If Philippe Clement is writing a story at Rangers then Thursday night's defeat to Benfica is simply the end of the opening chapter.
That's what the boss is hoping anyway as he fires his troops up for the next phase of his Ibrox rebuild - domestic domination. Rafa Silva's goal closed the book on the road to Dublin before the tale had really begun but Clement is adamant it will be no problem picking his players up to go again and turn the season into an epic.
The League Cup is already in the bag and the domestic Treble is within their own hands as he said: “We’re hungry for the two other trophies. We’re going to stick together, work really hard to focus on those two goals. I’ve read a lot of times the last couple of weeks that it was maybe better that we’re not in Europe any more. I didn’t agree and I still don’t agree.
“But we’re now focusing on the two other trophies. It’s zero challenge for me (to get the players focused on domestic trophies). I don’t have any doubt about that, that it will be a challenge for me or that they will be sitting in the dressing room saying, ‘Oh now we’re out of Europe, the season is finished.’ No, totally not.
"I know my boys, I know my dressing room. They will recover well tonight, they will take their ice baths, take their food, try to sleep and tomorrow they will come in with a lot of hunger and be ready for Sunday against Dundee.”
There was no shame in a narrow defeat to the Portuguese league leaders and Clement is adamant his story, and that of his players, is still beginning. He added: “If you see the budget of the two clubs you need, as a Scottish club, to be really proud with what the players showed. It was really tight margins. But we look at ourselves. The players showed that they
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