Philippe Clement reveals Rangers board message

Philippe Clement reveals Rangers board message he told them he could never work to as boss makes restaurant quip

Philippe Clement was surprised when one of the influential people at the top of the marble staircase said that winning domestically should be more important to the Rangers than winning overseas.

The Ibrox manager’ attitude, meanwhile, is still the same as it was in December: why not pursue both? Three months later, a new story is being spread among certain Ibrox supporters, who believe that Clement’s Premiership pacesetters could do without the distraction of Thursday’s Europa League round of 16 match against Benfica. The argument is that the glamour continental double-header with the Portuguese giants runs the risk of undoing all the hard work the Germans have put in at home to save their season, with a meager two-point lead over Celtic and an increasing injury list.

It’s comparable to the theory that was presented to the Belgian player right before Christmas, when his team had another intense week ahead of them, with a crucial European match against Real Betis coming up three days before their Viaplay Cup final match at Hampden against Aberdeen. Both then and now, it received little attention. “There were some people on the board who told me that before our European game that it might be more important that we won the League Cup,” the Ibox gaffer stated.I also informed them that’s not how I work at all. I’m looking for players who want to win on every occasion and who are ravenous for every occasion.

It’s not like a menu in a restaurant where you can choose where I will perform and where I won’t. It doesn’t operate that way. You can’t build a winning culture that way. Okay, so it’s true that you have a busy schedule. However, it is our responsibility to work closely with the players and staff to prepare them, and it is also the players’ responsibility to demonstrate that they are prepared for that level of competition.

“We plan to fill up to capacity for this game, as well as for the next two weekends and the remainder of the season. Was I taken aback when the directors stated that? No, since the intentions were excellent.

Everyone in the club was so eager to focus on winning a trophy again that it was evident. However, they were also really delighted following our night in Spain, and they were even happier after winning the League Cup. I believe that everyone is aware of our desire to maximize every opportunity and our commitment to hard work.

But graft is one thing Clement can be certain of coming from his end. And he is adamant that his club is eager to showcase those attributes at Benfica’s legendary Estadio da Luz.

When asked what his recent string of outstanding performances in Europe has in common, Gers replied, “The hunger.” The yearning. The pitch here is similar to that of Ibrox. You’re a talented football player. That alters the play’s style, and everyone is aware that they are being watched by all of Europe.

“They have already accomplished a great deal. It was an impressive performance to place first in a group similar to the one we had in the Europa League; however, Benfica will be prepared for this new and enormous task.

It won’t be that they think we’re not as good as they are. Obtaining a result here would be crucial because they must respond on their own.
Clement has stated that his team will enter the match as the underdog against a Portuguese team whose estimated squad value of £140 million is more than twice as much as Rangers is valued at. This might be a mind game or just stating the facts. “The challenge is enormous,” he stated. However, that is also thrilling for us.

“For the Rangers, there aren’t many games where there’s not much to lose. Being the favorite means that you usually have to win, dominate, and score a lot of goals. There are great hopes. You must use common sense in this situation. You are aware that their budget is more than twice yours.

But our goals are really high. We will put in a lot of effort to win both of the games and secure a spot in the final. All of us are also sure that there are many other factors at play besides money and budget, and we will demonstrate our abilities and put in a lot of effort to win the two games.

It’s no secret that you want to get off to a strong start. Our goal is to get off to a good start every time. I never instruct my players to resume playing football after thirty or sixty minutes.”The mentality remains the same. The sole distinction is that there may be a game in which there is less ball than usual; therefore, we must prepare ourselves mentally for that possibility.

A week from Thursday, the second leg will take place at Ibrox, and Clement wants his team to make sure that when they return to Glasgow with Benfica, the tie is still up for grabs. “That’s always the target,” he declared. Our goal is to triumph tomorrow.

However, we will undoubtedly take action if, in the final moments, you decide that defending the outcome is more crucial. We are not unsophisticated.

Naturally, you want to travel to Glasgow with a positive outcome, and you are aware that anything may happen at Ibrox. However, I don’t want to focus too much on the outcome ahead of this game.Instead of being OK with less right now, I want to focus our entire mentality on attempting to win the game. We have always believed that we must exercise excellent judgment in all that we do.

We want to see it tomorrow as well—we are never wildly out of place. We have a second shot at Ibrox and two games.

However, I’d rather not consider second chances. My group should go and seize the opportunity.

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