Chris Sutton raises ‘problem’ Philippe Clement now faces in fresh Rangers swipe
Chris Sutton says Philippe Clement has “got a bit of a problem” getting more out of his current group of Rangers players.
Clement did well to turn the Gers’ campaign around upon replacing Michael Beale this past season and lifted the Viaplay Cup in December.
However, the Light Blues missed out to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, while also falling short in the Europa League.
While Sutton believes Clement deserves praise for his work to date, he is doubtful whether he can bridge the gap on champions Celtic.
“In fairness to Philippe Clement, he’s got every ounce out of this bang average Rangers group that he inherited,” Sutton said on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast [27 May, 40m 10s].
“They’ve fallen away and he’s got a bit of a problem now because, whatever he took on, it’s about moving forward to next season.
“In every game he’s had against Celtic, other than the ‘morale victory’ game when they came from behind at Ibrox to draw 3-3, Brendan Rodgers has got the better of him.
“The first game next season will be at Celtic Park – lose that and he’s got to keep the belief among the supporters.
“Recruitment is so, so big for Rangers and Celtic over the summer. He has to get on the right side of recruitment.”
Rangers need to get summer transfer business spot on
Now that the dust has settled on the 2023-24 campaign, Clement has a chance to look back at where his side fell short.
It must be remembered the Gers were in a bit of a state when he succeeded Beale. Being in title contention at that stage looked a million miles off.
Clement was very much a victim of his own success in that regard, with the cup win at the end of last year giving Gers fans hope of more to come.
Ultimately, Rangers fell short in the showdowns with Celtic, most notably in the end-of-season league clash and the Scottish Cup final. The finest of margins settled both games.
On that basis, there is not a massive gap to bridge, especially with Clement at the helm for the whole season. At the same time, players will depart and upgrades need to be recruited.
Celtic will not sit still and it is important the Gers match their fierce rivals pace for pace. Missing out on a couple more trophies this month hurt, but next season presents an opportunity to exact revenge.
In other Rangers news, Danilo has dropped a hint over the Ibrox future of loanee Oscar Cortes.
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