Caixinha determined to bridge gulf between Rangers and Celtic
Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha has been forced to admit his side are living in Celtic's shadow - but he is determined to slash the gap separating the sides.
Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha has been forced to admit his side are living in Celtic's shadow - but he is determined to slash the gap separating the sides.
The new Ibrox manager says he cannot deny the Parkhead men are way out in front after coming up against Brendan Rodgers' rampant Hoops for the first time on Sunday.
A meek Gers line-up showed their bitter rivals far too much respect and were punished as Celtic strolled to a 2-0 win in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
But his team will have one last chance to shoot down the Ladbrokes Premiership champions when they visit Govan on Saturday.
And Caixinha expects to see the passion he believes was missing at the National Stadium.
He said: "I'm assessing the gulf between the clubs and I'm working on a daily basis. It exists and I cannot deny it.
"But we want to reduce it and we are going to do it.
"It is not a question of time, though. It is a question of work, belief and commitment.''
The treble-chasing Hoops have reigned supreme domestically and have enjoyed the whip hand over their Glasgow foes, winning four of the five derby clashes so far, with the other ending in a draw.
But Caixinha is refusing to write off his side's chances - and claims he would rather head home to Portugal than persist with a team he believed had no chance of success.
"The previous games belong to the past,'' he said at his pre-match press conference. "The present and the future will be on Saturday.
"If there was not confidence in the squad I would not be here facing you. I would not come before the match, for sure.
"If I don't believe we could do these things I would not show up. I would just resign and go home.
"On Sunday, we didn't have the passion in order to be committed enough to let the game flow.
"The break down in communication is what we analysed after the match and everything was clear.
"Am I confident that will be cleared up for Saturday? I'm always confident.
"Normally after a defeat I need one day to recharge my batteries, but after that I'm standing again to face whatever I need to face with a smile on my face.
"After the game, the players were the same as all the Rangers supporters - sad.
"We have had our setback but we have another match. We need to improve and put passion on the pitch in order to defend the colours of this club.''
Meanwhile, Caixinha - who blanked questions on a reported new deal for striker Kenny Miller and speculation he is about to mount a move for Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean - insists there is no discord among his squad over plans for pre-season.
Reports on Thursday suggested the 46-year-old is set to extend his players' summer holiday in order to head off a brewing row after originally granting them just a nine-day break.
The Daily Record claimed those plans had caused friction with the likes of skipper Lee Wallace and striker Joe Garner as they were having to shift wedding arrangements.
But Caixinha says his men - who round off their season away to St Johnstone on May 21 - are on board with his training schedule as they plot an early return to action when the Europa League qualifiers kick off on June 29.
Asked if players had expressed concern over the amount of time off they were getting between campaigns, Caixinha replied: "Not at all. They are hard workers. They are professionals.
"I will be glad to go to their weddings.''
The Record claimed Caixinha had originally told his men to report back to the club's Auchenhowie training base on June 1 but the Gers boss insists those plans have yet to be finalised.
He said: "That's an internal affair. It's unofficial at the moment.
"But we know it, the players know it, so we are the ones who need to know.
"It is not me who set up the plan. It's the date of the first competition, which is June 29.
"It's totally important we have the right amount of time to prepare in order to be ready for that first match.
"It's my job (to make sure we are prepared). According to the time I have, I need to organise things in that direction. That (time) is what we have, that's what we need to organise.''