Until Steven Gerrard’s third season, it seemed as if Rangers couldn’t get beyond December in terms of sustaining a title challenge, however, under Philippe Clement that has all changed.
The Gers boss has overseen seven wins from seven, rotating his squad to keep players fresh and playing the type of football that inspires Ibrox rather than frustrates.
It’s the only the second time in six years that the post-break form hasn’t been an issue and it is the latest indication that Rangers are heading in the right direction under Philippe Clement.
Rangers end winter break jinx under Philippe Clement
It wasn’t just Gerrard who suffered, Giovanni van Bronckhorst saw a healthy lead slip away and Michael Beale also ran out of steam as results caught up with performances.
The difference, is that performances are outweighing results just now in that almost every game could have seen a much bigger scoreline for one reason or another.
Team selection is being rotated from game to game and yet there is no dip.
The pace and intensity remain the same as does the style of play and patterns of attack, and yet, the personnel can be completely different.
What Philippe Clement has managed to achieve in such a short space of time must eclipse the dreams of even the most optimistic of fans.
One key element has been mentality.
The gaffer isn’t talking about a title race or about Celtic.
All that matters is the next game, and then the next one, and so on.
The players have clearly bought into this too and know that, if they play well, they will get their chance, there is no such thing as the first choice XI and this has been key in the consistent results after the break.
There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason for the previous collapses.
Points could be dropped when we played well or the team as a whole just looked short of ideas.
Things, as they have almost done from day one, just seem different now that Philippe Clement is Rangers manager.
