“Glen's progress has been brilliant and he has become a real established international player. I love the kid and the player and I want him to stay.”
Steven Gerrard speaking about Glen Kamara last week, summating how important a figure he is at Ibrox.
Since arriving at Rangers from Dundee, Kamara has become somewhat of a cult hero amongst the fan base. His ridiculously cheap signing fee of 50 grand meant it took no time for a price tag to be justified. Regardless, his performances have carried on a consistent upward trajectory since he first joined.
He is so cherished amongst the fan base because he is an excellent football player, who could clearly play at a far higher level than the Scottish Premiership.
As we saw at EURO 2020, and in European football, Kamara is at home on the big stage. He possesses top-level technical attributes that would not look out of place in any of the big five leagues.
The 25-year-old is the embodiment of a modern midfielder who makes his team better.
A new type of midfielder
If Kamara had arrived at Rangers 10-15 years ago, I don’t think he would have necessarily been a deep-lying central midfielder.
That’s not a slight on his ability or a suggestion that couldn’t have fulfilled the role, but an observation of how football has changed and with that, the demands placed on centre-midfielders.
Kamara’s main attributes, being the way in which he carries the ball, his capacity when receiving the ball and his ability to manipulate the opposition through feints and tricks, would likely have seen him started in a more attacking berth.
But increasingly in football, new demands are being put on midfielders.
Grace Robertson alludes to this new type of midfielder in a piece for StatsBomb: the press-resistant midfielder. Referencing the start of the former decade, the world’s best deep midfielders were passers, Xavi, Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Iniesta. They controlled games through passing.
What has changed now, in an increasingly transition-heavy sport that places heavy emphasis on pressing, is the rise of deep midfielders who are as competent at beating opponents by using their one-on-one skillset as they are by passing through them.
Robertson explains how a match played between Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao can be traced as the first time the passing phenomenon that had dominated football was “pressed into oblivion.”
Bielsa imposed a man-for-man pressing system in this game. He was gambling on the fact that while Barca could pass the ball around his side if Bilbao were able to block off passing options, their opponents would not be able to beat them one-on-one in midfield.
With pressing arising to combat the footballing revolution Guardiola headlined at Barcelona along with the obvious German impact, choreographed organisation without the ball has become far more common.
Midfielders are increasingly coached to resist this threat not only through passing the ball past opponents but also by beating them with the ball.
Think of some players who fit this profile. Gini Wijnaldum, Frankie De Jong, Luka Modric, Moussa Dembele, Paul Pogba. All world-class centre-midfielders who possess excellent one-on-one ability.
Even elite defensive midfielders such as Fabinho, Fernandinho, Kante and Casemiro are not famed for their ability to break teams down, but rather how they firstly protect their team in and out of possession.
Of course, this point isn’t to suggest that there were no deep midfielder’s capable of beating their marker one-on-one prior to 2010. However, naturally an increase around the globe in pressing has coincided with combative methods, to which this new breed of midfielder falls.
Press-resistant Kamara
Kamara is by all accounts a press-resistant midfielder. He has a very desirable skill set in modern football as a centre-midfielder. Possessing the ability to break up play, progress the ball from deep and create space for himself using his first touch and movement.
If he does go on to play in the Premier League, I think you will see the level he is capable of performing at, which was evident this summer at EURO 2020.
He possesses elite attributes and has developed at a considerable rate since arriving from Tayside. His glaring absence in Sweden against Malmo demonstrates how significant his contribution has been in multiple impressive European performances.
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The way a player receives a ball always offers a good indication of their overall level. In my opinion, the best player’s first touch is taken to set up their next move instead of simply controlling the ball.
They are a step ahead of those marking them because they possess the technical ability to gain momentary advantages and capitalise on small margins.
Often receiving the ball in a congested centre with pressure applied, Kamara possesses an excellent first touch which often simultaneously buys him room to progress the ball.
He often allows a pass to run across his body and shifts his weight with the ball before bouncing it back with his instep, the opposing marker having also committed his body weight. Alternatively, his action-man hips can grant him the gift of space if opposing players do try to get tight to him.
