‘That’s the reality’… Rangers boss fires back at Vaclav Cerny selection moans
Ever minute he entered the building and signed his contract to take over at Rangers, Philippe Clement has had an uphill struggle. The manager demonstrated his tactical prowess last season by leading his team to the Europa League semifinals and then facing off against Benfica; but, it was not to be against Dynamo Kyiv.
The final third of the pitch in particular is a source of worry, so his alternatives are still limited. For this reason, there were questions raised when Vaclav Cerny was absent from the Rangers starting lineup.
Philippe Clement slams Rangers selection critics
Clement explained in his pre-match interview why the Czechia winger was absent, but this wasn’t enough for some who complained about Rangers best individual attacker being missing.
When asked if he regretted not selecting the on-form flier, the manager of the Gers answered: Not at all. Many highly qualified individuals are present in the facility, among the medical and performance personnel, to provide the necessary resources. “The team needed it following last season’s deluge of injuries. to improve upon that. to possess accurate information. to decide what is best. to improve gamers. to strengthen them. To offer them playing minutes at the appropriate times.
“It comes out of four weeks of holidays. I understand that people who have never been a manager or never been a player and don’t know what a human body is that they doubt those things then. But that’s the reality of every manager.
“So, no. Zero. Because it was clearly a decision for the short term and the long term.”
Suggestions that Clement intentionally didn’t pick a player who has looked a step above anything that has been seen for while are wide of the mark.
Almost every comment on X when the team was announced was about Ross McCausland’s inclusion and Cerny only making the bench.
Clement hasn’t picked the academy graduate because he thinks he’s a better player and his decision is entirely justified.
As a manager, he has to trust his subject matter experts.
Clement right to make difficult Cerny decision
Fans can’t complain about the injury rates and then also complain when the manager takes positive steps to rectify it.
Managing the players’ minutes is one approach, but the Gers boss spoke just before the season kicked off talking about the pre-season schedule and some of the work being done to minimise player absences in the squad:
“We’ve accomplished a lot. Maybe something fascinating for when we get together again; I can show you stuff. I’m thinking of some numbers. In comparison to the previous year, we increased our training mileage by 15%, increased sprint distance by 71% during the preseason, increased high-intensity runs by 70%, and increased preventative work with the players. “This preseason has already seen a decrease in injuries. A few of our guys who hadn’t participated in a full preseason in the previous two years did so this time around. Does this imply that there is no chance of injury? No, that is not the case; a human body cannot be changed in five or six weeks. We produced them stronger already, several of them, but there is still a way to go.”
He inherited a squad with injury prone players, some have left, others are still kicking around Auchenhowie.
Ridvan Yilmaz is a classic example, clearly talented, but it looks as though he has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that he broke down with shortly after arriving at the club.
His distress on the pitch suggests that he won’t be seen for some time.
There is little that can be done about players who are more susceptible to injury, but as seen with Vaclav Cerny, Rangers adapting to a strategy for the long-term is for the best, whether it is popular or not.
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