Everything's a drama with Todd Cantwell but please don't change, says Kris Boyd
TODD CANTWELL and Nicolas Raskin are different players and totally different characters.
But they have consistently produced the same high level of performance since joining Rangers in January.
There’s no doubt the midfield duo will be key to Gers’ chances of reaching the group stage of Champions League.
They were the best home players on the park in the first leg last Tuesday night, along with Connor Goldson.
And they will need to produce another high-class performance if Micheal Beale’s men are to triumph in Eindhoven.
PSV are a decent outfit with some top-level individuals — but they are beatable.
Seven of the side were involved 12 months ago when Rangers went there after a 2-2 draw in Glasgow and turned them over against all the odds. There will be scars.
Still, there seems to be a cockiness and an arrogance about them.
I got the impression after the first leg that a lot of them believed the job was already done.
It was a similar story last year and look what happened.
Beale will quietly fancy his chances, but he will need Raskin and Cantwell to produce the goods. The Belgian, a few misplaced passes apart, really impressed me at Ibrox.
He never gets fazed regardless of the opposition and his workrate, endeavour and tenacity are all top-notch.
I like the way Raskin just goes about his job in a totally unfussy manner.
Cantwell was equally efficient against high-calibre opposition.
Everything is a drama with him — and I don’t necessarily mean that in a negative way.
Yes, there are times when I do think he could tone it down a bit.
But, by the same token, I’m not one for trying to take away someone’s personality.
His off-the-cuff piece of skill for Rangers’ second goal was different class.
Cantwell’s relentless graft is also something that often goes unnoticed about him. He always puts in a shift every single week.
The two aspects I’m not so keen on are his rash tackling and his histrionics with the crowd.
There’s no doubt he was a little fortunate not to get a second yellow card after flying needlessly into a crazy challenge on the touchline after already being booked.
Had he been sent off it would have had catastrophic consequences for his team on the night and the suspension that would have followed.
Cantwell didn’t need to make that kind of tackle when already on a caution.
He also doesn’t need to start waving his arms in the air every time he goes near the touchline in an attempt to gee up the supporters.
I know for a fact the Rangers fans will back him to hilt if he does the business.
There is no need for the sideshow — just let your football do the talking because he’s a hugely-talented boy.
The surprise package against PSV on Tuesday was Rabbi Matondo. His late cameo and stunning goal came out of nowhere.
But it highlighted what he is capable of given the opportunity.
Matondo, 22, has featured a lot more under Beale than he did under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and that strike will have done wonders for his confidence.
I’m fairly certain he will start in Holland because that kind of pace (as I know only too well!) scares defenders to death.
Matondo lived in the shadow of Ryan Kent last season but now is his chance to show what he is capable of.
In terms of the four Scottish clubs in Europe this week, it was a mixed bag.
Hibs are already out, Hearts probably deserved better while Aberdeen were arguably the pick of the bunch.
It was a heroic effort to come back from two down away to Hacken and they almost snatched it at the death.
This will come as a monumental shock to the Aberdeen fans but I sincerely hope they make the group phase of the Europa League.
It would be a huge shot in the arm for Scottish football, and the coefficient, if they can pull it off.
They are already guaranteed a place in the Conference League groups so they can go for it at Pittodrie.
There is every reason for them to be optimistic as the Swedes are no great shakes.
I’m not sure Hearts can win in Greece, even though they were extremely unlucky to lose the first leg 2-1 at Tynecastle.
PAOK Salonika will be a different kettle of fish on their own patch.
The Jambos will also have to cope with 40-degree heat, which is not easy.
They are not completely out of it, though it will take something special for them to progress.
Hibs were roundly put in their place by Aston Villa yet the 5-0 win shouldn’t have come as a great shock.
Four days earlier Villa — who spent £93million this summer — hammered Everton 4-0.
That’s why I feel that the criticism from south of the border towards our game was out of order.
It would have been more of a shock if the Premier League outfit hadn’t battered Hibs.