Below, Callum McGregor attempts to get tight.
Kamara opens his body up before a twist of the hips and bounce of the ball allows him to dribble into the space he has created.
Kamara makes moves like this in most matches.
In another example against Hibs, he commits his body one way before spinning back to run into the space. Aribo drags Gogic away, knowing Kamara can beat his man and run into the space.
This is also impactful when Rangers are looking to build through midfield. Kamara can invite pressure, opponents seize the chance to win the ball in a favourable area before he offloads it.
Body-orientation and on-ball ability
As shown, it is not only Kamara’s ability with his feet that allows him to beat opponents but also the way he manipulates the opposition with his body movement and orientation.
I recently read an excellent piece by Samuel Gustafson which explained at length how top players are able to manufacture passing lanes and create angles to progress the ball through teams using body orientation.
It’s a trend you see Steven Gerrard’s side face nearly every week in domestic football – you have to create space before you can create chances.
The 25-year-old is so adept at rolling markers and beating opponents, he earns space as a presupposition.
Kamara continually produces a mesmerising level of skill in-game, often completing elaborate flicks and rolls most of us would struggle to master on FIFA. To go back to the point about a new breed of midfielder, he is making moves infield that would normally be more recognisable in wide attacking areas.
Similarly to the above, there are countless examples of Kamara displaying these attributes.
Changing role - improving metrics
In my opinion, you get to see the best offensively of Glen Kamara when Rangers play a flat midfield three in their well-versed 4-3-3 formation.
Because of the midfield evolution that Rangers have embarked upon, the sight of Ryan Jack, Davis and Kamara is a rarity these days. In fact, it was only played once last season domestically in a 1-0 win over Hibs at Easter Road.
These days, it’s more commonplace to see Joe Aribo or Ianis Hagi play ahead of the Davis and Kamara double-pivot.
The advanced roles played by James Tavernier and, to a lesser degree, Borna Barisic, means one of the main responsibilities bestowed upon this double-pivot is to cover and protect space.
They are tasked normally with supplementing and complimenting attacks, focusing on how they retain pressure on the opposition. You can see this demonstrated by Kamara’s pressure map from the middle-third of the pitch last season.
Impressively, despite increasing defensive responsibility last season, Kamara still retained a relatively similar offensive output, as shown by his season radars.
When on the left of a three, Kamara has more license to vacate his defensive responsibilities and join the attack. From matches where Rangers deployed this, his offensive influence is evident. Domestically, and particularly at home, his side don’t always need this type of performance and system, but in Europe and in the odd domestic fixture it’s required.
His performance in a 1-0 win against Hibs was among his strongest last term. On a difficult pitch, Kamara was simply unplayable.
This man is very good at football. pic.twitter.com/vVTd5iW9Pp
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 27, 2021
Linking up almost telepathically with Borna Barisic and Ryan Kent, he far outshone his normal attacking output with Ryan Jack providing the cover alongside Steven Davis.
His carry map from the game also details the all-action performance.
Other isolated examples of his contribution going forward are littered throughout Rangers’ European campaigns.
His reverse flick against Standard Liege in the build-up to Scott Arfield’s goal. Watch here how he gains the space to run at his man by fainting his body to commit the defender.
His drag-back sold Ntcham in the build-up to Connor Goldson’s second against Celtic.
His well-taken goal in an away tie with Benfica was clinical.
As was his clever flick in the build-up to Kemar Roofe’s stunning strike in the home tie.
Perhaps we see a little more of how good he can be when he has the ability to roam forward slightly more and link up with the left flank.
With the league this season so strong and the return of supporters making trips to Tynecastle, Tannadice, Easter Road, Pittodrie and the like more difficult, we may see a three-man midfield more common with John Lundstram on the right.
A new contract seems increasingly likely and Rangers' retention of Kamara will surely be reflected on as a vitally important piece of any success achieved this term.
There remains room to develop for Kamara, but if these past two-and-a-half years indicate anything, it is that he will continue to thrive on the big stage as Rangers' modern midfielder.
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