Danny Röhl’s satisfaction with Rangers current form goes hand-in-hand with a constant push for development – particularly in midfield and squad management.
After another controlled victory at Ibrox over managerless Aberdeen, Röhl highlighted the progress of his central trio.
“All my three midfielders at the moment improve – massive,” he said.
“Connor [Barron], Nico [Raskin] and [Mohamed] Diomande – it’s fantastic to see how they’re growing.”
Yet improvement comes with responsibility.
“Sometimes they are a little bit too active,” Röhl explained.
“I want them to keep the position, to be the anchor – this is the next step.”
Structure, he believes, underpins everything Rangers do.
“If we have a good structure with the ball, then we have good counter-pressing moments,” he said.
“We win the ball back very quickly – this is what we have to do.”
Röhl singled out Nicolas Raskin as a player stepping into leadership.
“From my side I’m very clear – he is a key player,” he said.
“Ten weeks ago we were asking for leaders, and I think he stepped more and more in this direction.”
Managing minutes is now a crucial balancing act.
“A lot of players put so much effort in the last couple of days that they need now a rest,” Röhl admitted.
“This is key.”
He explained the reasoning behind several substitutions such as John Souttar’s exit and Dujon Sterling’s start on the bench after an excellent Old Firm performance last week.
“John and Dujon had job-sharing – we spoke about this before the game,” he said.
“After a lot of minutes, you have to protect them.”
January decisions will be shaped by opportunity and development.
“With young players it’s about getting minutes and development,” Röhl said.
“It makes no sense to keep them if they don’t play.”
Competition for places, he insists, is non-negotiable.
“You have to be on front foot, otherwise we leave the train station without some players,” he said.
“We need a strong squad and we need the challenge.”
Despite the momentum, Röhl remains firmly grounded.
“I’m proud, I’m happy to see this,” he said. “But it’s about the next.”
And once again, the message was unmistakable.
“We have to be hungry, we have to be ambitious,” Röhl concluded.
“It’s a long journey – but if we continue like this, we are on a fantastic way.”
Rangers face the Dons again this Sunday - this time away to Pittodrie.