Rangers boss Philippe Clement accepts that Todd Cantwell isn’t playing in his best position right now – but is backing him to bounce back
The last week has been the trickiest yet for Philippe Clement at Rangers
The 1-1 draw at Aberdeen was rather unconvincing and Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Aris Limassol wasn’t much better.
Clement remains unbeaten as Rangers boss and two draws isn’t exactly the end of the world, but he is now learning about the expectation levels at Ibrox.
Fans are looking for a response against St Mirren this afternoon and the role of Todd Cantwell will be fascinating to see.
Todd Cantwell isn’t performing at his best right now, but Olly Dawes Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes he will get better.
For Philippe Clement at Rangers, the past week has been the most difficult thus far.
The 1-1 draw with Aris Limassol on Thursday was not much better than the fairly inconclusive 1-1 draw at Aberdeen.
Two draws isn’t exactly the end of the world, and Clement is still undefeated as Rangers manager, but he is now aware of the expectations at Ibrox.
Supporters are hoping for a reaction this afternoon against St Mirren, and it will be interesting to watch Todd Cantwell in a new role.
Playmaker Cantwell was a key man under Michael Beale but there have been some questions about him under Clement.
Cantwell hasn’t been quite as vital and that has resulted in suggestions from pundits about a potential move away.
Stephen McGinn suggested in November that Cantwell could be sold in January, believing that Clement may not ‘fancy’ the Englishman.
Only on Thursday night, when Cantwell was replaced after just 36 minutes against Aris, did that theory begin to take hold.
Now, we’ll have to wait and see if Cantwell maintains his spot in today’s starting lineup against St. Mirren, but it appears that Clement supports him.
According to Clement, it was preferable to get rid of Cantwell than to waste time because he didn’t believe that he was “playing his normal game” against Aris, as he stated to The Daily Record.
Despite acknowledging that Cantwell isn’t playing at his best right now due to being pushed to the right wing, Clement believes he can recover and “react positively” going forward.
I sensed that on Thursday night, Todd wasn’t performing at his usual level. You can wait for another ten minutes, but for what? To lose an additional ten minutes? He’ll respond well to it going forward, I’m confident of that,” Clement remarked. Even though I know that playing on the right side isn’t Todd’s ideal or favorite position, he has already done a great job for me there. But that’s the current position with the players out and the ailments we have. He’s performed well for the team in the past, and I don’t have many options on that end.
“Thursday was not as nice, but Sunday is a fresh match. It doesn’t matter if players make poor passes or fail to capitalize on opportunities. They must Play in appropriate positions. If not, we won’t be able to play football together, which is bad,” he continued.
Cantwell has to try to play on the right side presently, even if his ideal position would be on the left flank or as a number 10.
Abdallah Sima is on the left side whilst the likes of Sam Lammers and Tom Lawrence are operating as the number 10.
Ross McCausland’s emergence means that he could play down the right side, potentially freeing up Cantwell to play centrally.
Alternatively, Cantwell may find himself out of the team soon – and he needs to show the right attitude to prove himself under Clement
