There won’t be any changing for Celts, declares Tavernier
JAMES TAVERNIER insists it is Celtic — and not Rangers — who will have to modify their game-plan ahead of next month’s Scottish Cup semi-final.
The Ibrox club may be operating a division below their Old Firm rivals but confident full-back Tavernier insists it is the current Scottish champions and Premiership leaders who will have to rethink their tactics ahead of the Hampden showdown on April.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton’s unflinching commitment to a fast, passing style of play has been consistent throughout the season, even when stepping up to face Premiership opposition in cup competition.
The commitment to operating on the front foot paid off spectacularly in the Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Dundee when Harry Forrester struck in 13 seconds to put the runaway Championship leaders on course for a 4-0 victory.
Equally, there was criticism for Warburton’s side when they were systematically pulled apart by St Johnstone in a League Cup tie last September.
That defeat prompted the suggestion the manager’s instructions left his players open and vulnerable to exploitation from a better standard of player.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tavernier believes his boss is right to adhere to his principles.
Asked whether Rangers might need to modify their approach for Celtic, Tavernier answered: ‘Not at all, we’ll stick to our game. What we know best is our system and we’ll use that no matter who we play against.
‘We don’t adapt to other teams, we always go out and play how we want to play. They need to adapt to us.’
Although Rangers continued their march towards promotion with victory yesterday, Queen of the South were still able to score three, while Tavernier and Co were caught out at Falkirk recently when they conceded a two-goal advantage to lose by the odd goal in five. ‘We’ve looked back at the Falkirk game. Although we still dominated possession, there was just a period we made some errors and it cost us,’ added Tavernier.
‘We do our defensive work with Davie Weir and the gaffer takes the attackers. That’s what we’ve done through the season.
‘As defenders, we work as hard as we can and I feel it’s paid off with the number of clean sheets we’ve had this season.’
Depending on how results work out, it’s feasible that Rangers could actually have lifted at least one trophy by the time they face Celtic.
A combination of results would be required to secure the league title, but the Petrofac Cup Final against Peterhead at Hampden represents a glaring opportunity to secure a trophy.
‘We’ve not spoken about Celtic at all,’ said Tavernier. ‘We’ve got the league to wrap up, we want to win the final of the Petrofac, so they are the most important games coming up.
‘Hopefully, we can have two trophies before we play Celtic. That’s the main aim.
‘We set out to win the Championship at the start of the season and we want to do that as quickly as possible, then, hopefully, it should be a great day at the Petrofac Cup Final and we can win that.’
Tavernier’s buccaneering style has been one of Rangers’ calling cards this season.
If his 12 goals for the campaign is an eye-catching achievement, he is more proud of the statistic that shows he has started all 41 of the club’s games this term.
‘That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here,’ admitted the former Wigan full-back. ‘I wanted the foundation of a full season and it feels good.
‘I wanted to play every game in a season and that’s what I’ve done. It’s a big change from playing half a season on loan.’
Still only 24, Rangers is the 10th club of Tavernier’s senior career but Warburton believes he is now feeling settled for the first time.
‘Tav just needed somewhere where he feels he belongs,’ said the Ibrox boss. ‘We say to players: “We believe in you, we trust you. Go out and play. Feel like you’re a Rangers player”.
‘These guys are buying properties and sending kids to schools. That tells you they’re happy.
‘They will have been in relegation fights where they might face pay cuts and worry about school fees and mortgages, so they should just enjoy this time.’