Clement can sacrifice Lawrence by unleashing Rangers’ £1.5m "catalyst"
Glasgow Rangers return from the international break straight back into domestic proceedings with a clash against Aberdeen this afternoon.
Between now and January 2, the Light Blues face 12 vital matches which could arguably make or break their season.
Included in this run is a League Cup final against the Dons, two crucial European matches and a trip to Parkhead to face Celtic in the Premiership.
If Philippe Clement can emerge from this busy run with a trophy, a place in the Europa League knockout stages and having closed the gap on Celtic in the league, it will be a job well done.
The signs have been positive over the previous few weeks as the Gers have won six and drawn one of the last seven matches and the Belgian has brought some confidence back into a squad which had stagnated under Michael Beale.
The main thing now is to build on these performances while also managing the first team with regard to workload, as there have been far too many injuries this season.
Slowly but surely, certain players are returning and Tom Lawrence was one of the many who had missed large chunks of the season before making just his third start of 2023/24 and the first since Real Betis in the tie against Livingston a couple of weeks ago.
Tom Lawrence’s game in numbers vs Livingston
The Welshman had proven during his maiden season in Glasgow that, when fit, he could be a valuable asset to the club.
Before suffering a season-ending injury in August 2022, Lawrence had scored three goals and registered two assists, and it was clear that the Light Blues missed his creativity during a dismal campaign.
He had managed only one assist before starting against Livi, yet his performance on the plastic turf was excellent, and he could certainly throw a spanner in the works regarding Clement’s future plans.
The 29-year-old was deployed just behind Cyriel Dessers in an attacking midfield slot and ran the show, making five key passes while also grabbing an assist.
The midfielder also created a big chance, succeeded with his only dribble attempt, and won two of his three duels, demonstrating his strength in one-on-one battles.
It was a display which showcased Lawrence’s talents from the number ten role and one that surely pleased the manager.
With that in mind, however, Clement faces a selection headache ahead of the tie against Aberdeen, especially when Todd Cantwell is performing well in the same role.
With plenty of games to come in the next few weeks, keeping players fresh and healthy will be his main concern and this could see the Welshman return to the bench against the Dons today.
Todd Cantwell’s season in numbers
The Englishman endured a difficult start to the season under Beale as he was played out of position several times and while he grabbed an assist against Servette in the Champions League qualifiers back in August, that was his last goal contribution until Clement arrived.
Cantwell suffered a knee injury against Celtic at the start of September and this meant he missed the next seven matches, disrupting the progress he had built since joining the club in January.
Since returning to the first-team fold, however, he has been in solid form and even scored his first goal of the season against Sparta Prague last month.
The Belgian has deployed him on the right side of the attack, yet the playmaker is more effective from the attacking midfield slot.
During the second half of last season following his £1.5m move from Norwich City in January, he scored four goals and grabbed four assists from the number ten role in just 11 games in that position.
Following the end of last season, journalist Josh Bunting lavished praise on the former Norwich gem, saying:
“Really interested in seeing how Todd Cantwell goes next season. Has proved to be an excellent bit of business and I don’t think it’s unfair to say he’s probably a level above this league. With the momentum he has he’s going to be the catalyst in that Rangers side. Has that desire.”
Due to his injury, his performances have taken a while to get back to that sort of level, but with more game time under the Belgian plus some added confidence following his goal against Sparta, he should be raring to go now.
He was given a 12-minute cameo against Livi a couple of weeks ago and during his time on the pitch, he completed 100% of his passes (10/10) along with succeeding with his only dribble attempt, and he should be fresh to start against the Dons.
Todd Cantwell’s market value
Since joining the Glasgow side less than 12 months ago, the 25-year-old has shown a significant improvement on the pitch and this has led to his market value increasing slightly.
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According to Football Transfers, Cantwell is now currently worth €3.6m (£3.1m) and this is a decent rise on the £1.5m that the club signed him for at the start of the year.
Jack benched & £26k-p/w machine unleashed in Rangers predicted lineup vs Aberdeen
The Gers return to league action against Aberdeen on Sunday
ByRoss Kilvington
It means that the Ibrox side could potentially cash in on him if they received an offer too good to turn down, or if the player failed to adapt to Clement’s tactical system and style of play.
Hopefully this is not the case, however, as the Gers currently have a player who was valued at around £40m just a few short years ago, and he appears to be shining north of the border.
Although Lawrence made an impressive return to the starting XI against Livingston before the break, his game time should be managed in order to ensure he will be fit once the fixtures start rolling in thick and fast leading up to the festive season.
This should give Clement the licence to unleash Cantwell from the first whistle and if he performs like he has done since joining the Gers, he could certainly cause the Aberdeen defence plenty of problems, that’s for sure.
A win today would exact revenge for the 3-1 defeat suffered against the same opposition in what turned out to be Beale’s last game at the end of September.
It's fair to say, the Light Blues have come a long way since then.