Philippe Clement claims he’s “not happy” with his side’s physicality before taking to Instagram following the win over Hibs.
The Gers boss has previously suggested that the Ibrox side will need to improve on their athletic stature and performance if they’re to be successful.
And only 10 minutes into the club’s eventual 4-0 win over Hibs was the incoming Rangers boss proven correct as Borna Barisic was subbed off the park.
Speaking after the game, Philippe Clement said he was “not happy” that he had to sub the Rangers defender off before reiterating the need to improve the squad physically.
“Tomorrow morning we will look at how everybody comes in and how they have come out of this game,” said Clement.
“I was not happy after ten minutes that I need to change the team already.
“With Borna Barisic coming off, it is what it is. We will see in the next couple of days how it goes.
“Also Scott Wright could not play the 90 minutes, so we will see how he is as well.
“I am happy that Todd Cantwell could come in and get minutes to raise his level and the same with Danilo.
“It was also good for young Ross McCausland to give him experience in these kinds of games at Ibrox.
“We will see how everyone recovers from this game because we need to build physically.
“Sparta Prague is a really good team, I have seen their two European games and we will need to be on our toes to get a result against them.”
Philippe Clement takes to Instagram to praise “first step”
Croatian international Barisic joins a substantial injury list at Ibrox with a series of major problems substantially impacting the last 18 months at Rangers.
It might just be a statement of fact, but with Philippe Clement already challenging his team to improve their standards physically it is also a subtle dig at the shortcomings of the previous campaigns.
Not since the reign of Steven Gerrard have Rangers boasted an elite level of fitness and it’s clear Philippe Clement is on a mission to bring those standards back to the club.
The Rangers boss would later take to Instagram after the win over Hibs in a message to supporters and to his players.
Sharing images from the victory, Philippe Clement’s Instagram post started with the comment “first step made” in what Rangers fans hope will be a very successful journey.
After a comprehensive Ibrox victory over Hibs, the Rangers manager certainly appears to have had an immediate impact and fans will be eager to see how the team build on it.
It’s clear that there are several, fundamental changes Philippe Clement wants to make at Rangers with the manager’s Instagram post also giving a small glimpse into his management of those expectations.
This is just the start for the Belgian coach and as the manager expresses frustration over our fitness and physicality, it’s clear the best is still yet to come.
