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• Philippe Clement urges Rangers to embrace intense environment of run-in

  Philippe Clement has told his off-form Rangers players they must embrace an intense environment where results dictate whether they go to “heaven or hell”.

  The Gers were widely lauded after a consistent run of form that saw them wipe out Celtic’s eight-point advantage at the top of the cinch Premiership to briefly take over at the summit in February.

  However, they go into this Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final against on-song Hearts having been ferociously criticised after slip-ups away to Ross County and Dundee over the past week left them with just two wins from their last eight games in all competitions and their title hopes hanging by a thread.

  “If you win 10 games in a row, you have more belief than when you lose two times but this is Rangers, this is a club where you always have to fight,” said Clement.

  “Every point you lose, it’s like you’re going to hell. That’s this world, and that’s good. That’s also the challenge and it’s interesting to see which players can live in that way.

  “But it’s an exciting place to be because on the other side you can go also to heaven when you win games and when you win trophies.

  “In other teams, where it’s not so important to win points or when it’s not something dramatic when you lose points, you cannot go to heaven also because those are not the clubs that win trophies. This is something you need to embrace.”

  Clement insists he is comfortable with the intense scrutiny and criticism he has faced amid Rangers’ recent “bumps in the road”.

  “I know it’s part of the job,” he said. “I’ve been now more than 30 years in this world and I’ve been buried a lot of times as a player and as a manager, so I know what I’m doing in a club. I know what I’m doing in this club. I know we are on the right road together.”

  Clement described the demands of being in charge of Rangers as similar to managing former club Brugge in his homeland.

  “Winning, becoming champion, is the only thing that counts,” he said. “But I’ve been like that all my life. There is nobody who can be more critical than me because I want to win everything.

  “Everybody who knows me from when I was a child, whether it was basketball, tennis or table tennis or whatever sport, I want to win. I made a lot of fights with my wife about that, that I wanted that mentality with my children because I did it with them also.

  “If I played a game with them and they were three years old, I wanted to win. That is the mentality that is necessary in a club like this, but you need to embrace that.

  “It’s also because of that that you can be successful and you can win trophies and have these exciting moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. That is what Rangers is about and that’s why I love to be here.”

  Clement galvanised Rangers earlier in the season after replacing Michael Beale in October.

  Asked what he would say to supporters who fear the resurgence is fizzling out, the Belgian said: “The same thing I said in October. I think this team since October did improve in results, in attitude and resilience, and in six months they proved it several times.

  “So it’s there, they can do it. They’ve shown it several times with quality. That’s what they need to do again. So, yes, my belief is there 200 per cent.”

• Erling Haaland a doubt for FA Cup semi-final

  Erling Haaland is a doubt for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday.

  The Norwegian striker was surprisingly substituted prior to extra time of the Champions League quarter-final loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

  Manager Pep Guardiola revealed after the game the 23-year-old asked to be withdrawn but did not give a reason why.

  Speaking on Friday, Guardiola confirmed the forward had suffered an injury but still gave little indication as to how serious.

  Guardiola said at a press conference: “We will see. It was a tough game, a lot of action, high intensity for both sides.

  “Erling felt something, a muscular issue. That’s why he told me he could not continue.

  “The (doctor) said he had a little bit of niggles, a little problem, we will see how his evolution is in the next hours.”

  In a more positive update, Guardiola confirmed playmaker Kevin De Bruyne “feels well” having been taken off during extra time against Real for nothing more serious than exhaustion.

  Guardiola feels, given the schedule, it is understandable that players would be tired at this stage of the season.

  He said: “It’s normal with the amount of games we are playing this season and the previous seasons and not much recovery, and extra time and high intensity.

  “We put a lot of pressure in our game and that’s why the fatigue is there. They are human beings. They are not a machine. We are used to it.”

  The agonising penalty shoot-out defeat by Real ended City’s hopes of winning the treble for a second season in succession.

  Yet they remain on course to repeat the domestic double and Guardiola is determined to bounce back from the midweek heartache.

  He said: “We don’t have another option. I don’t want us to feel sorry for ourselves.

  “In football, you lose games. We performed at our best and we were not able to win. You have to accept it.

  “We did everything. We know it, they know it, all the world know it, but it was not enough. When it’s not enough, it’s bad night.

  “So congratulations (to Real) and, tomorrow, FA Cup.”

• Brendan Rodgers warns Celtic not to ‘soften up’ during title run-in

  Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has warned his players they cannot afford to “soften up” because of results elsewhere.

  The cinch Premiership champions have seen their title hopes receive a major boost since beating St Mirren 3-0 on Saturday, after which Rangers dropped five points in games against Ross County and Dundee.

  Celtic remain top by three points – and have a five-goal advantage – with five matches remaining in the league.

  The championship race takes a back seat this weekend when Celtic take on Aberdeen in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals, before Rangers face Hearts at Hampden on Sunday.

  Rodgers wants his side to remain focused on the task in hand and not slip into a comfort zone as a result of their rivals’ slip-ups.

  “Our focus has always been on ourselves,” Rodgers said. “I made that point to the players.

  “Irrespective of what happens or what other results (are) or the way it goes for other teams, we can only do our work.

  “Because you can’t soften up – especially at this time just because another team might have drawn or lost. That’s irrelevant.

  “You have to perform and get the result. If you come off it against teams who are motivated and organised, then they can give you a problem.

  “So for us, we have to continually focus on our own performance – irrespective of what happens elsewhere because we have to create our story.  And for that we have to work at it. Hopefully that will be the storyline come the end of the season.”

  Rodgers, who has Liam Scales back fit for the Hampden clash on Saturday, added: “We don’t play in the league for a week or so, so it’s not my focus

  “My message has always been the same, it’s not how you start the marathon, it’s how you finish it. For us, we are improving day by day, looking good on the field, still with lots of improvement to make.

  “Performances in the main have been good. But still a long, long way to go in terms of the league. Fifteen points is a lot of points to play for. But our focus now is just on getting to the final.”

  When asked if he ever had any doubt that Celtic would come good during tough moments such as losing back-to-back league games in December, Rodgers said: “Listen, we haven’t won anything yet.

  “We are in a semi-final, which is great, we are improving and the performance level is showing that. I demand more from the team and I will push right until that last whistle of the season.

  “But for me it’s part of a league campaign – you will not play 38 games at the very highest level. You are going to have dips and waves, but your strength is how you shift that.

  “That’s the real strength in those moments, whenever it isn’t going quite well, can you shift it and get the team back on track?

  “And the players have been absolutely brilliant. They have had to dig in at lots of moments this season and get results.

  “But we just chipped away and stayed focused on our game model and how we play, and whenever influential players come back in, then all the pieces come together again and the fluidity of the team is much better.

  “You can never have doubt, and the more we work together, on and off the pitch, it all feels that everyone is on the same page.”