Ben Davies shares Philippe Clement advice that could take him to next level at Rangers
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has offered Ben Davies advice on how the defender can take his Ibrox career to the next level.
Davies started 25 Scottish Premiership matches in his first season with the club upon joining from Liverpool in July 2022.
However, the Englishman has started just three of the Gers’ nine league games so far this term, with his most recent outing coming a month ago.
But Davies was brought into the side to face Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday [26 October] and performed well at the back.
Asked about life under Clement so far, Davies is quoted by the Daily Record [28 October] as saying: “Taking the chance to impress the new boss is important.
“The manager has filled the players with confidence, and in the second half we showed that a bit more. The manager thinks I have a good passing range and he wants me to believe in myself a bit more. That’s probably the same for a few players.
“The early impression from training is that we like him. Thursday was another step in the right direction. That’s two decent performances in a row, the win last Saturday and the draw away from home in Europe is definitely something to build on.”
Good record
Clement was forced into a big tactical rethink against Sparta due to being without three left-backs, forcing him to go with a 3-5-2 formation of sorts.
It meant Davies came into the starting line-up alongside Connor Goldson and John Souttar, and the trio stood firm to ensure the Gers picked up a welcome 0-0 draw in the Czech capital.
The statistics reflect well on the former Preston North End ace, as Rangers have now kept five clean sheets in the seven matches he has started in all competitions this season.
Davies will no doubt have gained some confidence from his performance against Sparta and, as Clement personally told him, he now has to start believing in himself a little more.
If he is able to do that, it may well be that he becomes a regular in – presumably – a back four under Clement. Now 15 months as a Rangers player, the defender’s Ibrox career may be about to get lift-off.
In other Rangers news, a journalist has slammed the club over “incompetence” they showed with a recent decision.