Rangers manager Derek McInnes has challenged his team to show "fire and ice" and find a ruthless streak in front of goal ahead of Sunday's Old Firm cup tie against Celtic at Ibrox.
The Glasgow club sealed a victory against St Mirren in injury time on Wednesday, with Bojan Miovski securing the win after Fraser Taylor had gone close for the visitors. The result extended a four game league winning run that has settled supporters following a dire start to the season, with five goals chalked up in the process.
However, McInnes warned that the single goal margins of recent victories might not be enough against their biggest rivals, as Rangers sit 90 minutes away from a trip to the national stadium at Hampden.
"One goal was enough last night," McInnes said. "One goal was enough against Motherwell, two goals were enough against Falkirk and one goal was enough against Aberdeen. But it might not be against Celtic. So, we've got to recognise this and be ruthless and more instinctive with some of our attacking players."
Striker shortage
Rangers have scored just seven goals in six league games to date, with one of those an own goal by Hibs player Miguel Chaiwa. The five goals Rangers put past St Mirren in a previous Premier Sports Cup match remain an anomaly.
McInnes is currently managing a depleted forward line. Lawrence Shankland, who has scored three times in the Premiership, has just undergone hamstring surgery.
Thelo Aasgaard netted on the opening night at Tannadice but is now on loan at Anderlecht, while Youssef Chermiti is out of the picture after sustaining a serious knee injury.
The manager is left with Ryan Naderi and Miovski, who have one league goal apiece, plus Kevin Kelsy, who has yet to get off the mark.
Rangers managed 18 efforts on Wednesday, with seven on target, and forced 12 corners. McInnes now wants the responsibility of scoring to be shared beyond those primarily responsible, demanding stronger supply lines from middle to front.
Trusting young talent
"We're very young at the forward line when you look at us," McInnes said. "A 22-year-old Naderi, 22-year-old Kelsy, 20-year-old Minsu Kim, 20-year-old Findlay Curtis, 21-year-old Badredine Bouanani. So, we've got a lot of young players up there."
The manager noted a huge improvement in the team's ability to create chances over the last few games. "But what we need to show is our ability to finish off good opportunities," he said. "I do think sometimes that last pass, that last decision, that last shot is something we need to take care of a wee bit more."
Sunday's fixture will be a major test for the young squad in the frantic and unforgiving environment of an Old Firm game, as McInnes wants his side to channel the energy of a partisan Ibrox crowd. McInnes said he cannot hold their hands.
"You can maybe speak about it in anticipation of the game and you can maybe show them clips of games and everything that unfolds with it," he said. "But I think sometimes these boys have just got to live it and enjoy it and thrive on it. I think for any young player these are the types of games you want to play in and test yourself in."
Fire and ice
McInnes played in four Old Firm games in the 1990s, drawing one and winning three, and celebrated winning the 1999 Scottish Cup after a 1-0 victory over Celtic at Hampden. When asked what it takes to prevail, he said personality and confidence before stepping onto the pitch are essential.
"Whenever I've managed teams and you've come up against Celtic and you've won games against them, I've always felt it was key that you went onto the pitch in a certain manner and you behaved in a certain manner and you carried yourself properly," McInnes said.
"I feel there can't be any hesitation, any doubt for my players. Obviously, discipline is important. You make sure you're competitive and aggressive and show your intent but play within the laws and make sure you don't get caught up in the fixture as well."
The manager warned his team must be ready for Celtic's intensity and press. "It's easier said than done and normally in this fixture, when you think you've got time to play, you normally don't and you've got to move the ball quickly," he said. "There's a lot of duels to be won, there's a lot of individual battles to be won. A bit of fire and ice at the right times can help matters."
McInnes said Rangers must be mindful of the threat posed by players like Camilo Duran, without becoming consumed by it. "I think you've got to recognise some individual players in Celtic and you've got to try and negate those opportunities for them to have a big influence," he said.
"Good players will always find some sort of influence, but it's trying to make sure they don't have as big an influence as they would like. But also, for us, I think it's important that we take a lot of the good from recent performances, but we've got to capitalise on that."
Rebuilding confidence
The atmosphere at full time against St Mirren contrasted sharply with the despondency that descended when McInnes' side contrived to lose to Jablonec two weeks previously.
"Yeah, lots of cuddles going on weren't there?" McInnes smiled. "I see a bunch of boys who are just desperate to do well. They're really good around each other. The dressing room in the last couple of weeks feels like a dressing room that I recognise and I want my team to be."
Between Aberdeen, Falkirk, Motherwell and St Mirren, Rangers have put a winning run together, and a victory over Celtic would book a return to Hampden.
McInnes believes a significant win against their biggest rivals could have a massive benefit for his new signings. "I do think for a lot of new signings having a significant win against your biggest rivals in a cup tie can only do them good going forward," he said. "I think the feel-good factor and the benefit you can get from that could be massive."
"It's a tough cup tie, but equally the fact that we've got it at Ibrox, we're 90 minutes away from Hampden, we're three games away from lifting silverware," McInnes added.
"You've got to beat the good teams to win a trophy ordinarily and we've got a tough game, there's no two ways about it. But, equally, we've got to make it tough for Celtic as well. I think they'll expect a tough match and that's what we intend to give them."
