Rangers were sleepwalking towards a crisis under Michael Beale. Following a season without any silverware tucked away in the Ibrox trophy room, ten players departed, including crowd favourites Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent.
Beale spent lavishly on Sam Lammers, Danilo, and Cyriel Dessers as replacements, yet the opening weeks of the 2023/24 campaign were underwhelming, to say the least.
Something was missing. As first team coach under Steven Gerrard, Beale was seen as the architect behind the stunning title triumph during 2020/21, as the Gers were a rampant attacking force, scoring 139 goals in all competitions.
His tactical blueprint as a coach simply did not translate towards success as a manger. Rangers looked a shadow of their former selves as they slipped to four defeats in their opening 14 games, scoring just 23 goals in the process.
Who would have thought that a loss to Aberdeen at Ibrox could turn into a blessing in disguise. A chorus of boos rang out around the stadium after the 3-1 defeat which left the Light Blues trailing Celtic in the league by seven points after just seven matches.
This was unthinkable territory for the club. Ange Postecoglou may have left Celtic in the summer, but Brendan Rodgers was the destroyer of dreams during his first stint in charge of the Parkhead side between 2016 and 2019 and momentum was clearly in their favour.
Gerrard departed to join Aston Villa in November 2021, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was sacked in November 2022 and just ten months later, Beale was also dismissed.
Whatever happened next, the board were under intense pressure to get the next managerial appointment absolutely spot on, otherwise the financial gulf would get bigger.
Fast forward nearly six months and the decision to take a gamble on Philippe Clement is beginning to look like a shrewd one indeed.
Why Philippe Clement?
There were no shortage of candidates to take over at the club, as names such as Kevin Muscat, Pascal Jansen and even Frank Lampard were touted as potential saviours.
Clement on the other hand, appeared out of the blue. The Belgian tactician was out of work having been sacked by AS Monaco in June 2023 after they failed to qualify for Europe.
His credentials were excellent, however. Not only had the former defender won three league titles in his homeland – one with KRC Genk and two with Club Brugge – but his preferred use of a 4-2-3-1 formation was the perfect fit for the players at his disposal in Glasgow.
Furthermore, Clement’s penchant for developing young talent was second to none. Charles de Ketelaere, Benoît Badiashile, Noa Lang and Aurélien Tchouaméni were all unearthed by the 49-year-old during his stints in Belgium and France, with all four going on to bigger and brighter things.
A winning mentality, tactical nous, and the ability to spot and develop teenage starlets made him the standout candidate.
Improvement was instant under Clement
Clement’s first game in charge was against Hibernian, at Ibrox, in what was a potentially tricky encounter, but the new manager bounce only took 90 minutes to take effect.
Goals from Abdallah Sima, Nico Raskin and Dessers sealed a momentum boosting win, setting the tone for what would be an excellent start to life under the former Club Brugge manager.
Premiership wins were recorded against Hearts and Dundee, while the Tynecastle side were also put to the sword in the League Cup semi-final, giving Clement a chance to secure his first piece of silverware in charge of the Gers, a mere two months after joining.
Just three days before the showdown against Aberdeen at Hampden, Rangers managed to win their first ever game against Spanish opposition in Spain, recording a stunning 3-2 victory over Real Betis which saw the club progress to the last 16 of the Europa League as group winners.
Clement’s man management skills were clearly working a treat ahead of the League Cup final, while he was also able to keep a calm head under pressure, as several midfielders were either injured or suspended ahead of the tie.
This meant the 49-year-old had to rejig his starting XI. In came utility man Dujon Sterling to partner John Lundstram at the heart of the midfield and the decision was monumental, as he won the man of the match award in the 1-0 victory.
A loss to Celtic in their last game of 2024 was a disappointing way to end 2023, but the building blocks were in place and Clement had the opportunity to refresh his squad during the transfer window.
Clement has already improved the Rangers squad
Clement’s philosophy has been to build a successful player trading model at Ibrox. Mohamed Diomande arrived on loan with an obligation to buy, while Óscar Cortés is another youngster who joined on a temporary deal with an option to buy.
Diomande is 22 while Cortés is just 20 years old and combined, the duo have registered five goal contributions already, suggesting that they have hit the ground running at Ibrox.
This is exactly what is required if the Light Blues are to maintain their remarkable title challenge. Celtic have been sloppy recently, dropping points in three of their previous six league matches, as Rodger’s men are feeling the heat from an ever improving Rangers side.
The recent 2-1 defeat to Motherwell, while poor, is not the end of the world as minor bumps in the journey are to be expected.
Clement will be hoping that result was only brief turbulence ahead of their encounter against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz – this evening.
Six months ago, any self-respecting Rangers supporter would have conceded that challenging for the league title was beyond this group of players, such was Celtic’s advantage.
Clement has not only clawed back that seven point gap but added a first League Cup success since 2011 and progression in Europe.
In October, the club was on its knees. Now? They are on the verge of something special.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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