Inside Clement’s football philosophy and why he won’t change formation
Clement’s football has faced criticism this season <i>(Image: RR)</i>
Clement’s football has faced criticism this season (Image: RR)
In the ideal world of a manager, their team plays well and wins. In a realistic world, only one of the two outcomes occurs more often than not.
Pressure on Philippe Clement at Rangers has grown for that reason – according to many supporters, neither results nor performances have offered enough encouragement. Whether it be the lack of goals scored, 16 in 11 league outings, or underlying numbers that don’t point to an immediate upturn, the Belgian’s style of play faces regular criticism.
But what are Clement’s key football ideas that guide the product on the pitch? What does he mean when referencing verticality and automatisms? Why does he not just ‘change’ formation and has he in the past? The Rangers Review spoke to some of Clement’s former colleagues, speaking anonymously to protect relasionships, in order to find out more.
Since winning 18 of his first 20 Scottish Premiership games in charge at Ibrox, Clement’s record reads 11 in 20. There are consistent themes since the drop-off in March, catalysed by a 2-1 loss against Motherwell, that help explain why. Alongside an extensive rebuild to the first-team squad, Clement has rarely been able to field wingers and regularly played ‘square pegs in round holes’ – players out of position – to fit his system.
Arguably, the 3-2 defeat against Ross County soon after that loss against Motherwell, on a day Rangers conceded the highest chance-quality in a league game for five seasons, resulted from making the same error of squeezing players into a system in the centre of the park. The Belgian has often referred to forming a starting XI as a “puzzle” but at points, it’s felt as though the jigsaw Clement is trying to build lacks the combination of pieces. So why not change shape or style?
When asked whether he’d consider changing formation in response to poor results recently, the Rangers manager said: “Changing the formation in this moment, I think it will only create more doubts. How are you going to change the formation if you can train on that for one time? How are you going to train on that in how you build, how you create chances, how you defend? Everything in a session of one hour?
“You can build on things. If you have some foundation, if you have something solid, you can build on the next step. We’re not that far yet with the group to do that in this moment. It’s a difficult one to turn that around in one day.”
The answer from multiple sources is consistent. Clement is a manager who trains in rehearsed, automated patterns. It’s his belief there’s no point in ripping up the script so long into the journey.
“I think the biggest thing for [Philippe] is not necessarily about the opponent, he tries to stick to his principles as opposed to adapting his team to play. He won’t always change how he presses, for example” was how one former member of his staff described Clement’s approach.
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“Everybody has their automatism [automated movement], everybody knows his role exactly because it’s trained for hours and hours, if you suddenly change to a back three or another build-up then it can be confusing for players,” was another opinion. “Once Philippe gets to know the players and then works out his ideas, he will work on specific concepts for his team,” said another.
One source explained that at Club Brugge, Clement’s team did have the option of playing two different tactical systems – a 4-3-3 and a 5-3-2. Why has that not materialised yet at Ibrox? Time. Clement only introduced the option of a second system a year into his tenure at Brugge.
“I think you need to be there as a coach just a little bit longer than the one year he is there and staying with the same players,” added a source. “Too many players left last season so it is a new start. Changing during the season his formation, he is not so big fan of that.”
Every manager has a style of play and Clement is no different. During a first press conference in the Blue Room late last year the three key phrases repeated when quizzed on philosophy were “dominant, structured and attacking”. Two others that have often appeared in interviews since, “duels and verticality”.
The same word can connote different meanings. Playing ‘dominant’ football to Clement is about winning duels more than it refers to dominating the ball, for example. The 50-year-old does not want possession for possession’s sake and is more concerned with ball progression than ball possession.
Sometimes that can lead to Rangers playing in what appears an uncomfortable tension between chaos and control, perhaps evidenced in last Sunday’s second-half win over Hearts. Above all, Clement wants to attack quickly and penetrate space behind the opposition’s defence. A record of no defeats in six European away games proves Rangers are a well-coached team who will rarely, if ever, try to sit back and defend deep. The question is, can the direct, vertical style work in Scotland? Especially when opponents are rarely provoked out of a defensive block.
Last year, former Rangers Thomas Buffel who worked under Clement at Genk explained: “Philippe puts a lot of focus on patterns in attacking and defending the box. So these things become a habit when you’re in high-pressure situations during games. In training, he always works with end zones because that means you obtain verticality in your play.”
Another source reasoned: “Physicality is one of his main topics. When he speaks about verticality, Philippe means playing direct and attacking space behind the defence of the opponent. Although you play a lot against low block a lot in Scotland, I think he still wants runs behind the defence, that’s a critical point for him. Philippe doesn’t like to build too slow in the back from left to right. After four or five passes, he wants to attack the space.”
As a coach, Clement’s ideas have developed and increasingly become focused on attacking at speed into pace. One source explained that he relates much more to quick, attacking football than side-to-side possession play. At the start of Clement’s tenure a direct, vertical style was effective. Indeed in recent weeks, there’s been evidence of transition attacks working. Nedim Bajrami’s winner in the League Cup semi-final and a number of Vaclav Cerny goals. However, some supporters have criticised a style that can become too reliant on long passes.
Of all the player profiles Clement has lacked during his year at Ibrox, the absence of out-and-out wingers has proved most detrimental. Speed on the wings is described as a “crucial” tenet of his game model. A hangover from the Michael Beale rebuild of 2023 was a squad designed to provide width from full-back, not midfield.
Generally, Rangers’ best spells under Clement have come in tandem with an in-form, pacey attacker playing off the wings. Clement was a huge fan of Abdallah Sima, a player Rangers did try to resign in the summer, because of the vertical, cutting runs he’d make from the left-wing. It is no coincidence that his side’s best performance in the league this campaign, a 6-0 rout over Ross County, came with an in-form Rabbi Matondo on one wing running behind and Cerny taking the ball to feet on the other.
“Fast wingers are crucial for Philippe, he likes wingers attacking space behind the defence who can run without the ball and always has. One of his wingers should do that and the other receive to feet, like Cerny. Injuries in those positions definitely impact his style of play,” said another source.
Clement resorted to playing Dujon Sterling, a right-back, on the right-wing and Fabio Silva, a false No.9, on the left-wing, last season when injuries impacted Sima, Ross McCausland and Oscar Cortes. It was a similar story in midfield. Clement chose to mould players to his system and not the system to the players once injuries arose, using Kieran Dowell and Tom Lawrence in deep-lying roles.
Ultimately a manager is constantly spinning plates, balancing between the short and long term, change and consistency. Nobody can accuse Clement of shirking responsibility or not putting in the hours. He’s a diligent worker who, if anything, goes above and beyond to find solutions. Even the Belgian’s biggest critic would not deny the uncertain circumstances he’s been forced to manage under.
How much better would Clement’s football look with a fit front four of Cortes, Bajrami, Cerny and Danilo, an optimist may argue? Able to link attacks, expose big spaces and introduce a little more variety. Indeed, last season the Rangers boss was never able to field a strongest front four of Todd Cantwell, Cortes, Sima and Danilo.
But why not change structure rather than relying on square pegs in round holes, a pessimist may respond. Could Rangers have sustained their title tilt last season with a change in formation without wingers for the last two months of the season?
Rangers FC
Philippe Clement
Football
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