FOR THE TEAM OR FOR TODD? THE CANTWELL CONONDRUM
By Alistair Aird
I like Todd Cantwell. On his day, he is, in my opinion, the best number 10 we have in the squad. But another under-par performance against Celtic last Saturday has left the fans with more questions than answers. And one of those questions appears to be is it about the team for Todd Cantwell or is it about Todd Cantwell?
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When Cantwell was recruited by Michael Beale in the 2023 January transfer window, the man born in Dereham in Norfolk was something of an unknown quantity. After making his senior debut for Norwich City in January 2018 against Chelsea in the FA Cup, he was immediately loaned out to Fortuna Sittard for whom he scored two Juliper League goals in 10 appearances.
Cantwell returned to Norwich and filled the gap left by the departure of James Maddison to Leicester City. Oozing self-confidence, he helped his local club win the English Championship title in season 2018/19, making 24 appearances, scoring two goals, and claiming one assist. He then enjoyed a fine debut season in the Premier League, netting six times in 37 appearances. His star was on the rise, although The Canaries were relegated at the end of the season despite scoring a 3-2 win over Manchester City. Cantwell, playing on the left-hand side of the attack, scored one of Norwich’s goals.
But all was not well. There were rumours of a fractious relationship between his representatives and Norwich’s Sporting Director, Stuart Webber, and after playing a part in another Championship-winning season, there was talk that Cantwell had fallen out with the Norwich manager, Daniel Farke. And even after Farke was replaced by Dean Smith, Cantwell was shipped out to Bournemouth on loan.
His spell on the south coast did little to reinvigorate his career, though. He flattered to deceive, and after making 12 appearances and failing to find the net, Bournemouth elected not to exercise the option to buy clause at the end of season 2021/22.
Cantwell went back to Carrow Road, but despite getting some game time in his preferred number 10 role, it was clear that he needed to seek pastures new to restart a stalling career. And he looked to have found salvation when he signed for Rangers.
By the end of the season, Cantwell had scored six goals and claimed five assists in 20 appearances. Four of those six goals had come in the five matches played after the Premiership split, and it’s fair to say that Todd had been taken to the hearts of the Rangers supporters even before he lashed in a right foot shot to open the scoring in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox.
We seemed to have a player on our hands, someone who could provide a creative spark and supply the ammunition to an attack that the manager told us would ‘wreak havoc’. Alas, neither of those happened in the early weeks of season 2023/24 and after a 3-1 hammering at home to Aberdeen, Beale was sacked. And Cantwell? His season had been disrupted by injury – his missed four league games with a knee injury – a loss of form and he was another who was a victim of being played out of position by Beale.
But the slate was wiped clean when Philippe Clement took over. Here was another opportunity for Cantwell to fulfil his potential. He started Clement’s first league match – a 4-0 win over Hibernian at Ibrox – and claimed his first assist of the season too. A stop-start season for Cantwell and the club looked set to relaunch.
But while there is no doubt that Clement has reinvigorated Rangers, the same can’t be said consistently for Cantwell. He was substituted at half time in the League Cup semi-final against Hearts at Hampden and then hooked after 36 minutes of the Europa League match against Aris Limassol. In the latter match, he was deployed on the right, but the manager felt that he was drifting inside too much so took immediate action.
At that point, some started to ask was Todd playing for the team or was he playing for Todd, and a player that was a darling of the support had now seemingly used up most if not all all the goodwill. Another substandard performance against Celtic added fuel to that fire. He was bossed by Calum McGregor and was more often than not guilty of being indecisive and over elaborate. This is probably best illustrated when he strode forward early in the game and should have played a simple pass to Abdallah Sima. Instead, he kept hold of the ball and gave up possession when he tried to execute a pass to Ross McCausland.
It wouldn’t have been a surprise therefore had Cantwell been left out of the starting XI for the first match of 2024 against Kilmarnock. But he retained his place, the only personnel changes being the enforced absence through suspension of Leon Balogun – John Souttar took his place – and the surprising omission of Dujon Sterling. He had impressed at Parkhead, but his place in midfield went to Kieran Dowell.
2 January will always be a poignant date for everyone associated with Rangers. 53 years ago, 66 people attended a match at Ibrox and never came home. After floral tributes were laid at the John Greig statue, the match was preceded by an impeccably observed silence. We will always remember the 66, gone but never to be forgotten.
Cantwell, socks pulled up high above his knees, got the action underway and immediately stationed himself in between Ross McCausland and Abdallah Sima. He was once again entrusted with giving Rangers some guile in the role that he has always said is his favoured one.
After two minutes, Cantwell got his first touch of the ball in the inside right position. He tried to tee up Dowell for a shot at goal, but the move petered out after the referee, John Beaton, spotted an infringement. And two minutes later, the Rangers number 13 had the supporters on the edge of their seats when he embarked on a run that ended with a pass to Sima. The latter’s low cross was hacked away from Dessers in the six-yard area.
The initial signs were promising for Rangers and Cantwell. Both were full of energy and enterprise – Cantwell had a 100% pass completion, won both his duels and successfully completed the two dribbles he attempted – and Dessers came close to opening the scoring when he fired a left foot shot narrowly wide after seven minutes.
