Swede dream for Rangers boss Clement after 'perfect start' to Europa League campaign
Rangers manager Philippe Clement praised his players for producing their best performance of the season after they stormed to Europa League victory in Malmo.
A goal inside the opening minute from Nedim Bajrami set Rangers on their way, with substitute Ross McCausland then sealing the three points late in the second half.
After such a turbulent start to the season on the domestic front, Clement insisted that victory over the Swedish champions was the perfect way to kick off Rangers’ European campaign.
The Ibrox boss also believes that his team will now go from strength to strength — and insisted they should have won by more than just two goals.
Asked if he felt this had been his team’s best performance of the season so far, Clement replied: ‘Yes, I think so. But it doesn’t mean it’s going to stay the best that we’ve had. I think we need to work hard to make it better and that’s what we’re going to do.
‘It could have been perfection if we scored three goals in the first half like we deserved.
Philippe Clement said that his players produced their best performance of the season in Sweden.
Bajrami (right) celebrates the opener with Kasanwirjo, who didn't put a foot wrong at left-back.
Substitute Ross McCausland's late strike rounded off Rangers' richly-deserved victory.
‘It’s not errors. It’s part of football. Even the best players in the world do not score with every chance.
‘But it was the perfect start to the campaign, and the perfect start to the game also (with Bajrami’s early goal).
‘Malmo are a really difficult opponent to play against. They play with a lot of running actions but in a chaotic style — it’s difficult to defend against.
‘My players did a massive job sticking to the plan, all game, all 90 minutes long. The guys who started, the guys who came on. And we used the spaces in a really good way with the ball. So it was a very mature performance.
‘The only small thing that you can say is if you kill off the game in the first half, then it’s different again. But I think they showed a really good game today and we will continue working on the finishing.
‘It’s about keeping this hunger, keeping this desire to work on all the details. And that everybody puts their ego aside and works hard for the team and does the job.’
The build-up to the match had seen Malmo taunt the visitors on social media, with boss Henrik Rydstrom boldly predicting that a Rangers defeat would ‘probably happen again’.
Asked if those jibes made victory all the sweeter, Clement replied: ‘No, because I’m not busy with those things.
‘Other teams can say whatever they want. Other people can say whatever they want. I’m just focused on my team.
‘We need to continue in that way with the players also. To stay humble, to work hard and to focus on ourselves.’
Clement confirmed that Hamza Igamane missed the match due to a passport issue but said the Moroccan will be available for Hibs' visit to Ibrox on Sunday.
The Rangers boss was also full of praise for Neraysho Kasanwirjo, the 22-year-old Dutch defender on loan from Feyenoord who was excellent on his first start for his new club.
With Jefte suspended and Ridvan Yilmaz unavailable due to injury, Kasanwirjo deputised as a makeshift left-back and didn’t put a foot wrong.
‘I saw him play several times as left full-back previously,’ said Clement. ‘He’s just in the building. He didn’t play too much until now. It’s an interesting one for the future.’
Meanwhile, Malmo boss Rydstrom was unimpressed by his team’s performance, insisting they made too many basic errors.
Asked about his team’s wayward passing under pressure, Rydstrom said: ‘Thisis an issue we’ve had for a long time. We need to be better, players need to show for the ball and be braver. When you don’t do that, it leads to the team making stupid mistakes.’
