PHILIPPE CLEMENT believes the experience of winning Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final will make his team stronger.
Rangers claimed the first silverware of the season with a 1-0 success over Aberdeen at Hampden Stadium off the back of securing a place in the last 16 of the Europa League in what proved to be a fantastic week for the Gers.
Speaking to the media in this afternoon’s press conference as the Light Blues prepare for a quick return to league action against St Johnstone tomorrow evening, the Belgian feels the days like the cup final will only help the team for the future.
He said: “I think it is a logical thing. When I came into the building the confidence was not there. I saw what I saw in the games and the first days in training. I think every experience makes you stronger.
“The strongest teams I played in were teams that were together for two or three years. Those were teams who had a lot of experiences together, good but also bad. You not only become stronger out of good experiences but also out of bad experiences if you think of the right conclusions together.
“Every experience with this group will make it stronger. Of course winning in Seville, winning a cup and winning the first silverware. Proving a lot of things that had been said not so long ago about these players that it was wrong.
“They need to continue doing that and keeping this hunger. If they keep the hunger, if they keep the collectivity, if they keep this solidarity that it is not important to start or not to start, that they understand that story and it is not about them, but about the team, then we are going to make an amazing season, I am confident about that.
“The moment players start to think about themselves and putting themselves out of the collective, it will be more difficult. Then we are going to speak with them, it is going to happen. I am not naive and I know if there is success, there are also a lot of people around the players who are influential or try to be to become more and more influential.
“We have to make it clear that it is about the collective and if the collective is good then the individual is also good, because it works like that in a team sport.”
The boss has looked ahead to his side’s next clash back at Ibrox tomorrow evening, stating it will be a big test for the mentality of his players so soon after Sunday’s exploits.
He continued: “It will be a hard battle. I saw the game against Celtic, they made it a hard battle, it could have been 2-2 in one moment. They are a very well organised team, have a lot of power, in transition play and set pieces.
“It is a big test, also with it being three days after the cup final. It is also a big test about mentality for my team. To see after the satisfaction that they deserved and I told them, they had to enjoy Sunday evening, how fast can they switch.
“That for me the top sport mentality, the real winners they switch really fast. They can be really happy but the next day they are back in this winning mode. To focus again, to have concentration again, their body is prepared, in that way it is a really big test tomorrow.”
Clement has challenged his players to maintain their standards that they showed with their season shaping two results as they make a quick return to league duties, insisting belief was already installed in the squad before their triumphs.
He added: “If this team doesn't have belief, they wouldn't have done those things last week, so the belief is there. There is no doubt about that, but it's about giving confirmation every time and keeping that belief and keeping our standards.
“Raising our standards and being ambition, hungry, it is about that. Without belief you cannot win in Betis and you cannot win the cup final. Belief was there, we didn't need the cup final for that.”