Glasgow Rangers retained their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership table in spite of their 2-1 loss to Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday.
They offered their closest rivals a chance to leapfrog them with that defeat but Celtic were also beaten, 2-0 by Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, over the weekend.
Philippe Clement's side lacked a ruthless edge in their match as they failed to convert from open play despite dominating the possession and chances, which suggests that the injury to Todd Cantwell, who has been clinical in front of goal, has been a big blow.
The former Norwich City star suffered a hamstring injury in February that is set to keep him out of action until the international break later this month, as it was projected that he would be out for three-to-four weeks.
This means that the English whiz is likely to miss both of the club's clashes with Portuguese giants Benfica in the knockout stages of the Europa League this month.
Cantwell's absence was felt in the loss to Motherwell and Rangers could have done with one of their former stars – who is currently out on loan – to ease the blow of losing him, as Ianis Hagi was once a key performer for Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.
Rangers' attacking statistics against Motherwell
The Light Blues were not shy of pulling the trigger as they registered a whopping 31 shot attempts from their 70% possession against Motherwell.
Only 11 of those were on target, though, and they only scored one goal in the game, which came from the penalty spot as James Tavernier converted from the spot in the 60th minute.
This means that they failed to find the back of the net from their 30 non-penalty shots and ten non-penalty shots on target as they went on to lose 2-1 to the away side, who had five efforts on target in total.
Mohammed Diomande was moved into an attacking midfield position in the absence of Cantwell, and with Tom Lawrence on the bench, but failed to make the most of his opportunity to play further up the pitch, having previously impressed in a deeper role.
The Ivorian talent failed to score from his two shots on target and none of the four chances he created for his teammates represented a 'big chance' to score, which suggests that the quality of his key passes were not very high.
This suggests that Clement sorely missed his usual number ten option, as the deadline day signing could not step up to adequately fill in for the former Norwich star in that role.
The stats that show Rangers why missed Cantwell
The 26-year-old magician had been on fire for the Scottish giants prior to his current injury blow, which makes his absence all the more frustrating for the Gers.
Cantwell had stepped up as both a scorer and a creator for the side as an attacking midfielder, with three goals and three 'big chances' created in his last six Premiership appearances.
Goals
Three
Key passes
12
Big chances created
Three
Big chances missed
Zero
Sofascore rating
7.67
As you can see in the table above, the Rangers star consistently made an impact at the top end of the pitch with goals and high-quality chances created.
He had also been clinical in front of goal with zero 'big chances' missed. In fact, Cantwell has scored five goals from an Expected Goals (xG) of 4.01 in the Premiership this season, which shows that he has been above average as a finisher based on the quality of opportunities that have been created for him.
These statistics, along with his return of six goals in 15 league starts for Rangers last season, suggest that he has the ruthless nature in front of goal that the Light Blues lacked in the defeat to Motherwell.
His absence may not have been as much of a blow, however, if they had Hagi at his peak as an option to call upon, as the Romania international was a Premiership star before his injury issues.
The stats that show why Ianis Hagi was like Cantwell
The attacking midfielder, who was loaned out to Deportivo Alaves at the start of this season by Michael Beale, was a wizard under Gerrard during the 2020/21 title-winning campaign.
Appearances
33
Starts
23
Goals
Seven
Assists
11
Chances created
33
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old maestro made a big impact at the top end of the pitch with 18 direct goal contributions in just 23 starts as the Gers won the league.
He topped the assist charts for the Light Blues, with two more than any other player in the squad, whilst Ryan Kent (ten) was the only attacking midfielder or winger with more goals than him.
These statistics show that the Romanian dynamo was a key performer for Gerrard, who described him as an "absolute dream" to work with, as he was a difference-maker – like Cantwell is now – in the final third with his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals for the Scottish giants.
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Unfortunately, Hagi, who was signed for £4.5m from Genk in 2020, suffered a horrendous knee injury midway through the following campaign that ultimately kept him out of action for over a year, and for 69 competitive Rangers games.
He only played eight league matches under Beale after his return in January 2023 before being sent out on loan to Spain ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
As it stands, the former Genk whiz has scored two goals and provided one assist in 20 competitive games for Alaves. The Rangers loanee is, clearly, still trying to get back to his best after such a horrific injury that kept him out for so long.
At the age of 25, hopefully Hagi will eventually get back to the form he displayed during the 2020/21 season, whether that is at Ibrox or elsewhere.
Clement could have used his quality – given his impressive record of goals and assists in the Premiership for Gerrard – against Motherwell on Saturday to ease the blow of losing Cantwell.
Instead, the Gers boss will have to find alternative solutions over the coming weeks before the former Norwich dynamo returns to action.