When handing the reigns to Philippe Clement back in January 2022, French giants Monaco were quick to point out that it wasn’t merely the Belgian’s enviable collection of silverware which earned him an opportunity in the Principality.
“His teams play with great intensity and daring, including on the European stage,” explained Monaco’s then-sporting director Paul Mitchell, who also worked with the similarly front-footed Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.
“His ability to combine titles and the development of young players have made him one of the most prominent and successful coaches in Europe in recent years.”
Clement claimed the Jupiler League title on three occasions. Twice with Club Brugge and once with Genk. And while every manager sitting in the Rangers hotseat is, above all, expected to bloody the noses of bitter Old Firm rivals Celtic, Mick Beale’s replacement will also be tasked with introducing an exciting, enticing style of play while developing the club’s throng of talented young players.
In that sense, Mitchell’s assessment of Clement – made shortly before the 49-year-old guided Monaco to a third-place finish – should go a long way to explaining why the now-unattached tactician appears to have emerged as Rangers’ leading candidate (TEAMtalk).
Rangers keen on Philippe Clement
A frustrated Rangers fanbase will be intriguied by the prospect of Clement’s ‘daring’ football, his excellent track record in title races, and the work he did developing the likes of Charles de Ketelaere, Odilon Koussounou and Krepin Diatta, the trio leaving Club Brugge for a combined fee of around £62 million.
But how does Clement – who is reportedly in London for talks with the Rangers chiefs – describe his own approach? How does he go about putting the ‘beautiful’ into the Beautiful Game.
“You have to adapt to the qualities of the players,” Clement said upon his unveiling at Monaco. “But I want a team that dominates, that plays offensively and with commitment.
“I have played with different systems in the past but always with the idea of being dominant.”
Positive and attack-minded
Whichever formation Clement settles on should he take the Rangers gig, whether he opts for Todd Cantwell or Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers or Danilo, you can expect to see his Gers team underpinned by one overarching principle.
To go into every game, against any opposition, looking to dominate from the first minute to the last.
