Rangers boss Derek McInnes praised his side's resilience after they secured a late 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Hampden to book a place in the Premier Sports Cup final, but he made clear he expects more from several of his key players.
Ryan Naderi's close-range diversion of James Penrice's shot in the closing stages settled the semi-final, sending McInnes to his first final as Ibrox manager on December 13. The Czech striker had earlier scored the winner in the Old Firm clash at Celtic Park this season.
Perseverance Pays Off
McInnes admitted his side were below their best, particularly in the first half, despite dominating possession and chances. He stressed the importance of getting through the tie, even if the performance was not pretty.
“We came with the intention of making sure we got the club to a cup final by hook or by crook and we've done the job,” he said. “I'm delighted with the players for their perseverance, for keeping going.”
He added: “We were ponderous and needed to be quicker. We needed to be calm but we snatched at things and made poor decisions. When you have 75 percent possession and 25 shots in a game but only five on target, it's not good enough. But that's for another day.”
Naderi's Instincts Hailed
The manager reserved special praise for Naderi, whose late goal proved decisive. McInnes highlighted the striker's movement and positioning as key to his success in front of goal.
“I've always said that Ryan, if you give him service, he's always in the middle of the goal for when the ball goes into good areas,” he said. “A lot of the time we don't feed him enough. We don't put the ball in there and we make too many bad decisions.”
He added: “He's on the move. Similar to the goal at Celtic Park, he's on the move, just thinking there may just be something here for me. It's so important you've got that type of player.”
Wide Players Must Deliver
Rangers winger Badredine Bouanani, on loan from Stuttgart, was named man of the match after a constant threat on the right flank, but McInnes was clear that the Algerian and his fellow wide players need to start scoring goals.
“He better! The wide players need to start scoring goals,” McInnes said. “Minsu Kim needs to get that demand on himself, Djeidi Gassama too. Bouanani's got so much quality. As soon as he steps on to that left side, 25 yards out, you think it's in the net because in training he does it time and time again.”
McInnes also explained his decision to drop skipper Dan Neil for the game, moving Tuur Rommens to left-back and James Penrice into midfield. He said Neil was professional about the call and impressed when he came on, contributing to the winning goal.
“Dan was fine. It's all about the team,” he said. “There's only disappointment when you're not involved but he was brilliant before the game. He was brilliant when he came on, I thought he was really good in the game. When the game needed a bit of calmness, he normally makes those right decisions, as he did for his small part in the winning goal.”
