Philippe Clement left ‘frustrated’ by Rangers ‘puzzle’ in Europa League
Philippe Clement has been left frustrated by the puzzle he is facing in the Europa League due to the players Rangers are missing through injury and the squad selection, according to the Glasgow Times.
The newspaper shared via their website on 6 November that Clement has been left short in key areas, particularly at left-back, and has become frustrated with Michael Beale’s decisions from earlier in the campaign.
His frustrations were displayed in his second game in charge at Rangers when he was forced into a change in formation for the 0-0 draw with Sparta Prague due to a lack of options.
Speaking to the media on 5 November, as shared by the Glasgow Times, Clement said: “We still miss a couple of players, we also miss some players that I cannot select on Thursday because they are not on the European list, that I didn’t make at the beginning of the season.
“It is again a puzzle and I expect everybody to be top because it is going to be a really hard game against Prague.”
Undoing the mistakes of the past
The early spell at Rangers for Clement has largely been focused on undoing the mistakes made by Beale during his tenure, whether it be on or off the pitch, but some of those mistakes will prove to be longer-lasting and more detrimental to the new boss.
Beale’s decision to leave Ridvan Yilmaz out of the Europa League squad was a controversial one at the time, but one he felt he would be able to deal with, and it has ended up causing further issues for his successor than it did for him.
This comes following the revelation that Clement has put a new focus on fitness on the training ground after the injury crisis that began under Beale, with particular focus on cryo chambers that were left unused while Beale was at the club, something the new gaffer was bemused by.
Clement, of course, has been setting his own standards and implementing his own demands, but while there is still work to undo from his predecessor, it may take a while yet for his full command of the club to take hold.
In other Rangers news, one loanee was left gutted by what happened at the weekend.