been very well received by the team and I think I played my part in the title. But it wasn’t easy for me because the team had already been preparing for seven weeks in the summer and I came straight into it from the cold.
‘In Scotland, two teams dominate the league, Rangers and Celtic. All other teams are very defensive. Scottish football is also extremely physical and the whistle does not sound as quickly as in Switzerland.’
The former St Gallen striker has set his sights on winning an unprecedented treble by adding the Europa League and Scottish Cup to the Premiership title.
Itten said: ‘I have already won the Swiss title, but winning the Scottish Premiership meant a lot to me. The importance of winning that first title after what happened to Rangers made it even greater.
‘The pressure to prevent Celtic from winning their tenth league in a row was very high right from the start of the season. But the pressure is still on because now we have other ambitions. The Scottish Cup is back and we want to go as far as we possibly can in the Europa League.
‘And after a 1-1 away draw against Slavia Prague, we are in a very good position to do that.
‘Rangers are a top international team, as shown by the results in the Europa League so far. And next season, we hope to reach the Champions League.
‘I like that the club is very ambitious and how professionally it is run. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen much of Scotland itself because we’ve been in lockdown since my arrival and I haven’t seen fans in the stadium yet.’
Meanwhile, Rangers claim their fans are ‘fully aligned’ with their stay-at-home messages ahead of Sunday’s scheduled Celtic Park trip.
The club held talks with groups yesterday morning amid uncertainty over whether the Scottish Premiership encounter will go ahead.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for ongoing messages from both Celtic and Rangers before a final decision is taken in the coming days.
The game was put in jeopardy after thousands of Rangers fans breached lockdown rules to gather and celebrate their title victory earlier this month, with the club’s response criticised by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish champions wrote on their Twitter account: ‘Rangers can confirm that we met with supporters groups and key influencers this morning, in relation to the Old Firm game at Parkhead on Sunday.
‘We are very pleased that our support is fully aligned on our messaging, which has been underlined by both our manager and captain over the weekend.
‘Stay at home. Stay safe. Support the NHS. Support Rangers FC.’
A Celtic delegation, including skipper Scott Brown, met with health officials on Monday for a briefing on Scotland’s position in the pandemic.
Brown said on Monday: ‘We know it has been so difficult for our fans not being part of matches, but they have done brilliantly throughout the pandemic.
‘Our supporters have been great in sticking to the guidelines, even after we have won the league and another Treble, so we just need more of the same.’