Rangers v Celtic: Absolutely enormous claim made live on Sky Sports inside Ibrox
Neil McCann believes the pressure upon Philippe Clement’s head will be “absolutely enormous” if Rangers don’t leave Ibrox with all three points on Thursday.
The Gers currently sit second in the Scottish Premiership and have a massive 14-point deficit to try and work away at if they wish to get back into the title race.
Pressure upon Clement’s head has been rife since the start of the term and now we’re getting into the second half of the campaign, it feels like it’s now or never for the Belgian to prove his worth.
Speaking live on Sky Sports Football (2 January), McCann shared his thoughts on why the Old Firm Derby on 2 January is a must-win game for the 50-year-old.
“I would have to say yes [that the game is a must-win] because the pressure will become absolutely enormous if Celtic come to Ibrox and win,” he said.
“I think the surrender of another two points against Motherwell was disappointing because it came hard and fast on the back of that defeat against St Mirren, so yeah, I would agree that he’s under enormous pressure.
“But I think Philippe Clement understands that he’s under pressure anyway”.
Rangers need to show they can beat Celtic
Things have gone somewhat pear-shaped for Clement and his men in recent weeks with the Ibrox outfit dropping points to both St Mirren and Motherwell in the lead-up to the Old Firm.
Things seemed to be turning around before their defeat against the Saints, with the Gers even going on a bit of an unbeaten run thanks to the upturn in form from Hamza Igamane.
While Clement has led his team to a solid Europa League run and even a Scottish League Cup final, a lot more still needs to come from them performance-wise in the Scottish Premiership.
Of all the teams in Scotland’s top tier, the Gers are the ones expected to take it to Celtic but instead, they’ve been left in their dust far too often.
If Clement wants to prove his worth and keep his job, he must ensure that Rangers pick up all three points at Ibrox on Thursday, otherwise, it could lead to the premature end of his tenure.
In other Rangers news, an EFL manager has shared whether his team are interested in making a move for a Gers youngster.
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