IN the lead up to today’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Motherwell, there has been much focus on what significance a first major trophy would have for Pedro Caixinha and his Rangers reign. For the man himself, it would simply be a start.
With Halloween just around the corner, thoughts of the macabre were clearly not far from the Portuguese coach’s mind as he explained his one real addiction in life; winning. Like the Rangers support, he had become addicted to the feeling that such victories have brought throughout his career, and he craves the return of that sensation just as thirstily as any supporter. Indeed, as much as a vampire craves blood, he says.
"[Winning the Betfred Cup] means it is only the first one,” said Caixinha. “The vampires taste the flavour of the blood and they want more, they need it. It's the same with competitive teams and clubs, competitive players and competitive managers. They like the way the blood tastes.
"It's like a addiction, you know. People are addicted to smoking or eating good or playing sport, I am an addict to win, that's why I work so hard because that's my focus to win.
“I was addicted to winning when I started this job and started with the under-14s, it was inside me. After that, I went to the under-17s, then I went to the Under-19s, then I went to an amateur team and I went to Sporting Lisbon. I went all the way as an assistant and I wanted to win. I went to a lower team in the Portuguese league and my desire was about winning. That's my essence.
“[Winning this cup] doesn't change anything, that's the way I am, and I do believe all the managers who are progressing in their careers are exactly the same.”
No one needs to remind Caixinha that there is one side who will be under the burden of expectation to win today, although Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson has considerately brought that fact up at every opportunity during the week. The Rangers boss remains unfazed.
“I like to have the pressure, you know why? Because I love to win,” he said. “If I didn’t like winning, maybe I would feel the pressure differently, but I love to win.
“I have been in the semi-final before in other contests, like against Sporting Lisbon, and I felt the same way. I want to win, I want to beat them.
“Being now in this chair, all I think about is winning. I don’t feel that responsibility other than loving winning.”
Standing in the way of Caixinha and his first major final as Rangers manager is a Motherwell side who have quickly gained a reputation for pummelling sides into submission with their physical style, as seen their televised demolition of Aberdeen in the quarter-finals.
A few days later, Aberdeen returned to Fir Park and eked out a 1-0 win by changing their style to combat Motherwell’s approach head on, but Caixinha isn’t tempted to compromise his principles in order to fight fire with fire.
“No, I’m not that type of guy,” he said. “In the time of the cowboys, we used to say ‘eye by eye and teeth by teeth’, but now they have found the weapons, it is not like that anymore.
“So, we need to be clever, I don’t think we will be fighting fire with fire or sword with sword, exactly the opposite.
“If they are strong, we need to avoid giving them the chance to be, they are only strong when they have the initiative in the game and when they have the ball. We know they are going to perform like that, so we have to make sure we use our movement, our identity and our style.
“More than energy, we require cleverness. If you use energy to combat energy, it’s the same as fighting fire with fire. You just have to be clever, smell the game and understand the game, and make the right decisions. That’s what we have been working on as part of our identity, how to compete against those teams.
“They are one aggressive team, and they are a physical team, but I like the way they are aggressive, and I like the way they are physical. It is not something I say as a criticism, no, they play very well that way and they know they are very good playing that way.
“With all due respect, they are playing well, they play good football, but it is their way. That is the way and the style in which Steve sees the game, so he picks up players who can perform his game. If you put those players in another place, I’m not saying they are bad players because they can really perform that game, but if you want them to perform another game, that’s another question. In another place, in another club.
“They are doing great, they know how to perform that football, and we need to know how to play against them to beat them, that’s all.”
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