Philippe Clement already facing ‘tall order’ at Rangers as Andy Walker makes Celtic claim
Philippe Clement is facing a “tall order” at Rangers as Celtic are only going to get better in the Scottish Premiership title race, according to Andy Walker.
Rangers finally announced Clement as their new manager on Sunday (15 October), ending their two-week search for Michael Beale’s successor at Ibrox.
The Light Blues have a Scottish League Cup semi-final with Hearts on the horizon, while they also have work to do in the Europa League, but the Scottish Premiership provides a true gauge of their quality.
Speaking to talkSPORT on Monday [16 October, 14:44], former Celtic striker Walker said: “Clement is up against it. I can only see Celtic getting better.
“They haven’t hit their heights yet, and I think once they get all their players back fit, the strength of that Celtic squad is going to be a tall order for Clement to narrow the gap at the top of the table.”
Bring it on
There is no doubt that Rangers are now playing catch up in the title race, as they trail Celtic by seven points with only eight games of the campaign played.
The Gers have already lost three of those games, including the first Old Firm of the season, and quite simply cannot afford to lose too many more between now and the end of the campaign.
With four league fixtures to come before the next international break in a month’s time, Clement could do with collecting 12 points from 12.
That is easier said than done, of course, but that has to be the target heading into games with Hibernian, Hearts, Dundee and Livingston.
The hope is that Rangers can at least stay within reach of Celtic ahead of the next Old Firm showdown to put some pressure on them.
It may well be that the cups provide Rangers with their best chance of salvaging this season, but let’s not give up all hope of overtaking Celtic just yet.
In other Rangers news, Sky Sports reporter Gordon Duncan has provided an update on the possibility of Steven Davis joining Clement’s coaching staff.