The Belgian boss faces a big turnover in players this summer as the Light Blues aim to dethrone Celtic.
Kenny Dalglish has called out Rangers over their “totally unacceptable” record against Celtic in the last three years – and warned it won’t get any easier with the Hoops’ guarantee of Champions League football.
Philippe Clement has yet to claim a victory over Celtic since stepping into the Ibrox hot seat with a winless run against the Hoops – including in the Scottish Cup final – piling the misery on for Rangers fans last term. And the record doesn’t make much better reading for the Ibrox diehards in the last three seasons with the Light Blues’ holding just two wins over their rivals.
In August 2021, Steven Gerrard led Rangers to a 1-0 win over Ange Poste coglou’s Celtic – consigning the Australian to defeat in his first Old Firm derby. In May 2023, Michael Beale would earn his first Old Firm victory at the fifth attempt in a 3-0 win – but Celtic had already been crowned Scottish Premiership champion at that stage.
And Dalglish insists that record is not “good enough” for Rangers, but reckons they may not be able to splash the cash to catch their rivals with Celtic guaranteed a £40million jackpot from the group stage – while Clement must navigate the playoff rounds. Writing for the Sunday Post, Dalglish said: “Brendan Rodgers and his squad were worthy winners. When it mattered, they produced the goods.
“They defeated Rangers four times and drew with them once. It was a brilliant record. Rangers, on the other hand, need to find a way to beat their biggest rivals. From their point of view, their results in Old Firm matches in the last three years have been totally unacceptable. Sure, they can point to the fact all their defeats came by a single goal. They also played well in stages in the Scottish Cup final last week and had Celtic pinned back for spells.
“But since when was that good enough or acceptable for a club of that size with its success rate? The onus is now on Philippe Clement to find a way. And he’ll need to do it quickly. There is no room for more defeats.
We will wait and see what kind of budget there is for him to work with, but there will not be a bottomless pit. The sooner they get players in, the better. They need to recruit some quality players and they also need to get more out of the current group, certainly from the ones still there come the start of August.
“That’s also the month their Champions League qualifiers start and what a boost it would be if they could secure the £40 million riches from that. It’s a big ask but it is not insurmountable to get through the two rounds.
“Across the city, there is certainty about what they can do in the transfer market and that makes things so much clearer. For Brendan and the hierarchy to know what they have to work with will make it much more comforting.
“There could still be a scenario that happened last summer with Jota, when a bid from Saudi Arabia came out of the blue and he was away for £25m. But it looks as though Celtic are in a good position to react to anything that may come, such as a huge bid for Matt O’Riley.
