Philippe Clement has backed mature Connor Barron to handle the searing Pittodrie fire.
The former Aberdeen midfielder is set for a hot reception when he returns to his former club on Wednesday night. Barron left the Granite City for Ibrox in the summer and he’s set for a hostile return. However, Clement inists the midfielder and his entire squad will cope with the flak and said: “I worked with a lot of young players in my career.
“As a player and as a manager, he’s one of the most mature that I’ve met at that age. So, it will be for him the first time like that, but I’m sure he’s ready for that and he’s just focused on football. That’s his strong point also. He’s only busy with football and with his ambitions to become better and become important for this club. So, I don’t have any doubts about that.
“We have one boy in the building who was there before with Connor. We also have several players who played there before. We have other new ones, so it’s my task also and I did speak about circumstances and the way a team will perform, how they will play against us. So, yeah, they know.”
Clement expects a gruelling encounter and says his side are refusing to think of title markers at this point. He said: “A big battle. A team who plays really physical football with fast transitions using their speed in front. A very collective team with a very good team mentality.
“So in that way, not so much differences with what it was last season when we went there. It was quite similar in that way, but in another formation with some other players also. Rangers can cut the gap to the Reds, but Clement continued: “We’re not busy with that, because like you say, it’s early in the season.
“It’s about us taking the points. We need to take the points, we need to focus on that. We’re now, after this game, one quarter of the season or something.
“Last season, we came back, we were in front, and at the end, you don’t get a title. So it’s about us taking the points and not looking at the others because you lose time and energy for nothing about that. It’s about us taking as many points as possible and to raise our levels.
“We have to win every game. We have to win the first game of the season and we have to win the last game of the season. So, there’s no difference in that. We always want to win every game.”
Asked if it would help belief, Clement countered: “There is a lot of confidence and belief in the team. It would help from the outside maybe. The perception around the team and the evolution that the team is making. In that way, it can help a lot.
“All the team has confidence to get a good result, but also a lot of respect to what’s happening and what they’ve been doing in the beginning of the season. And how they’ve played and how they took their points. So, it’s going to be a huge battle. Like they showed also against other good teams in the league that they played really well.
“I don’t speak about favourites before games, after games. I never do. I never said it about us also. It’s just about tomorrow. Who’s the best team? Or who’s the team who gets the points?
“We’re going to go full throttle to get the three points. That’s our mindset. I think it’s one of the biggest [tests] that you can have in this league. To go to Aberdeen now. So, yes, it’s a really good challenge.
“That’s what you need with the team. To get these challenges. And then to overcome them. And to grow out of them.
“I’m looking forward to that, but I’m not excited by that. I’m excited by winning trophies. Then I get excited. Before that, never. So, I want to see this team grow.
“I want to see them fight hard together. I want to see them work hard every day to become better.”