Rangers test time for Bailey Rice as Philippe Clement reveals what was 'non existent' in young Ibrox star's game
Philippe Clement is looking forward to a change of pace with a rare free midweek to come.
But the Rangers boss has told his team to forget about putting their feet up as they finally enjoy the chance to get down to some serious work on the training pitch. It’s been a relentless schedule of play-recover-play for the Belgian and his side since the start of December. Having squeezed in 20 games since the November international break, their hectic workload will now ease as Clement is afforded a full week to prepare his team for next Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie against Queen’s Park.
And having skipped the Europa League play-off rounds, there will be more spare time for Clement to play with before his side resumes their continental campaign in the last 16 next month. In fact, Rangers won’t play another midweek fixture until they travel to Rugby Park on February 26 and the Ibrox boss is determined to use those idle hours for more than just R&R.
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Speaking after yesterday’s 4-0 win over Ross County, Clement said: “It’s an important thing also with players coming back out of injury. I heard after the game that one player said, ‘Maybe we can get extra days off’. So I was very clear the day after that it will not be the case!
“No, it's also important to keep this momentum and keep the stride that we are doing. And that in that period, it's going to be more individualised.
“Maybe players who played more who can do a little bit less that week, but others they have to do more. But the most important thing is that to keep this hunger and desire to become better. And that's what we need to do and to use these two weeks also in the optimal best way also to become better as a squad again.”
Those extra hours on the training pitch will be key for figures like teenage prospect Bailey Rice. The highly-rated midfielder was given some valuable minutes against County as he replaced Mohamed Diomande at half-time.
But it’s the face-to-face tuition sessions that Clement believes have been keen to his recent emergence. The Ibrox gaffer said: “I spoke a few weeks ago already about Bailey. That's also the reason that we let Kieran Dowell go on loan, to make space also for Bailey.
“And that's what we are doing in the club now, to see who are the young guys who develop, who are close of competing with the others and to give them chances. And then it's the test to see if they manage or not.
“It's never one test, of course. It's the next six months to build the squad again for next season. And Bailey is taking really good steps forward. He's improving a lot.
“He was always a good player last year also when I came in. He was a good player on the ball, but off the ball he was non-existent for me.
“He was walking around those moments in the youth team. So he took a lot of steps. You see also physically that he's developing really well. He's only 18. But like I said last week, if they show things in the training, I will put them in.
"I don't care about the age. And so if I see the quality, I will give them chances if they prove in training and in the games that they deserve it. But we make place also in the squad to give more opportunities for Bailey.”
Clement had the luxury of throwing Rice on at the break having watched his team secure the points inside 35 minutes. Ianis Hagi fired an early double before John Souttar put the result beyond Don Cowie’s men.
A James Tavernier penalty wrapped up the victory 12 minutes from time. But Clement admitted his team stepped off the gas in the second half.
Asked if the hammering of the Highlanders was the perfect end to a week which saw Gers sweep past Dundee United at Tannadice before beating Union Saint-Gilloise to finish in the Europa League’s top eight, he said: “Not perfect. I think the first half, yes.
“The second half, not at the same level as the first half for me. But we need to be happy about this week for sure.
“A big European night, qualified directly in the first eight of our group, now winning very clearly. Clean sheet, the chance to give young players also minutes to gain experience, no injuries, also an important one.
“And that you see more and more that yes, this team starts to understand all our principles and the way of moving together and creating spaces and creating chances like that.
“So it becomes more and more fluent. We knew that it would take time, but it's good to see that more and more players start to understand everything.
“We're working so hard on so many things that you guys cannot imagine in all these months. All these things are important, but you need to create this culture.
“I want to create a culture in this dressing room that they have hunger and desire always for more and more and more and more. And that's what I asked also in half-time. I saw in a few moments and it's a pity that we had the moments also to score more goals and it could have been five or six that it didn't happen.
“But it's also very important to keep this clean sheet and that the team keeps the organisation, the structure and also the hard work without ball.
“Everybody did that in the second half. And then you have moments, some games that you score in these moments. Not today, not in the second half.”
