‘We could have been better’ – Caixinha deliver honest verdict on EL win v Progres
By Matt Bullin
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has claimed he is not a miracle-worker after his side’s unconvincing 1-0 Europa League qualifying win over Progres Niderkorn on Thursday.
Kenny Miller’s goal was the difference between the Glasgow giants and the Luxembourg minnows at Ibrox, and the Portuguese manager believes that his men “could have been better” in attack.
It means Caixina’s side will take a slender one goal lead into the second-leg tie at Stade Joey Barthel next Tuesday.
Caixinha spoke honestly to the Daily Record after the match: “I am not a guy that can make miracles in three weeks and snap the fingers to have the team that is ready for playing with their rhythm. You only get that by playing and with time.
“As you all know, only between five or six weeks of pre-season is a team ready for playing and we’ve only had three. That’s the reality we faced.
“They did a great job with their defending, but we could have been better in exploring the spaces and could have been better getting more presence into the box.”
Caixinha has already brought eight new faces to Ibrox this summer, and five of them were on show on Thursday.
Fabio Cardoso, Dalcio and Ryan Jack were all in the starting XI for the match, while Daniel Candeias and Alfredo Morelos both featured as substitutes.
The signings that didn’t play any part were recent Mexican arrivals Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera, while Bruno Alves did not appear as he is still on international duty with Portugal at the Confederations Cup.
This is Rangers’ first campaign in Europe for five years, after finishing third in last season’s Scottish Premiership, and fans will hope they can get into the next qualifying round with a positive result on Tuesday night.
It remains to be seen whether Caixinha will make any more signings this summer, but he will aim to ensure his new-look squad has gelled prior to the start of his club’s 2017-18 league campaign.
In other Rangers news, Norwich are interested in signing this highly-rated Ibrox youngster.
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