Rangers fans and Philippe Clement couldn’t have asked for a better start to his career in the Ibrox hotseat but the modest Belgian has made more changes than he would claim to admit.
It hasn’t just been a case of the players having a new voice and fresh ideas to listen to, it’s the message being sent and how it has been delivered.
With a key run of games for Rangers after the international break, Philippe Clement will be hoping that these three changes he has made continue to prove to be successful.
Where have Rangers strengthened under Philippe Clement?
Wingers playing as wingers
We have width and we have pace.
What this means is that our forward line isn’t crammed into the same space as most of the opposition defence and that overloads can be created when either the midfield or full-backs lend a helping hand.
It also stops James Tavernier and Borna Barisic from just launching cross, after cross, into the box.
The midfield is playing with less fear
With Rangers 2-0 up against Livingston, John Lundstram and Ryan Jack resorted to playing a bit more keep ball than Philippe Clement would have liked but there has been a marked improvement in the focus of their passing.
More direct and through lines rather than safe, lateral and slow paced.
There is more intent
Rangers are scoring more goals, aren’t conceding as many chances and have consistently dominated every domestic game since Philippe Clement took charge.
This has been down to the mindset of the manager and his determination to make sure his team win every game.
All of these changes have been subtle, with little intervention required on the training pitch, three simple instructions that have had a massive effect on performances and, more importantly, results.
Having been thrown into a congested fixture list for Rangers, hopefully, Philippe Clement has identified the next three steps needed to ensure silverware and to close the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
