Perhaps the best compliment you could pay Todd Cantwell as he was replaced just after an hour yesterday was that, in many ways, this didn’t really feel like a debut at all.
That’s not to say his showing struck a 10 out of 10, or that the new arrival looked a complete player in top form and peak physical fitness during Rangers' 2-0 win over St Johnstone.
Michael Beale used the word “aligned” when discussing the 24-year-old’s debut during his post-match press conference and that surmises Cantwell’s impact well. He looked comfortable in a free role, in touch with his teammates and the exact type of profile this starting 11 has required.
“He was free to disrupt and get touches on the ball, that’s how he’ll play for us, similarly to Ryan Kent,” Beale said after the game.
“They’re allowed to break the rules. We’ve got quite a lot of structure with our midfielders so they’re allowed to be free and I thought Malik Tillman joined it at points.”
Cantwell wasn’t restricted to one area of the pitch, making binary movements. Like Kent, he moved where the space was; providing an extra man in possession, running into gaps others vacated and generally unsettling the opposition.
Out of possession, he started from the right but when Rangers had the ball was handed license to roam.
“Some players need rules and others just need a little structure out of possession,” Beale added.
“Todd just needs a little structure out of possession similar to Malik and Ryan. When they at it playing close together and on form, we can be really excited.”
Look at the passes and carries Cantwell made during the win. Red equals a successful action and yellow unsuccessful.
There’s a cluster of involvement towards the right of the halfway line, where he dropped in during the build-up, as well as activity all over the attacking third.
Notice similar themes from successful and unsuccessful passes teammates played to the No.13 during the match. Some runs in behind that didn’t come off, horizontal passes on the left, one of which would lead to the third goal, as well as a few receptions in the centre.
Kent operated more exclusively on the left, as shown by the passes he received.
And Tillman was more present on the right.
However, both drifted elsewhere at points in the game. This freedom affords variety in possession and makes the opposition’s job all the more difficult when sitting in a block.
Attacking fluidity is a theme that can be traced back to Beale’s very first press conference when he referenced ‘new ideas with increased variety’ that evolved during his year away from Ibrox.
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Back to Saturday, Cantwell and Tillman played close together as demonstrated by the game’s pass network.
Within the opening 30 seconds, the fluidity which would ensue was clear to see. Cantwell popped up on the right-hand side before moving play to the left and joining it.
At times, the former Norwich man took the ball off of the centre-backs allowing James Tavernier and Malik Tillman to sit higher. The right-sided triangle has been a notable feature in recent weeks and Cantwell brings a different dimension to that particular contingent.
A minute after the above still has been taken, he’s overloading the left-hand channel.
One of Cantwell’s main jobs was moving with play and getting numbers around the ball. Here’s another example from the left later in the half.
This time, Cantwell receives the ball on the same line as Morelos, drawing out a centre-back and laying possession into Borna Barisic while Kent makes an intelligent third-man run from midfield to break the line.
St Johnstone could only react to Rangers’ movement during this period. Cantwell, and Kent, kept the hosts unpredictable in a way they’d not been prior to Beale’s arrival.
Take this example. Cantwell’s on the same line as Ryan Jack and Kamara, behind Tillman and Tavernier.
And 45 seconds later it’s Tillman in a deeper role with Cantwell running beyond into space from the centre.
“In the first half, some of the play between Malik and Todd was fantastic we just didn’t reward it with a goal,” Beale added after the match, with the two players rotating and linking intelligently.
These “relationships” the manager referenced can thrive in a free environment, when attackers like Tillman, Kent and Cantwell are able to work off one another’s movement, combine and play close together.
They're buoyed by freedom and don't need bogging down with specific instructions on the ball.
Cantwell played a big part in the second goal which proved a perfect ambassador for the attacking blueprint in action. With an extra man after Nicky Clark’s dismissal, he dropped and played forwards, while Kamara and Morelos’ countermovement created and exploited space in the defence.
Attacking freedom has been a talking point ever since Beale arrived. Make no mistake, there is structure to this team, but freedom for the difference-makers within it.
Cantwell's debut shows once relationships are refined and match fitness secured, there's cause to be excited about his potential in this side.
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