BBC journalist makes 60-day Phillipe Clement admission as Rangers ‘grudge’ match approaches
Philippe Clement is now facing 12 games in the next 60 days that could “re-define” the season of his Rangers side, according to Kheredine Idessane.
Writing on the BBC Sport website on Wednesday (22 November), the journalist said the latest re-run of the “grudge match” between the Gers and Aberdeen on Sunday (26 November) comes at an “intriguing time” after the previous encounter saw the end of Michael Beale’s tenure at the club.
Despite the sides being set to meet in the Viaplay Cup final on 17 December, he believes this clash is “just as important” as the new Light Blues boss knows he “can’t afford to slip up” as he looks to challenge Celtic for the SPFL title this season.
“The latest re-run of this grudge match comes at an intriguing time,” said Idessane. “Things have settled down rather nicely for Philippe Clement. It won’t be lost on him, however, that he’s about to go up against the side which effectively did for his predecessor.
“He now faces a dozen games in the next 60 days which could re-define Rangers’ season. The Viaplay Cup final on 17 December against Sunday’s opponents is already circled in the Christmas calendar.
“You could argue that this weekend’s trip to Pittodrie is just as important. The gap at the top of the table is still eight points, and if Clement wants to keep any kind of pressure on his opposite number across the city he knows he can’t afford to slip up when his league campaign resumes in Aberdeen.”
Momentum
It was pretty clear that the momentum was building up for Rangers before the international break after picking up six victories in Clement’s first seven games.
Although the two-week layoff probably didn’t come at the best time, the Belgian will be desperate to keep that run going when he takes his side to Pittodrie.
Aberdeen will be bruised from their 6-0 defeat to Celtic on 12 November and the home faithful will no doubt be looking for a response from their side.
That is likely to ensure it will be a ferocious battle between the two sets of players, with the Gers knowing that anything other than a victory simply won’t do.
It’s also an excellent opportunity to build up some more confidence ahead of the Viaplay Cup final next month, where the Light Blues will be looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 2011.
In other Rangers news, a Champions League club are looking to sign one Ibrox star.