Philippe Clement says Rangers shouldn’t fear what’s next in the Europa League as he told his team to believe in miracles.
The Ibrox gaffer watched his side more than match an Olympiacos outfit crowned Conference League winners last season as Cyriel Dessers’ second-half strike earned a deserved draw in Athens. It’s another handy result that leaves the Light Blues on seven points from a possible 12 – three shy of qualifying benchmark with four games to play.
But the standard of opposition is set to be ramped up in the weeks ahead. Next up is a trip to Ligue 1 high-flyers Nice before Ange Postecoglou makes his return to Ibrox with Tottenham. Manchester United then visit Glasgow in January before Gers round off their campaign against a Union Saint-Gilloise side they will be expected to beat. But having silenced the raucous Greek crowd, the Rangers boss sees no reason why his men shouldn’t dare to dream of another Euro night to remember.
He said: “For those who know me well, I never settle about things. I don’t put goals also before the games because that means that you start to calculate that against certain teams you cannot get points. It’s impossible. I don’t believe in that.
“I’ve seen enough when I was a player or a manager that miracles are possible if you go for it. So we will go for that the next month against these really big teams. I think we are on track. To take these seven points. I hoped it was nine. I think it was possible today.
“We had the chances to win this game. So in that part the disappointment is there. But it’s not about calculating. It’s the next couple of months. To dig in every time in these European games. And make it a special night.
“In that way I need to give praise also to the fans who were here today. Because we came here one hour and a half before the game and they were already singing.
“Creating a very positive atmosphere. During the game, after the game and it gives a lot of energy to my team also. So I’m very happy to see that also.”
Dessers slotted home his ninth of the season to grab a precious point. But only after he failed to take two huge first-half chances. And Clement admits he’s disappointed his team didn’t march off with more than a draw.
He said: “It was a very strong performance as a team. Sticking to the plan, being very disciplined and using the spaces not perfectly, but a lot of times really good and creating good chances out of that.
“So, that’s for me the only minor (criticism), but it stays an important thing. There’s disappointment that we didn’t win the game.
“So, that’s the next step we need to take to win these kind of games by being more efficient. But I saw a lot of positive things and I need to praise the whole team for that. What they showed today in the discipline, to stick to the plan and to do the right things on the ball.’
“It’s a double feeling. It’s not only disappointment, of course, because you need to see also the positives about today. But that needs to be our mentality. I don’t want players who are happy with a point. We played also to get the three points.
“It’s not that in the last 10-15 minutes we only defended. We went for the three points and that’s the mentality I want to see every time against every opponent. So we need to continue that way.
“I think there were a lot of positives again this evening. You see how many new players on the pitch were doing a really good job. I think our midfield was massive today, winning a lot of duels.
“Our offensive players created a lot of chances. Our defence was really solid, really compact. Jack Butland didn’t have to do too many saves or almost no saves today. So, coming to a place like Olympiacos, it’s a really big thing because it’s a good team and they’ve shown that already, for example, against Braga and Malmo.”