“Celtic are really good on the ball with a lot of quality players,” Philippe Clement

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·14 December 2024

“Celtic are really good on the ball with a lot of quality players,” Philippe Clement

Philippe Clement spoke to the media yesterday afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s Premier Sports Cup final between Celtic and theRangers at Hampden Park…

Adam Idah scores the winner for Celtic in the 2024 Scottish Cup Final against theRangers at Hampden. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star

Setting his side up to play the Scottish champions on five occasions since taking post in October 2023, Clement has yet to win against Celtic. However, the Belgian boss insisted it is “not about me,” when asked about his dismal record up against Brendan Rodgers.

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‘Financially out of our league’

Clement spoke last week about why matches against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur, and Rodgers’ Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup final were ‘financially out of our league.’

Jack Butland after Adam Idah scored the winner for Celtic in the 2024 Scottish Cup Final against theRangers at Hampden. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star

Despite the 50-year-old making this assertion last Sunday in Dingwall, the Ibrox club took a valuable point against Postecoglou’s struggling Spurs side in a 1-1 draw in the newly revamped Europa League on Thursday night, and will be aiming to replicate a similar performance at the national stadium tomorrow afternoon to stand a chance.

‘It starts with belief before the game’

“If you don’t have belief, as a player or a manager, you cannot play like you did yesterday,” Clement said. “It starts with belief before the game – not during the game.

Philippe Clement after i the 2024 Scottish Cup Final defeat to at Hampden. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

‘Legs were going in maybe the last couple of weeks’

“I think we have a more energetic squad than we did last season. That’s why decisions were made to rebuild the squad. You had last season a squad where we had an older squad and had less legs than the year before. We pushed out a lot last season and in the end the legs were going in maybe the last couple of weeks.”

Reflecting and comparing his squad further to last season in the Scottish Cup final in May to the one he has assembled for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final encounter, the Belgian reckons, “last year, with less energy, we were very close and should have won the cup final. The team believes it is making steps in every sense, so it is about doing that again on Sunday.”

Duo John Souttar and Hamza Igamane both were substituted with suspected injuries against Spurs on Thursday night, but Clement kept his cards close to his chest when asked about their availability for tomorrow’s final.

“I am not busy with that,” he replied. “I am just busy on recovering fast and focusing on ourselves. It is about recovery and then to pick the right squad to get some fresh legs in the team.”

Celtic are heavy favourites entering the final, but according to Clement, this does not faze him, as he aims to win his second trophy as Ibrox boss.

Brendan Rodgers with the Scottish Cup on 25 May 2024, after Celtic’s 1-0 win over theRangers in the final at Hampden Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

‘Celtic are a team who are really good on the ball’

“Celtic are a team who are really good on the ball with a lot of quality players.” Clement added, “so we need to play a very mature game, well organised, but we need to play our football also and create our chances, like we have been doing in the last couple of weeks.”

Conor Spence

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