Glen Kamara was a key part of Rangers' Scottish Premiership title winning side, make no mistake of his talents.
A bargain £50,000 signing, Kamara has produced everything you could want and more of from then-Premiership side Dundee. Tidy in possession, showing potential to grow as a player and becoming a real mainstay of the Light Blues’ champions side in 2021, the Finnish international played for Rangers 55 times that season in all competitions during an impressive campaign.
However, Kamara has struggled to capture his best from this season while Rangers have lacked massively in certain parts of the season. The Champions League horror show in which they became the worst ever group stage side and an awful run of form in the autumn period which saw Rangers pick up just eight points from five games in the league.
They now trail Celtic by nine points in the league and missed out on silverware to their rivals, and during this tough spell Kamara is only showing shadows of glimpses of who he was two seasons ago. Michael Beale has admitted his is a big fan of Kamara but his form won't have gone unnoticed.
John Lundstram, Malik Tillman and Ryan Jack are performing relatively well under his guidance, adding to the frustrations that he has been faced with in his superb start to life as Rangers boss. But the stats don't lie with Kamara - and when comparing his output in 2020/21 to the current season (2022/23), it's clear to see a drop off in performance.
Kamara - then and now
In general, Kamara's passing stats are quite similar when looking at the two seasons in depth. With a slight decrease in pass accuracy from 92 per cent to 91 per cent, alongside a fall-off in key passes - which have dropped from 0.35 per ninety minutes to 0.32 - it isn't the on-the-ball part of Kamara's game which is the cause for concern here. Instead, it is how he helps the team away from his possession which has taken a spill.
Passing does not tell the whole story, and his stats in other departments have shown how the hallmarks of his game - which relied massively on determination to win the ball back - have dropped drastically. With dribbles per ninety decreasing from 1.89 to 1.39, shots reducing almost threefold from 0.32 per ninety minutes to 0.13 and shots-on-target falling from 0.11 to just a measly 0.03, Kamara's output in the final third has dwindled to almost obscurity - not only making a case for him not to start under Beale, but it also puts extra pressure on other attacking stars to bridge that particular gap.
Furthermore the defensive side of his game, which perhaps would be utilised more under Gerrard, admittedly has also toiled. 3.5 ball recoveries per ninety minutes in the Premiership 'Invincibles' campaign is now just 2.6, tackles have almost halved from 2.3 per ninety to 1.2, and it is the same with ball interceptions, having been slashed from 3.4 per ninety to just 2. Kamara has also been substituted once every three matches this season - a huge increase from the one-in-seven ratio he amassed two years ago, perhaps showing that there is not much faith left to be shown in him before his time in the starting XI is up.
Old Firm failings
It appears as though Kamara is stuck between some odd 'halfway house' dilemma; his role in a Michael Beale setup alongside a more defensive-minded player like Ryan Jack or John Lundstram could mean that he isn't being told to take on as much responsibility in patrolling the midfield area and mopping up in front of the back four.
But with the arrivals of Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin in the winter window - Beale's only signings, and of course those being two players who are more than capable of playing in central midfield and behind the striker - the future does seem to look slightly bleak for Kamara, especially with fans craning for Raskin to be subbed on as early as half-time in the Viaplay Cup final against their bitter rivals.
Beale's backing
We can see this in Rangers' fixtures this season. From Beale’s opening fixture against Hibs back in December, Kamara has registered just one assist in 13 matches, scoring no goals. He’s created just six chances, in that time, and had just TWO shots. But this still means that he has failed to take part just twice under Beale, insinuating that he still has the backing of the Englishman.
In terms of ball retention, he’s lost the ball 45 times in 13 matches under Beale, which is admittedly a high proportion of the 15 games he has managed. And, with 10 of those turnovers being in his own half, that is generally a reason to be wary.
Under Gio, his pass percentage in the Dutchman’s final three games was miles below his best - 64 per cent, 67 per cent and 74 per cent against St Johnstone, Hearts and St Mirren are without doubt a key factor in Rangers picking up just four points from three games in the aforementioned trilogy.
If you compare that to Cantwell's excellence - with the former Norwich star having played in just six games under Beale - he’s created four chances in half of the games, taking five shots and losing the ball just 18 times despite being in a more advanced position where he is thus more likely to lose the ball due to the increased number of defenders in the final third.
They play in different positions but the fact of matter remains that Cantwell is losing the ball less despite being higher up the pitch. that is not a great look for Kamara if he wants to play in this possession-dominant Beale team.
What next for Kamara?
With Raskin coming in to the ranks over the coming months and his age giving him more scope to grow, Rangers could look to slowly integrate the Belgian into first-team proceedings ahead of Kamara alongside a steelier, experienced member such as Lundstram or Jack. Kamara's days are not numbered as such – Beale would not pick him if he didn't think the Finnish international had something to offer. But his form will be a worry for himself, the boss and the fans – he needs to get back to his best, and quick.
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