No masking steps Gers are making
Last week in this column I called for Danilo to start for Rangers against Dundee in midweek.
He did and managed to get another goal in an emphatic 5-0 victory at Dens Park. The Brazilian looked sharp and lively again, which is a major boost for Philippe Clement.
The other thing I hoped for was Cyriel Dessers to be taken out of the firing line as he fights through a difficult period of form. And I was delighted to see him come off the bench to get on the scoresheet. Rangers were a few goals up at the time and Dessers looked more free, with less responsibility on his shoulders.
He wasn’t carrying the weight of the world on top of him, which will hopefully help him move forward in his Ibrox career.
It was a stroll for Rangers on Tayside and a brilliant result in the circumstances. When was the last time Rangers went to Dundee and scored five goals? So there was a real positivity about that win on Wednesday night. They’ve built up a wee bit of o momentum through the manager’s m little unbeaten run.
They should have lost against Sparta Sp Prague in Europe but didn’t. They Th managed to grind out an away ppoint in Europe, which isn’t easy. So Clement has done what he had to do so far.
He had to identify where small improvements could be made and crucially he also had to get players back fit.
We’re starting to see that now with the likes of Danilo, Jose Cifuentes, Kieran Dowell and Tom Lawrence returning to the squad.
But while doing all of that, Clement had to win and did so. So gradually things are moving forward for him. against Hearts – even though it’s his first visit to the National Stadium. There can be no excuses. He has to deliver and reach the final.