Looking at his heat map for the opening exchanges, Cantwell seemed to be drifting out to the left for the most part. He also looked to be playing alongside Dowell in a 4-1-4-1 ‘structure’, but he found himself in Beaton’s book after 14 minutes. Attempting to hook the ball clear on the edge of the box, he looked to be dragged back, but Beaton disagreed. A show of dissent from Cantwell earned him an eighth yellow card in all competitions this season.
A deflected shot from Sima almost crept in at the near post but were once again witnessing what can be best described as a typical Derek McInnes team. The former Rangers midfielder had set the visitors up to scrap and spoil in a low block, but after 21 minutes, Cantwell tried to pick his way through the thick red line, coming in off the right and bringing Dowell into the play. When the ball was funnelled wide to Yilmaz, his cross was headed over the bar by Dessers.
As the clocked ticked on to the 30-minute mark, a glance at the stats showed that McInnes’s side were executing their game plan effectively. Rangers had made 169 passes, Kilmarnock 43. Their passing accuracy was 58% compared to 82% for the home side. But for all that possession, Jack Butland was called upon to keep the scores level when he came off his line to deny Kyle Vassell.
As for Cantwell, he had had 25 touches, fired a shot high and wide, and surrendered possession five times. One of those drew howls of frustration from the crowd. Once again, they were looking for more from Cantwell, but the booking aside, he had had very little impact on proceedings. Perhaps Clement instructing Sam Lammers to go out and warm up would light a fire under the Englishman?
It was a stodgy performance all round to be fair. There was a lethargy about Rangers – an Old Firm hangover maybe – and Kilmarnock grew in confidence as the half progressed. And after 39 minutes, Goldson had to slice a clearance into the Copland Stand after the visitors threatened once again.
There were murmurings of discontent, but they were replaced by rapturous roars two minutes later. Cantwell was calm and composed when he and Yilmaz combined on the left and when Dessers played a wonderful pass into the path of McCausland, the young Northern Irishman kept his composure to find the net.
That lit the blue touchpaper and Sima lashed in an unstoppable volley on the stroke of half time to make it 2-0. It was an exquisite finish from a player that like Cantwell hadn’t been at his best for much of the opening 45 minutes.
Cantwell had got better as the half went on. He was a little stroppy when he was booked and Clement was clearly irked, but he had a key involvement in the build up for the opening goal. With the cushion of a two-goal lead, perhaps the second 45 minutes would give Todd further opportunities to stamp his authority on this match.
He almost did inside the opening five minutes. After shrugging off a challenge, Cantwell curled a beautiful pass towards Dessers, but the Nigerian was thwarted before he could bear down on goal. That was much more like it, some cut and thrust from Cantwell followed by a beautifully executed through ball. And after 52 minutes, he arrowed a left foot shoot a fraction too high.
VAR has made the headlines recently, particularly with reference to handball. And it was at the forefront again when John Beaton was called to the screen to check for a penalty kick for Kilmarnock after 58 minutes. Souttar had blocked a cross from Danny Armstrong, and after looking at the footage, Beaton deemed a hand had been used. Armstrong sent Butland the wrong way and suddenly it was game on.
The crowd were howling at Cantwell again shortly afterwards when he gave the ball away, but it quickly went from jeers to cheers when Todd slid in to prod home a lovely cross from Yilmaz. It was only a second league goal of the season for Cantwell – his last came at Fir Park on Christmas Eve – and his first goal at Ibrox since his beautiful finish against Sparta Prague in November. He now has nine goals in 45 appearances for Rangers.
We were witnessing a hungrier Cantwell now. He was hustling, bustling, and harrying when Kilmarnock had possession and was prompting and probing when he had the ball. And after 70 minutes, he had a new target to pick out when Fabio Silva, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was introduced in place of Dessers. He did so after 73 minutes, his dinked free kick over the top requiring a sliding tackle from a Kilmarnock defender to deny Silva a sight of goal.
Cantwell should have taken his goals tally into double figures when he was played in on goal by McCausland with 15 minutes to go, but William Dennis in the Kilmarnock goal pawed away his left foot shot. He then showed his ability to break play up when he intervened to halt a Kilmarnock breakaway. This was much more like it and when you glanced at his heat map, Cantwell really was ‘all over the park.’ With 68 touches, Cantwell was the most involved of Rangers’ attacking players. McCausland, who had an excellent game, was next in line with 54 touches. Cantwell also had 80% pass completion and had surrendered possession 11 times. As a comparison, on Saturday at Parkhead, Cantwell touched the ball 36 times, completed 15 of his 21 passes (71%) and gave the ball away on 12 occasions.
Cantwell was replaced by the returning Nico Raskin with two minutes to go, and solid but unspectacular best sums up this one for him. In fairness, the same could said about the overall team performance too.
It was the proverbial game of two halves for the Englishman, and like most mavericks, you get that from time to time. He was more of a team player in the second half, and if Rangers have serious aspirations to win the league title in May, then we will need to see the second half Cantwell more often than we see the first half variant. If we do, then the quest for 56 is much more likely to have a successful outcome and team player Todd Owen Cantwell will have another league winners medal and rightly be lauded and applauded once again by the Rangers supporters.