Pedro Caixinha: Opponents are more aggressive against Rangers

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha (right) with referee Willie Collum at full-time on Friday. Picture: SNS

11 SPFL matches to be broadcast live in December

Caixinha’s team face Partick Thistle in the Betfred Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Jags on Friday.

Thistle had five players booked as well as Chris Erskine sent off for a bad challenge on Alfredo Morelos, after being on the end of seven yellow cards - two of them for Niall Keown against Aberdeen - in their previous four matches combined.

Alan Archibald’s side only gave away 10 free-kicks but Caixinha argued they were not the first team to save their aggression for Rangers.

“It’s interesting, because normally when you watch the opposition teams playing against maybe the four opponents before they play against us, and normally in those opponents are top teams like playing against Celtic and Aberdeen, and I don’t see the same behaviour,” Caixinha said.

“I don’t see the same aggression that they have with those teams that they have with our team.

“I’m not criticising. I’m saying that we need to know how to deal with it because it’s happening and it’s happening on a regular basis. So it’s one more thing that we need to care about - not caring about the opponents’ game, playing our football - but when it’s time to fight, it’s time to fight.”

Caixinha, who will be without injured skipper Lee Wallace for the trip to Maryhill and Saturday’s visit of Celtic, added: “It’s a fact. I’m not saying why it’s happening. The fact is that it’s happening and we need to know how to deal with it.

“It’s not a surprise. It’s just one fact that we need to know how to deal with.

“When you analyse things and you see the scenario and go for the reality about facing each opponent, you see that things are going in that direction. That’s the reality we need to face.”

Although earlier saying his team had to fight at the right time, he argued they should not adopt a more aggressive approach.

“No, I don’t think that aggression is paid with aggression,” said Caixinha, whose team did not receive any bookings on Friday.

“You need to be combative, not aggressive, that’s my perspective in football. Play your football and don’t focus on that type of situation but know from the very beginning that it is going to happen against ourselves.”

Ryan Jack was also on the end of a studs-up challenge which went unpunished, but the Rangers midfielder shrugged the incident off.

Jack said: “At the time (referee) Willie Collum says to me that he had never seen it and his view was blocked.

“It’s fair enough, as a player you just get up and have to get on with it. Ryan Edwards came to me after the game and says there was no malice or intent in the challenge. We shook hands and that was the end of it.

“In the way Scottish football is, there’s always a bit of feistiness between the teams. That’s just the manner the game is played in, and it will be no different on Tuesday.”