MICHAEL Beale has admitted that Todd Cantwell needs to calm down in Europe after seeing the Rangers playmaker narrowly avoid a red card in the Champions League play-off first leg match against PSV Eindhoven.
English midfielder Cantwell performed well for the Glasgow club in the 2-2 draw with their Dutch opponents at Ibrox and was involved in the build-up to the second goal which substitute Rabbi Matondo scored.
However, the former Norwich City man was fortunate not to pick up a second booking from French referee Clement Turpin in the second-half for a rash and needless challenge on a rival player and get himself ruled out of the second leg in the Netherlands next week.
Beale admitted he had tried to calm his January signing down on the touchline during the intense encounter – but expressed confidence that the fans’ favourite would learn invaluable lessons from the outing.
“I just feel there are times and places where you have to make fouls and tackles and that wasn’t one,” he said. “He just needs to be careful.
“He is usually on the end of things like that, so I like him to show his grit and things like that. But this is a new level again for Todd. He has not played in Europe in his career.
“He has played youth international football, but he has not played in Europe so this is a new level again. The level compared to domestic football goes through the roof.
“He will have learned a lot from tonight as well. He had a fantastic part in the second goal, but it’s tough to get on the ball against these teams. They counter press well, they are athletic and they are very organised.
“So this is the best learning ground for our team, but the most important thing next week is that we try to get the right result for everybody.”
Beale saw Rangers take and then relinquish the lead twice last night and he admitted that was a source of frustration to him – but he is hopeful that his charges will have benefited greatly from their run-out against Peter Bosz’s men.
“I think for this group of players having to sweat, run and make tackles and blocks for each other and to play against an elite opponent where you don’t always get your own way is really important for team building,” he said.
“I was here, as everyone knows, for three and a half years and that team wasn’t built on day one. We played Skopje here in Europe. That team, compared to the team that beat Porto and Feyenoord and went on to beat Dortmund, had a lot of grey days to get to there.
“I get that everyone wants it now. I’m at the front of that queue, no one is more frustrated than me. But sometimes I have to be positive and tonight was a step in the right direction. Let’s focus on next week and what is a huge, huge game for the club.”
