The Rangers manager breezed into Ibrox and won every game save two until Celtic Park, but a revisiting interview highlights his standards.
It was the type of remark interview that drew attention because of its timeliness, similar to what Philippe Clement stated last December.
The Rangers manager arrived at Ibrox in October and won all but two games, securing the Viaplay Cup and finishing first in their Europa League group with a signature win over Real Betis. Back in December, all roads led to Celtic Park, where the Belgian was frank during an all-access pre-game interview. And his direct honesty grated with his team, which was riding a wave. The Rangers would go the entire season without winning a derby game.
Clement’s thoughts on winning, mentality, and what it takes to be a serial trophy-winner provide an intriguing glimpse into his psyche and what he will seek after his team fell short in their race to the finish against Celtic. The man who used a marathon metaphor at his own personal starting line watched Brendan Rodgers’ team move through the gears and score a double. Clement is adamant that his team has to win going forward, and his comments from December appear to indicate that many Celtic leaders share the qualities he seeks in his own players.
Speaking to Sky Sports before his first defeat to Celtic in December, he said: “It’s not about 16 games, or 10 games or whatever, six games, showing that mentality and you’re there. For me winners are people who do it all the time. They’ve (the current Rangers team) shown it in moments. They have shown a resilience in moments, also. But we still have a long way to go to win more trophies.
“The real winners are the ones who win something and have even more hunger to win the next thing. I want to create more of those in this dressing room. I see several players with that potential, not all, but that’s also a reality, it’s not like that in one dressing room. The real winners need to take the others with them. They have shown that the last couple of weeks (carrying others).
“To choose the players, who also do the job, not only who is the most talented player. Because talent, for me, is not only what you do with the ball, it’s also what you do without the ball. It’s also what you do for the team. That’s a major thing in the football we want to play. I give chances to people but I don’t give 10 chances. Then one moment, if you have explained several times, they make their own choice.”