Dessers Praises Squad Mentality

CYRIEL Dessers believes the wins over Hearts and Kilmarnock have shown both sides of Rangers this week.

Philippe Clement’s men thumped Hearts 5-0 at Ibrox last Saturday before coming from behind to defeat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park on Wednesday.

The Gers have recorded 11 straight wins in 2024, and ahead of the visit of Motherwell tomorrow, Dessers believes it is a huge positive for the side. He said: “The two games this week were really extreme.

“We are a team who can fight for it, play ugly, and we will do that. But when we get to play our game like we did against Hearts then you can see how good we are.

“We have a lot of experience and players who can read games to get a win and we have shown that in the last week.

“In 38 games they won’t all be pretty. At home, it is maybe easier to play the way you prefer. Sometimes you have to get dirty and play it hard.

“We are having a good time, not only the last week but from the beginning of the year.

“We came back from the training camp and have won every game so we are in a good place.

“As a squad we felt how big a result it was against Kilmarnock. We spoke about it after the game and the feeling was better on Wednesday than against Hearts when we won 5-0.

“We felt it was a massive win, Kilmarnock are a good team and they have a clear game plan which makes it difficult against teams.

“Going behind them, we stayed calm, we did our job and we came back in a good way.

“Mentally we have that strength but you have to show that on the pitch and we did that in the second half.

“Does it say a lot about the character of the squad? Definitely.

“You don’t want to be behind too much but if that is the case, we know we can come back.

“We are in good form and you want games to come around but we want to keep this going.”

Image
010324 Press Conference, Cyriel Dessers 12

Dessers has notched 16 goals this term but has been rotated with Fabio Silva in recent weeks.

He believes it keeps everyone ready to perform and he insists his impressive goal return is due to blossoming friendships with his teammates.

He added: “I think rotation keeps everyone on their toes.

“Ridvan and Dujon Sterling came on on Wednesday and helped turn the game. You have to be ready.

“You can’t win the league with 11 players, you need 16, 17 or 18. We know that.

“James Tavernier is an amazing player but at the start maybe I was running to the front post and he put it to the back.

“Now we have a connection and in the last few months he has given me four or five assists. “It takes time to get to know each other by playing together then they grow.

“Small things make the difference at this level.”


  • SHOP: Shop the latest arrivals HERE

  • RANGERSTV: Get closer to your club with RangersTV subscription HERE

  • MYGERS: Enjoy exclusive experiences, discounts and events with a MyGers membership HERE