Philippe Clement's Rangers in-tray: Confidence issues, mini injury crisis, early statement to Celtic

Philippe Clement arrived at Rangers’ Auchenhowie training base on Monday morning to meet the players for the first time and start life as the club’s 19th permanent manager.

The Belgian has been handed a three-and-a-half year deal by the Ibrox hierarchy and his first match comes on Saturday when Hibs travel to Govan. We take a look at some of the early tasks facing the 49-year-old:

Restore confidence

Clement admitted himself during a club media interview that morale is clearly low within his squad. Rangers currently trail Premiership leaders Celtic by seven points following three league defeats in the first eight games of the campaign. They also suffered a confidence-sapping European loss in Cyprus by Aris Limassol and some of the club’s much-vaunted new signings, such as midfielder Jose Cifuentes and forward Cyriel Dessers, have struggled to reach the levels expected of them at Ibrox. Clement is likely to work on building his players back up, with the Belgian stating that he believes there are quality players already in the building.

Newly-appointed Rangers manager Philippe Clement arrives at The Rangers Training Centre ahead of his first day as boss.

Make the team tighter defensively

Rangers have kept their fair share of clean sheets this season but that has largely been down to the performances of goalkeeper Jack Butland, one of the few success stories from the summer transfer window. Teams are able to create too many chances against Rangers. Fingers get pointed at the full-backs James Tavernier and Borna Barisic, but they are offered scant protection from the players in front of them. While Clement’s teams are famed for their goalscoring exploits and attacking instincts, the backline cannot be neglected.

Get the fans onside quickly

Michael Beale quickly lost many sections of the Rangers fanbase and Clement has already alluded to how powerful the club’s support can be in helping the team. Good performances naturally bring a positive reaction out of the crowd but with the ex-Monaco and Club Brugge boss due to meet the media for the first time on Tuesday, it will be fascinating to listen to his first thoughts as Rangers manager.

Get through a mini-injury crisis

Clement will have to operate without some of the club’s most important players in the short term, especially in a creative sense. Key playmaker Todd Cantwell is recovering from a knee injury, fellow attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence is sidelined and Rabbi Matondo – one of the fastest, trickiest players at the club – also has a knee problem.

The cup takes huge importance

Rangers are the favourites to win the Viaplay Cup, with their semi-final against Hearts at Hampden Park scheduled for Sunday, November 5. With Celtic out of the competition – Hibs and Aberdeen contest their other last-four tie – there is an expectation that the Ibrox club will land the silverware come Christmas time, particularly from their fans. Celtic landed a treble last season and given they are already seven points clear in the league, Rangers know how much of a boost winning the League Cup for the first time since 2011 would give them going into the second half of the season and ahead of the first Old Firm match on December 30 at Parkhead.