Glasgow Rangers have endured a whirlwind two weeks following the sacking of Michael Beale. Interim manager Steven Davis lost his first game in charge against Aris Limassol while securing three points against St Mirren in the Premiership.
He wasn’t expected to last more than two matches and last weekend, the Gers appointed Philippe Clement as their 19th permanent manager, ending weeks of speculation.
The Belgian has a stellar CV which includes winning three league titles in his homeland during spells with Genk and Club Brugge, while he spent 18 months at AS Monaco before being sacked in the summer.
It’s clear he has a winning mentality and this could be crucial as the club eye up trophies in the near future. Beale failed to generate any sort of playing style or identity on the field with this group of players and Clement’s first job will be to get them used to his tactical philosophy and make them embrace it.
The 49-year-old has coached some of the finest young talents in Europe during his managerial career and this could be good news for some of the B team, who will be hoping to get a chance under him in the coming months.
Who has Philippe Clement previously coached?
Despite achieving a third-place finish at Monaco during the 2021/22 campaign, narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification and a sixth-place finish last season, Clement has worked with some incredible talent at the French side.
He coached defenders Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile, who have both secured moves to the Premier League, joining Chelsea in big-money transfers.
Simon Mignolet
117
Axel Disasi
70
Noa Lang
67
Wissam Ben Yedder
65
Leandro Trossard
60
Sander Berge
42
Data via Transfermarkt.
Wissam Ben Yedder was another name who shone for Clement and has emerged as one of the most effective strikers in Ligue 1, yet it was a midfielder who played just 22 games under the Belgian that has gone on to have the biggest impact – Aurelien Tchouameni.
How much did Aurelien Tchouameni cost Real Madrid?
The French midfielder had burst onto the scene during the 2018/19 season for Bordeaux, making ten Ligue 1 appearances and he ended up at Monaco in 2020, going on to play nearly 100 times for the club before the mighty Real Madrid came calling.
He signed for a transfer fee in the region of £85.3m to lure the youngster to La Liga, and it looks as though it’s been an inspired move, especially with his talents.
The 23-year-old typically plays in a defensive midfield role yet can push slighter further forward if required, and he has already 61 appearances for the Spanish giants in just over a year and his potential is limitless.
With Clement analysing his Rangers side ahead of the tie against Hibernian on Saturday, he will pick the best players that suit his current style and once he gets to grip with the squad, he will notice there is some excellent talent that was simply mismanaged under the previous regime.
Jose Cifuentes is a player who could become one of the finest midfielders in the Scottish top flight if he kicks on under Clement, and he has rather similar statistics to that of Tchouameni.
How has Jose Cifuentes performed for Rangers?
The Ecuadorian midfielder was one of Beale’s main transfer targets in a saga which stretched for the duration of the summer transfer window.
The Englishman eventually secured his signature for a fee believed to be around £1.5m and this looked like it could be a wonderful bargain, especially with his form for Los Angeles FC.
Goals
7
1
Key passes per game
1.3
1.7
Successful dribbles per game
1.5
1.4
Big chances created
11
5
Total duels won per game
4.7
4.3
Stats via Sofascore.
He had helped the club win the MLS Cup in 2022 and had scored 15 goals while grabbing 20 assists across 121 games for the club.
Lauded as “very dynamic” by LAFC assistant manager Marc Dos Santos, he hasn’t hit the ground running yet in Scotland.
The 24-year-old has registered just one assist all season across 12 matches and currently ranks seventh in the squad for accurate passes per game, 11th for key passes per game and 16th for successful dribbles, indicating that he hasn’t quite gotten to grips with the Scottish game.
If Clement can give him an ideal role in the first team and give his confidence a boost, there is no doubt the player will eventually turn good and he could be another Tchouameni under the Belgian manager.
Is Jose Cifuentes similar to Aurelien Tchouameni?
Although Cifuentes tends to operate slightly further forward than the Frenchman, the duo do share some similar attributes across a wide range of performance metrics.
During their respective 2022/23 seasons (just 2022 for the MLS), the duo registered similar stats with regard to assists (six to four), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.54 to 0.51), tackles won (33 to 40), successful take on percentage (61.4% to 71.8%) and ball recoveries (184 to 123), clearly indicating that the duo play similarly.
Indeed, Cifuentes is slightly better in terms of going forward and creating chances for others, while also providing plenty of assists, yet he can still offer excellent defensive skills which help out the midfield. These statistics were from the season when he won the MLS Cup with LAFC, and it was arguably his finest year in America.
Moving to Scotland is a culture shock, absolutely no doubt about it, and once he settles in properly, the supporters will begin to see a player who is ready to take the country by storm.
Clement has coached some of the best and brightest young talents in Europe over the previous few years and using the same methods with the likes of Tchouameni and Disasi will surely only have a positive effect on Cifuentes.
The supporters simply can't judge a player after just 12 appearances and in fairness, the vast majority of the playing squad has been poor throughout the 2023/24 season so far.
Cutting him some slack and seeing how he develops under the Belgian will be key to see just how good he can become at Rangers and if he hits the ground running, the Gers will make a major profit on the £1.5m they shelled out for him in the first place.