GARY KEOWN: The Rangers midfield double act that hold the key not only to Hampden glory, but to a sustainable future for Ibrox club

They have now shown beyond doubt that they have the ability to compete – more than compete – at a very high level.

The next step is clear for Rangers midfield duo Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande.

Prove that they have the resources to keep their play at a consistent level. And be winners.

Prove that they have the resources to keep their play at a consistent level. And be winners.

If you do this, their importance to the cause can go far beyond events such as the Premier Sports Cup final at Hampden.

As the Premiership table now shows, the Ibrox side’s only hope of making a dent in Celtic’s dominance and achieving success lies in one-off encounters such as Sunday’s meeting.

If Diomande and Raskin can actually make progress in turning themselves into viable, marketable assets and turn the ‘legendary player trading model’, as former chairman John Bennett put it, into something real and operational, all hope may not be lost. Down the Govan road, despite the inevitable brutality of recent times.

Of course, winning the cup on Sunday afternoon is Raskin and Diomande’s first goal.

However, if their performance against Tottenham Hotspur in Thursday night’s thrilling 1-1 Europa League draw indicates anything, it is that they still have the desire within them to play at a higher level and fulfill the potential that others have already seen in themselves. career.

From that perspective, finding a way to beat Rangers’ oldest rivals on Sunday could be about more than just lifting the third most important home trophy.

This should definitely be seen as an opportunity to highlight themselves as potential flag bearers. Men capable of not only winning the cup and ending manager Philippe Clement’s terrible record against Celtic, but perhaps opening a door. For themselves and others.

It’s not easy to pick out the highlights from that wonderful, open, high-octane, end-to-end clash with Spurs in midweek.

It was exciting from start to finish. Clement’s side should have won. After another fine display in yet another UEFA competition, you were left wondering how they could be such a Jekyll-and-Hyde team when they were struggling in their home games.

Still, Raskin and Diomande’s performances were outstanding. It is impossible not to notice and appreciate it.

Yes, Spurs came into the game riddled with injuries and poor struggles for form. Yes, his games were incredibly cheesy at times; It was quite surprising that they could not keep the ball in the long stages.

But the team they put together still costs a ridiculous amount of money to put together and there is no doubt Rangers should beat them.

Among many excellent shows, Raskin and Diomande’s shows were key to this.

When Raskin first arrived from Standard Liege in January 2023, he looked like a genuinely promising player and was expected to form a long-term midfield pairing with Todd Cantwell.

Those hopes faded the following season due to issues with fitness and form, and it again looked worrying for him after a poor tackle in a pre-season friendly against Ajax left him sidelined with an ankle problem.

Signed by Michael Beale, Raskin was never much more than a small parts operator under the management of Belgian Clement.

There were obvious concerns that he was not a manager-type player. But recent weeks have given us reason to believe he can still achieve the goals he spoke of shortly after arriving in the English Premier League.

A natural number 6, he is a player who can receive the ball in tight areas. He was everywhere on Thursday, making quick tackles, handling the ball well and showing incredible energy.

He parlays his improved form of late into devising a meal plan with the club chef and losing a few pounds. God knows what got into their minced meat and rags. Apparently it’s rocket fuel.

Similarly, against Ange Postecoglou, Diomande looked like the player many expected him to blossom following his arrival from Nordsjaelland last January (an initial loan deal turned £4.3m permanent transfer).

The Ivory Coast international has looked like a man withdrawn into his shell for most of this season. It doesn’t affect games. It didn’t seem like a personality. He has done little to push back against a growing body of criticism within the support.

But apart from his silly yellow card for handball the other night, Diomande barely put a foot wrong. He was winning the ball, he wanted the ball, he was showing himself, he was making runs. It can do everything you know, but most of the time it doesn’t.

This must have been a real turning point for him. More adaptable than Raskin. He can play any role in midfield. There is real technical talent there but he needs to show more confidence, consistency and of course add more goals to his game.

