When Philippe Clement asked supporters to understand that he’s “not Harry Potter with a magic wand,” he made it apparent upon his arrival that the Rangers’ numerous issues were beyond temporary solutions. Any new coach faces a difficult task when dealing with a disgruntled and fragmented team that is torn apart by ongoing injuries, especially when winning every week is the standard expectation. Even while it’s reasonable to say the unbeaten Belgian has done a fine job thus far, there’s still a feeling that this Rangers team will eventually fail him when the chips are down. It’s unbalanced for the manager’s preferred style of football as well as quality.
Although some may blame departing management for this, Clement’s problems have been made worse over the past two years by a number of really strange occurrences. Ange Postecoglou was far down the Celtic list to replace Neil Lennon, and it took a last-ditch Eddie Howe volte-face for him to even make it to Glasgow, with Celtic in chaos following their loss to 10-In-A-Row. Almost everyone considered him a gamble, but he soon proved to be a real substance coach. His work throughout his two years in Scotland was of incredible quality; as a result, a team that was strong enough to upset Bundesliga teams like Dortmund and RB Leipzig en route to a European final lost the league championship.
The Greek-Australian elevated his team far above their typical caliber, extracting the last bit of skill from seasoned goalkeeper Joe Hart while turning journeymen like Tony Ralston and Greg Taylor into excellent players. At Parkhead, we are witnessing a return to the mean with Postecoglou now at Spurs. The “we never stop” movement, which implied that a goal was always in reach regardless of how bad things got, seems to be waning.
Brendan Rodgers has an impressive resume from his time at Celtic, and winning an FA Cup with Leicester is no small feat. However, does anyone really think he is on the same level as someone who triumphed in five out of six games against a formidable Rangers team? He will have to demonstrate that since, although Rodgers’ previous stint in Scotland was clearly characterized by steady success, he faced a Rangers squad that had been through two years of instability prior to a total rebuild under Steven Gerrard. In comparison to players such as Graeme Murty and Pedro Caixinha, he would always appear to be a demi-god in the Premier League.
Rogers has never experienced the pressure of a competitive championship match, and it appeared that way this year as his team surged to a seven-point lead early in the campaign, even in the face of some teething issues. Rangers’ form has stabilized since Clement was hired, yet all of a sudden, Celtic are struggling. Yesterday at Rugby Park, a deplorable second-half performance resulted in a well-earned defeat. This season, they’ve been deceitful with flattery before, but they’ve frequently had enough to cross the line. They lost yesterday’s match in Ayrshire, being outplayed and outmuscled, but Rangers can yet close the gap to only two points if they win their remaining match.
Some will point to injuries as a key factor in all of this. Without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate there’s no doubt Rodgers has seen the quality of his first XI diminished. Add in the sales of Carl Starfelt and Jota and a solid core of last year’s team is unavailable to the Northern Irishman. That said, a £20m summer spend in the transfer market should have given his side a fresh feel but only Luis Palma can be deemed a success so far. The likes of Tomoki Iwata, Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-Jun, Kwon Hyeok-Kyu and the barely seen £8m pair Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke all have significant work to do. Mark Lawwell, recruitment chief and the son of chairman Peter, is coming under serious scrutiny as Celtic fans look for answers. While nearly a decade at the elite City Group points to a football career of genuine substance, accusations of nepotism were always going to follow any blips.
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