Caixinha all smiles with Gers

Manager Pedro Caixinha reckons Rangers’ behindclosed-doors friendlies will have his squad in perfect shape.

The Light Blues returned to pre-season training earlier this month and have played three games at their Auchenhowie training centre.

Northern Irish club Coleraine were thumped 5-0 while New Saints of Wales managed to hold Gers to a 1-1 draw.

Rangers – who have made eight summer signings so far following yesterday’s arrival of Mexican pair Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera – finished with a goalless draw against St Johnstone yesterday.

Caixinha hopes that will be enough to ensure his players are ready for the Europa League campaign at home to Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg next Thursday.

Caixinha said: “I’m pleased with the progress. There have been sessions where the players are really identifying how we want them to perform in each moment of the game.

“That becomes clearer and more understandable in the matches we have played. There are small things we need to keep improving so, for example, we missed a lot of scoring chances and we need to be more aggressive to attack the scoring positions.

“It was not easy to organise friendlies and the board did a fantastic job to arrange these matches.

“I want to prepare the team to win, so if you ask me what I didn’t like until now the only thing would have been drawing the game on Monday.

“I’m happy with the process and the way the players understand what we want from the game. They are putting in the effort.”

Gers will be expected to take care of Progres, but should face a tougher task in the second qualifying round, with AEL Limassol likely opponents.

If they avoid slipping up against the Cypriots they still face another two tricky ties before they can reach the group stages, but Caixinha is aiming high.

The Gers manager added: “We are doing our homework. We need to prepare with only one thing in our mind and it is about winning and progressing to the qualifiers.

“Our goal right now is all directed to being in the group stages and we will have to see what happens after that.”

Pedro Caixinha