Rangers: Peter Grant completely wrong about Todd Cantwell ‘problem’ at Ibrox
He may have only been in charge at Rangers for a little over a month, but it is safe to say that Philippe Clement has had a transformative effect at Ibrox.
The Belgian has won all of his Scottish Premiership matches so far and he has picked up a remarkable four points from two Europa League outings as he made what looked like a mess of a team under Michael Beale into a winning machine.
However, nobody is ever completely perfect in football and some are still finding a way to criticise the Rangers boss, including Peter Grant who has suggested that Clement’s biggest “problem” in Glasgow is Todd Cantwell.
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show (16 November) he said: “The one problem he has got is the Cantwell situation. When I look at him on the right-hand side for me that is the only position I wouldn’t play him.
“I think wee McCausland comes on and looks better than him and more exciting in that position. Cantwell on the right is not sitting right, even if you played Lammers in that position with Cantwell in the middle.”
It seems bizarre that Grant has immediately disregarded Cantwell’s new role and it seems rather reactionary to assume after only one start from the right wing that moving the Englishman into the middle of the park is a “problem” for the Belgian.
In his display on the right of midfield against Sparta Prague in the Europa League, the 25-year-old found a teammate with all 18 of his attempted passes, created one chance for his teammates and even picked up an excellent goal as he drifted in from the middle of the park [Fotmob].
He had a more difficult afternoon in the Viaplay Cup semi-final against Hearts, where he was substituted after a poor first half. He has still managed to score more goals from his right midfield role this season, than he did when deployed as a number 10.
He is touching the ball much less than he did under the management of Beale. In his final match under the Englishman against Celtic, the 25-year-old registered 81 touches, a far greater involvement than the 36 he had against Sparta.
But realistically, it doesn’t matter how often the 25-year-old touches the ball if he isn’t doing anything with it. Clement has made the rest of the Rangers team around Cantwell more creative and productive, meaning they are less reliant on the former Norwich man to get them out of trouble.
While Rangers continue to entertain and win matches under Clement, it doesn’t matter if Cantwell isn’t the star of the show every week. At the end of the day, it’s a team sport where results are the most important factor and while the Light Blues are winning, Grant is wrong to suggest the Englishman’s position is by no means a “problem”.
In other Rangers news, Grant has admitted that he was surprised that the Gers didn’t move to sign Lawrence Shankland this summer