This afternoon, Glasgow Rangers will play their penultimate home game before the international break against Dundee.
There might be a few changes to the starting lineup today after Philippe Clement’s team lost 1-0 to Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The lack of fixture congestion following the end of the European run is a plus, as it may aid an injured team in the last few weeks of the campaign.
While a few players didn’t perform up to pace against Benfica, Todd Cantwell’s decision to participate after recovering from a hamstring injury was encouraging.
To the delight of the Ibrox supporters, Cantwell replaced Tom Lawrence, who had begun as the number ten against the Portuguese team, with less than 20 minutes remaining.
It would have been a huge comfort for Clement to see Cantwell back in action, even though he was unable to fully contribute to the game that Rangers were losing.
To test his fitness, he might start against Dundee, and there’s no denying that the midfielder can terrorize their defense.
The January 2023 £1.5 million acquisition from Norwich has performed admirably under Clement, particularly after switching to his preferred attacking midfield position.
The 26-year-old has 10 goal contributions in the 2023–24 season—six goals and four assists—but he has only started 27 games because of injuries.
Cantwell was underperforming under Michael Beale at first, but the Belgian brought him into a more central role and has been rewarded with five Premiership goals since Christmas Eve, suggesting that it was a wise decision.
In the top division, the Englishman is now ranked fifth for major chances created (four), fourth for crucial passes per game (1.6), fifth for successful dribbles per game (1.1), and fourth for goals and assists (eight) among his colleagues.
These numbers would undoubtedly be more remarkable if he had not had any injuries, but even so, they demonstrate his ability to have an impact when used as a number ten.
Journalist Josh Bunting praised Cantwell greatly at the close of the previous season, stating, “With the momentum he has he’s going to be the catalyst in that Rangers side.” possesses such inclination.
Cantwell appears to be at the top of his game, even though it took him a few months and a manager change to reach the heights he did in January and May of last year.
The £22k-per-week midfield player should be able to play against Dundee now that his hamstring injury has healed completely since his creative abilities will undoubtedly weaken their defense.
If Clement’s team defeats the Tayside team, they will go into halftime with a two-point advantage at the top of the table.
Cantwell and his teammates be able to lead the Gers to their first league title since 2021? Time will tell.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply