Philippe Clement made reference to Pep Guardiola’s new-found troubles at Manchester City when pressed about the pressure he puts himself under at Rangers during Friday’s press conference.
After only one title and one Old Firm victory in a year and a half at Ibrox, the Rangers manager understands he lacks the credit Guardiola has at the reigning – albeit soon to be former – Premier League winners.
Guardiola, with scrapes on his cranium, has lost 12 of his last 24 matches across all competitions. This is by far the lowest point of his career for a man who previously appeared invincible to such problems. Yet, that no one is talking about guy City sacking a guy who brought a long-awaited Champions League trophy at the Etihad Stadium is testament not only to his past success but also the reverence in which he is still held.
It is safe to say that Philippe Clement does not have access to the same luxury as those found north of Hadrian’s Wall.
Rangers’ Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park sparked intensified calls for his head among a disgruntled fanbase.
And with all of the club’s other post-Mick Beale targets now out of contention – Pascal Jansen moved to America, Frank Lampard is at Coventry while John Eustace is leaving Blackburn for Derby County – the familiar face of Kevin Muscat has returned to the gossip pages in recent weeks.
Kevin Muscat under heat as Philippe Clement hangs onto Rangers job
Muscat, a former Rangers defender, ‘knows the club’.
He also knows management, having won eight trophies as a head coach and domestic crowns in Australia [Melbourne Victory], Japan [Yokohama F Marinos], and now China [Shanghai Port].
Muscat was also discussed in combination with a certain Catalan tactician this week, following Clement’s comparison of his predicament at Ibrox to Guardiola’s at Manchester City. but under less-than-complementary situations.
Last week, Shanghai Port fell 3-2 to rivals Shanghai Shenhua in the CFA Super Lig, followed by a 4-0 defeat away to Japanese club Vissel Kobe in the Asian Champions League.
As a result, Muscat received harsh criticism. Guardiola has been under fire during Manchester City’s most disastrous period of the Abu Dhabi era, with one of the most common criticisms being his seeming unwillingness to adjust to the strengths of the opponent, or even the shortcomings in his own ranks.
Similar charges have now been leveled against Muscat, with Vissel Kobe slicing through his depleted outfit like a knife through hot Lurpak.
“The two consecutive games in the Super Cup and the Asian Champions League are enough to prove that, when the core foreign players Oscar and [Matiaas] Vargas left the team and the ace striker Wu Lei was absent, Muscat did not adjust his technical and tactical play at all,” according to China’s Dong Qiudi.
“[Musta] insisted on his tactical concept of high-pressure, aggressive attack. However, due to a lack of essential players, the team’s overall strength has significantly decreased, and control of the [game] has reduced dramatically.
“They are simply unable to support such a high-level technical and tactical play.”
Muscat admits ‘mistakes’ led to Shanghai Port hammering
Club legend Oscar returned to Brazil with Sao Paulo while Vargas was lured away by the riches of the Middle East. Muscat can point to those departures as an explanation for a dreadful start to the new campaign, but the very best managers adapt to such setbacks and set about finding solutions within the existing roster.
The challenge for Muscat now will be to prove he can do just that.
“Several decisive factors had an impact on the course of the game,” Muscat moaned after the four-goal trouncing in Japan. “The opponent is a very strong team. Today, they made four changes to their starting lineup, which gave them lots of energy. The opponent was quite physically fit.
“We faced a formidable opponent in an AFC Champions League-caliber competition. Today, we committed blunders in multiple important areas, allowing the opponent to score goals. Vissel Kobe was the superior team.”
At this point, there appears to be no question regarding Muscat’s job security. And they shouldn’t be following the title-winning success of 2024.
However, as doubts over Clement’s suitability resurface, how Muscat responds to repeated defeats and the departure of two top players will be closely watched by those in the Ibrox boardroom.
