PHILIPPE CLEMENT has dragged Rangers back into the title race from nowhere.
Now the Ibrox boss — and his players — need to find another level if they want to end the season as champions.
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Given Rangers’ recent form, some people might say to me, ‘What are you talking about?’.
They have 46 points from a possible 51 in the league since Clement arrived, and currently have all the momentum.
But champions kick on at this stage of the season.
They find another level, no matter how consistent they’ve been.
Rangers have been good — now they need to be even better.
That’s life at the Old Firm.
With 13 games to go in the closest title race in years, any slip will be costly.
What Clement has achieved at Rangers in the past four months has been unbelievable.
By the end of Michael Beale’s reign, this Ibrox squad had been written off.
Now they’re only behind Celtic on goals scored at the top and have a chance of a Treble.
It could yet be a monumental, historic season.
Clement has managed to revive a title race that looked done. He hasn’t done it alone, Celtic dropping points along the way has helped – but his Rangers have done the business.
The teams are now level on points and Clement and his squad deserve huge credit for that.
But the Premiership trophy isn’t handed out after 25 games.
What happens between now and May is all that matters.
Rangers have every chance of winning this league — but they need to get to that next level in key areas.
I’ll start with goalscoring. That Ross County game in midweek was a striker’s dream.
To have 43 shots at goal, and 23 on target, is astonishing.
But to finish that match having scored only three felt like a missed opportunity.
Cyriel Dessers has grown on me and has been in form since the winter break.
He’s having to take on a lot of responsibility with Abdallah Sima and Danilo out, and never hides.
Dessers scored two against County on Wednesday but should have had at least double that.
It makes you wonder what the final score would have been if Rangers had Lawrence Shankland in their team?
I’ve no idea how close a January deal was for the Hearts striker but Clement could do with a finisher of that calibre. Without being disrespectful to County, Shankland would have scored SIX in midweek.
Dessers is a modern striker. He runs the channels, keeps central defenders busy and tries to link the play.
But there’s still a place in the game for a penalty-box finisher and that’s what Rangers lacked against County.
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Ironically, the two goals Dessers scored were arguably his toughest chances of the night.
As the pressure mounts in the title race, Rangers can’t afford to be so wasteful again.
This championship could be decided on goal difference, or even goals scored, and Wednesday was a chance to rack them up.
Likewise, they need to tighten up defensively at key moments.
Just like against Aberdeen at Ibrox a week earlier, they were undone out of nowhere.
County’s gameplan was based on hitting on the break and it was too easy for Eamonn Brophy to set up Simon Murray.
Rangers also gave them a couple of chances in the second half when the game should have been out of sight.
There will be twists and turns in the next 13 games and the Old Firm derbies will be crucial.
That’s another area where Rangers need to improve. Right now, you would probably still have Celtic as slight favourites, given their record in the fixture.
But if Rangers can get results against Brendan Rodgers’ side in April then May, it will go a long way to securing the title.
Clement will know that — just like he’s fully aware of what the league table looks like right now, no matter what he says publicly.
Listen, every modern manager will tell you they’re only focusing on their team.
But everybody inside Ibrox on Wednesday, including Clement, knew Rangers were just one goal away from topping the league.
There is now pressure on both teams —but moreso on Celtic.
There have been problems off the pitch this season with fans going for the board, and they’ll be furious if they lose the league after being in total control.
You can just imagine the atmosphere today if Kilmarnock manage to frustrate Celtic for any length of time.
It’s a 13-game league now. What happens at Parkhead tomorrow afternoon will have an impact on McDiarmid Park at Sunday lunchtime.
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It’s going to be a rollercoaster and the team that deals better with any setbacks tends to come out on top.
As a smiling neutral, I can’t wait for the most exciting end to the Premiership season in years.
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