Philippe Clement doesn’t have his troubles to seek in the Rangers hotseat as the days tick down to when the serious football starts.
The manager has cut a frustrated figure recently confirming that the squad needs to be lightened before any new additions can be made, he did confirm that there are players lined up and keen to make the move to Ibrox though.
The league season is a marathon; however, the Champions League is something of a sprint for Rangers with just four games to play to qualify for the group stages.
Rangers struggle to get ready for the Champions League
Qualification won’t just help Clement’s recruitment for this season given that over £30m could be on the line.
When asked if he needs new players to make it through, he said:
“We need extra bodies and extra quality. To be successful.
“I always believe that with your squad you can succeed, because otherwise, you cannot get results against Real Madrid with a team like Brugge. Everyone said that was impossible. But if you don’t believe it is possible, it will never happen.
“So, it’s about the mindset of the players. They must believe in themselves and be hungry to become better because it’s not only about quality, it’s about work rate, it’s about mentality, it’s about what you do every day. I’ve seen players that are now better than they were six months ago.
“We’ve been working hard for that kind of mindset in all the players who have come in. We want them all ambitious to become better and with all the staff together we can give them the tools to become better.
“So in that way, I believe that with whatever squad we have at that moment will have the ability to qualify. But everybody needs to be at their top and the more quality you have, the better your chance.”
What would be interesting would be to learn where Clement feels he needs to strengthen more.
Where do Rangers need to strengthen to qualify?
Three quarters of the defence that qualified the last time are still at the club and, if anything, the goalkeeper has been upgraded too.
It has also been an area of the park where Rangers have been relatively sound in Europe aside from when Leon King and James Sands had to form a weakened and unlikely pairing in the 2022 group stages of the Champions League.
There are two positions where Rangers, with everyone fit, are short though: defensive midfield and the right wing.
If Clement gets his wish and brings Abdallah Sima back to his spiritual home then that would leave just one position.
What is clear, is that the Gers boss needs better than exit-linked Scott Wright and Ross McCausland in his starting XI.
With no John Lundstram, there is a place available in front of the defence.
A destroyer like Dujon Sterling isn’t enough, they have to be able to control the tempo of play in the middle of the park.
Joan Jordan is the only player with this profile who has been rumoured so far and the Spaniard has plenty of experience at elite level.
He could provide the wise old head to the youthful exuberance of Connor Barron, Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande.
The rest of the squad can be upgraded as and when other players leave, however, the board need to back the manager to get these key areas fixed.
For once, they have to speculate to accumulate.