After his scoring display in the 4-1 away win over Nice in Europe, Diomande promised, “There is a lot more from me to show everyone.”

The Rangers must be hoping so. Clement identified Diomande as the man who could usher in a much-needed new transfer model for the club when signing his long-term contract until 2028 in January.

He’s 23, so there’s still plenty of time for him. Raskin is also 23 years old. More impressive displays in this term’s Europa League will certainly increase interest and the upcoming trip to Manchester United is a great platform; It is certain that the last home match against Union Saint-Gilloise will provide an opportunity to advance in the tournament.

Performing well in Europe undoubtedly increases transfer hopes. Look at the results of the Europa League final in 2022. Ajax paid £19.6 million for Calvin Bassey and Southampton invested £10 million in Joe Aribo.

But instead of building on it, the Rangers destroyed it. They had to use these sales to gain a reputation as a sales club, but they didn’t. This means that with Raskin and Diomande arguably their two best options, with Hamza Igamane perhaps a little further ahead, they have to start all over again.

But before their moves, Bassey and Aribo had shown they could win silverware, beat Celtic at home and deliver consistent performances that brought tangible rewards.

This is the building block that Raskin and Diomande also need to find a way to put in place. A good place to start on Sunday.

“I want to play in the Premier League one day, but I don’t put any pressure on myself,” Raskin said. ‘I have a plan in my head, Rangers are just one phase of it.’

Now is the time to turn words into action. For both of these guys. The odds were heavily against them on Sunday, but they were also against them on Thursday night.

Will they rise again and show this Rangers team that it is not the write-off that many believe it to be? Or do they decide, as so often before, to fall at the feet of the green-and-white half of Glasgow and use their manager’s confusing speech about Celtic being “out of our league financially” as an excuse?

As dramatic as it sounds, their future – and that of a club that needs to find sellable assets somewhere – now depends on them being able to show that what’s going on at Ibrox is not just one thing when Spurs visit. seductive shine in the pan.

Pinpoint on the meaning of the game

Beyond giving Timo Werner both moves and refusing to back down, there was a truly resonant response to questions put to Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou during her midweek visit to Rangers.

Asked how he felt about Ibrox ‘entering the bear pit’, the former Celtic manager said: ‘When you experience football in empty stadiums you realize how pointless it is.

‘I’ve felt throughout this whole Covid period that it’s pointless. As much as you want: “It can be hostile”, that’s what we love about the game, you know? That’s what brings it to life.”

And he’s absolutely right. Hostility. Anger. Thunder. Football, like it or not, is nothing without all this and more.

This could undoubtedly lead to some unpleasantness, as we will see in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final between Celtic and Rangers, but it is a price worth paying as long as the competition does not degenerate into disarray.

We must do everything we can to ensure that the atmosphere at football’s biggest, most high-profile matches is genuine, unique and, above all, deafening.

And having witnessed what a 50/50 split could do on Hampden Sunday, new Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart must put his heads together with Celtic and find a deal that will allow allocations to Parkhead and Ibrox for next season’s Old Firm derbies to be appropriately distributed . First things on his list when he starts work on Sunday.

There’s no reason to go easy on Clarke

Yes, it’s true that Scotland have made a promising draw for World Cup qualification.

Second place and a play-off place in a group of four teams including Portugal or Denmark, Greece and Belarus are at least in the hands of the current playing squad. So could winning the division.

However, reaching the finals alone should not be seen as enough to rehabilitate national coach Steve Clarke after the disasters of the last European Championship.

In the words of SFA chairman Mike Mulraney, qualification should no longer be seen as enough for Scotland. And any final decision on Clarke’s tenure as manager should be reserved until this campaign reaches the end of its journey.

Looking at the grim climaxes of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, it’s hard to believe that Clarke will take the national team to the next level required, but it looks like we’re down to him, so let’s be wary of all the options available to us. evidence.

To be completely honest, it’s the story of a Scotland fan’s life.