Rangers' 'perfect symbiosis' and the Didier Drogba character in the Ibrox ranks
On his 100th appearance for Rangers, Balogun feels team is taking Celtic on in a better place
When Rangers booked their spot in Sunday afternoon’s Premier Sports Cup final with Celtic thanks to beating Motherwell narrowly, there was little optimism among the club’s support of prevailing.
Had the Ibrox side not won 2-1 that day, there are some that feel Rangers manager Philippe Clement would not have been able to recover. A damaging defeat at Aberdeen four days prior had really turned up the heat on the Belgian. As it is, that trip to Pittodrie on October 30 was the last time Rangers lost in all competitions.
A 1-1 draw with Dundee United was not a good result but that goes against the grain of credible 1-1s with Olympiacos and Tottenham plus comprehensive victories over Nice, Kilmarnock and Ross County. Rangers still trail Celtic by 11 points in the Premiership, but some wind is back in their sails.
Thursday’s draw with Spurs, with Rangers going toe-to-toe with a glamourous English Premier League team, also helped. The Ibrox crowd appears back onside with the team and the players fed off its energy. They will need more of the same on Sunday.
“It was very bouncy on Thursday in the stadium,” said defender Leon Balogun, who is expected to start in place of the injury John Souttar at centre-half. “I would like to think that it brought everybody involved in the club at the ground and the supporters closer together
“My personal interpretation, my understanding of what happened yesterday was that I think the supporters wanted to make sure that we know what we have to do on Sunday. The performance we played was just the perfect symbiosis to really get the place going.
“For me personally it was nice to see Ibrox like that again because it's been a while. But to be fair, it's been the last two games leading to Tottenham where we kind of built something already. It was a lot more reassuring the way we played and I think right now we're in a very good place but it's about keeping that momentum going.”
This is the first time this season that Rangers have momentum, stalled by defeats to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock on the domestic front. An opening-day draw at Hearts left them behind Celtic on day one of the league campaign. Their recent run of six wins and three draws has helped repair some of the damage.
“I think we've been on the hunt for that switch, for that click to happen,” explained Balogun. “But to be very honest, I cannot really tell you. We had a change of system, yes, maybe that helped But I think overall what you feel on the pitch is just that we are just a lot tidier in everything, especially in the basics.
“And I don't know if this was still the group having to grow together a bit more, or if we are just really slow. I don't know, I hope it's not the latter. But it's definitely good to see that switch happening finally. And like I said, we have to make sure that we keep this momentum going.”
The emergence of Hamza Igamane up front has helped, the 22-year-old Moroccan having scored five goals in his past five matches. Provided he recovers from a tight calf, he will lead the line at Hampden.
“I think it's really good to see that he's able to put things that you see in training onto the big stage when it matters,” said Balogun, 14 years his senior. “I think he's had an excellent run, he's a strong player. The way he controls the ball is testing me, I don't think I've seen it a lot.
“I don't want to praise him too much, but it reminds me a little bit of Didier Drogba, but that's the big one, so don't tell him I said that. No, but it's very refreshing, it's very nice to see it.
“And, yeah, he's delightful, he's got a bit of cheek to him as well, loves a nutmeg. Hhe's been really, really good. I think his performances speak for themselves.”
What is missing now for Balogun is something tangible, something to truly ignite Rangers’ season. A piece of silverware would do just that for a relatively inexperienced group of players. “It would be massive, because for most of them it would be the first trophy at the club,” added Balogun. “And also the significance for the club itself is massive. We all signed here to win trophies, and that's the next opportunity to do that.”
Sunday will be Balogun’s 100th game for Rangers. There would be no better way to mark it.
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