In a lengthy Portuguese interview, prior to Ranger’s 5-1 loss to Celtic, Pedro Caixinha was questioned by A Bola about the lack of competitiveness in Scotland, something he couldn’t agree more with.
“I joined the league at the end, it’s 38 fixtures, five to go, but yeah. It would be good to have more clubs facing our team and Celtic. It would be much more competitive to still have things to decide, like the title, but Celtic were crowned champions in advance.”
Celtic beat Rangers 5-1 at the weekend, with goals from Scott Sinclair, Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor, Dedryck Boyata, and Mikael Lustig, along with a home goal from Kenny Miller.
That showed the gulf between Caixinha’s side and that of Brendan Rodgers, and Rangers are also 9 points behind Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.
Asked if he’s already being asked to win titles, the Rngers manager made it clear it’s his intention for the future, but working to rebuild the club is something far more important right now.
“Oh, no doubt! A club with the tradition it has… And I also want to win, I’ve only been champion in Mexico. We want the title, of course, but objectively and for now the goal is to shorten the distance to Celtic.
“The club’s size is brutal. People recognising me in the street gave me the an idea of the passion that people have for football. Only in Mexico I lived something like this regarding the passion, but the club is of some other greatness! You can notice the history and tradition of this club: 145 years!”
That’s why the first step would be to get to Celtic’s level before thinking of trophies: “If we manage to go head to head with them, it’s better. I understand the history, the tradition, but there’s also the reality.
“These few months of the current season were to get to know the players better, evaluate the players and know the local football.”
In seven games in charge of Rangers, Caixinha has three wins, two draws and two defeats, both to Celtic. He’s signed a contract which runs until 2020.
