Rangers' Philippe Clement makes bold title claim amid Celtic struggles

It has been a contrasting week for Celtic and the Rangers. Brendan Rodgers' side suffered a 2-0 defeat against Hearts to lose the mathematical advantage they held over the Ibrox club in the Premiership table. On the other hand, not only did Philippe Clement's side top their Europa League group but they also won the Scottish League Cup.

So, it would be safe to say that the Rangers have all of the momentum on their side. It has been a rather unbelievable turn of events to be honest, as Celtic had a commanding lead in the league a couple of months back while the Ibrox club had looked completely lost under the management of Michael Beale, who was eventually shown the exit door and replaced by Clement.

Clement's arrival certainly seems to have handed the Rangers a boost. And now, he has sent a bold message to the club's supporters.

Clement seems to be very confident of his team bringing back the title to Ibrox, even though he is not sure of the timing. As reported by the Daily Record, the Rangers manager said:

"I know we are going to bring back the title, we will try to do it as fast as possible. It is a big marathon. It is hard work. But I know what the road is to take with this club. This was also one of the reasons I came (to Rangers). One moment we will take it, because we will work really hard for that.

“But we have no control about how other teams are performing. Winning titles is winning marathons. I won a few marathons together with other teams, with other staffs, with other player groups so I know how to get there.

“And we will go hard for that. But of course there are also opponents with a lot of qualities."

Rangers manager makes bold title claim amid Celtic struggles

Of course, things can change pretty quickly for managers at Ibrox. Giovanni van Bronckhorst had guided the Rangers to the UEFA Europa League final and won the Scottish Cup, only to be shown the exit door in November of that same year. Results talk in Glasgow.

That is true for Rodgers as well. He might have achieved a lot of success in the past in Scotland, but that is in the past now. Celtic's results since his return in the summer have been less than impressive.

Many fans are already asking questions about Rodgers' place at the club. That has raised the importance of the upcoming Glasgow Derby. If Celtic lose, the pressure will increase.