Imagine him & Silva: Clement must unleash Rangers’ “thriving” £22k-p/w wizard tonight – opinion

Imagine him & Silva: Clement must unleash Rangers’ “thriving” £22k-p/w wizard tonight – opinion

Glasgow Rangers must take their attention away from the SFA Cup as they face Ross County in the Scottish Premiership this evening.

Tonight, the Light Blues will host the 11th-placed side at home in an attempt to leapfrog Celtic and climb to the top of the table.

A win by three goals or more would put them in first place on goal difference, and both clubs would have played the same number of games.

Ahead of this match against the Staggies, Philippe Clement revealed that Ryan Jack is the only player from the weekend’s winning team who will be unavailable for selection while his fitness is being monitored.

Rangers defeated Ayr 2-0 at Ibrox last time out to get to the SFA Cup quarter-finals, and the Belgian boss may now make changes to the starting lineup from that match.

 

The Scottish giants must unleash Todd Cantwell from the start to build a final-third connection with Portuguese striker Fabio Silva.

Why Todd Cantwell Should Start Tonight

The English attacking midfielder should return to the starting lineup in place of recent addition Mohammed Diomande, who is still adjusting to life in Glasgow.

Cantwell is a seasoned performer for Rangers who has been with the club for over a year and has the experience and quality to make an immediate impact on the field tonight.

Whereas Diomande still needs time to adjust, a bench role in the Premiership, barring injury or suspension difficulties, may be the best option for Clement to manage his situation.

The 22-year-old prodigy began the win against Ayr but did not add a goal or an assist in attacking midfield, following a 15-minute cameo off the bench against Aberdeen in the club’s previous league game.

He spent the first half of the season with Nordsjaelland, making 13 Superliga matches and scoring zero goals and three assists.

At the age of 22, Diomande does not need to make an immediate impact on the field and might be considered as a long-term project, rather than a player to replace Cantwell in the short term, who can learn from his colleagues and acquire minutes as a substitute in the next weeks and months.

His statistics for the Danish club suggest that the Ivorian gem is not ready to be a consistent contributor in the final third, but the former Norwich star has done just that for the Gers since his transfer to Ibrox last year.

Todd Cantwell’s Premiership Brilliance

Michael Beale signed the Canaries academy graduate on a permanent basis in January 2023, and he quickly established himself in Scotland.

Cantwell finished the second half of the 2022/23 season with six goals, four assists, and five ‘big chances’ produced in 16 Premier League outings for the Light Blues.

This means he scored or assisted more than once every other match for the Scottish giants from midfield, demonstrating his immense attacking influence in the heart of the pitch.

He had a poor start to this season, with no goals or assists in four top-flight games under Beale, but has found his feet again under Clement.

Cantwell has five goals and three assists in 12 games since the English tactician was dismissed of his duties in early October.

Four of those goals have come in his past five league outings for the Light Blues, the most recent being the winner against Aberdeen in the Premiership.

Todd Cantwell	Vs Aberdeen
Minutes played	85
Sofascore rating	7.6
Goals	One
Chances created	Two
Pass accuracy	89%
Stats via Sofascore

As shown in the table above, Cantwell was in excellent form against the Dons last week, scoring the winning goal off a rebound from Tom Lawrence’s long-range effort.

The £22k-per-week genius, who was described as “thriving” under Clement by journalist Joshua Barrie, is a strong goal threat who can also set up his teammates, making him a great number ten for any squad.

It also makes him the ideal player to play behind a centre-forward who prefers service to his feet, which is why Cantwell should start with Silva ahead of him.

Fabio Silva’s Goalscoring Potential

The Portuguese striker was acquired on loan from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of the January transfer window and has had a good start in Scotland.

Silva has two goals in his last two starts for the Light Blues and one goal in two Premier League starts in the last six weeks.

The Wolves loanee began against Ayr in the SFA Cup over the weekend and demonstrated his goal-scoring abilities with a clever turn and powerful finish to make it 2-0, as shown in the video below.

Cantwell was also instrumental in the goal, as evidenced by his fantastic turn and cross in the area, which caused mayhem in the six-yard box and allowed the striker to score.

This demonstrates that the pair can combine for goals in the penalty area, and Clement hopes that there will be plenty more examples to look at before the conclusion of the season.

Hopefully, they can hook up again, whether it’s Cantwell or Silva, against Ross County tonight to secure an emphatic win that propels Rangers to the top of the league.

The 21-year-old centre-forward has until the end of the season to wow the Light Blues fans before returning to Wolves, and his recent goals have already put him on track to do so.

It is now up to Silva, who scored 11 goals in 32 Anderlecht matches last season, to maintain his present form and hammer opposing defences with Cantwell in the next weeks and months, including tonight.

Get more related news https://sportviewers.com