Dujon Sterling says Rangers’ derby win over Celtic will mean NOTHING if they don’t follow it up by beating Hibs – as he saluted stand-in skipper Nico Raskin.
The Ibrox defender, who was outstanding for Philippe Clement‘s side in their 3-0 Old Firm triumph, says it has given them an injection of confidence. But Sterling revealed their display against Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup Final last month – despite their penalty shoot-out defeat – made them believe they could defeat their city rivals. The Englishman was delighted with their display at Ibrox on Thursday, as goals from Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper and Danilo gave Clement his first Old Firm win.
But Sterling is adamant that it will be a pointless victory if they don’t take care of Hibs at Easter Road – and begin to try and claw back their deficit to Celtic in the Premiership table. Rangers are still 11 points behind but can cut that to eight before Brendan Rodgers’ men face St Mirren. And Sterling, speaking to Rangers TV, said: “The mood is good but we know that it doesn’t matter if we don’t get the win against Hibs on Sunday.
“It’s good to get the win over them but it’s on to the next game now. Thursday was a confidence booster for us but I think it was there. You could see from the cup final that we had the belief that we could beat them. But it means nothing if we don’t carry on this momentum and gain points back in the league. We have to continue what we’ve been doing, especially the performance against Celtic.
“We must continue that way, play with that intensity, show that fight – and everything should go to plan. But it’s up to us. We knew we had big players out on Thursday. Obviously, the skip (James Tavernier), Jack (Butland), Soutts (John Souttar) and Balo (Leon Balogun). They are all experienced leaders in our team. But it just shows we’re together as a team and we believe that we’re good enough – and we’re on the right path.”
Sterling has been asked to fill in at centre-back in the absence of Souttar and Balogun in recent weeks and he hasn’t let Clement down. He was superb alongside Propper against Celtic and has now started Gers’ last four games. Now, the 25-year-old insists he wants to rack up FIFTY appearances for Clement’s side this term.
The former Chelsea and Stoke City man said: “It’s a different role which involves a lot of covering. You get the ball, lay it off but then you’ve got to stay concentrated in a different type of way to playing full-back. There’s been some mistakes which I’ve been a part of. I take responsibility for that. But you saw against Celtic that when we do get it right, it works. It’s just about learning a different role.
“I hadn’t played there for a while so it’s about staying concentrated and focusing on the task. I’m now on five starts in a row which I probably haven’t done since I’ve been at the club. So for me it’s about continuing now and building on that. I think I’m at a point this season where my total games played is more than I had last season. That’s good and hopefully it can continue and I can get to 40 or 50 games this season.”
Two of Rangers’ stand-out performers in the derby were temporary captain Nico Raskin and Turkish full-back Ridvan Yilmaz. Raskin has excelled since Clement deployed him as the Ibrox side’s anchor man in midfield, while Yilmaz was given the job of marking Celtic danger man Daizen Maeda on Thursday from right-back when he usually plays on the opposite side.
Sterling was full of praise for the duo, especially after their Old Firm display. He said: “It’s been really good to see Nico (doing well). It was difficult for him last season because he wasn’t getting picked. He got injured, came back into the squad but wasn’t getting much game time. But he had a good pre-season which he’s built on – and with every game you can see he’s getting better and better.
“That’s really pleasing to see. (On Yilmaz) Sometimes it can be easier to play on the opposite side. Because when the winger runs inside, he runs on to your strong foot. So when Maeda came inside he was going on to Ridvan’s left foot which made it easier for him to defend. And just being aggressive against them really helps as well.”
Sterling expects Hibs to play with high intensity when Rangers turn up in Leith this afternoon, with David Gray’s side on a terrific run of form. But he’s convinced that if Clement’s men produce their A game, they can collect another vital three points.
He said: “Hibs will be fast, aggressive and physical on Sunday. They’ve been on a good run so it won’t be an easy game – it’s never an easy game there. But we have to focus on what we do and how we want to approach the game. If we do that we should be able to get the job done.”