Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has praised the mentality of Nikola Katic ahead of the second leg against Braga, perhaps hinting he’ll stick by the defender, as quoted by the Scotsman.
The centre-back had a torrid time at McDiarmid Park on Sunday, making multiple mistakes at the back, two of which led to St Johnstone goals as the Gers dropped more Premiership points.
However, the manager has spoken of the player’s need to regroup and has praised his professionalism ahead of the mammoth fixture in Portugal, suggesting he may not be dropped from the side.
“The praise is good when you score the winner at Celtic Park,” said Gerrard, as quoted by the Scotsman. “You have the reverse as people think you are the best thing on the planet and you lap that adulation up. I think he enjoyed that, so you need to take the rough with the smooth.”
“That’s the life of a footballer. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it isn’t. You have to ride the journey out. When it’s up, it’s up. When it’s down, you need to work even harder, reset and regroup.”
“He is a good type, the ultimate professional and to be fair to the kid, for his age, he is one who will take accountability. He will stand up and will never hide. If he’s ever made a mistake for us, his hand goes straight up in the air. I respect and admire that. As a professional, he’s immaculate.”
Verdict
Earlier in the week, we suggested that Gerrard should bring in George Edmundson to partner Connor Goldson in defence in Braga.
Just a few days after a nightmare outing in Perth, it would be a big ask to select Katic and ask him to help keep a clean sheet in knockout European football against much stronger opposition.
However, the manager has spoken of a heart-to-heart with the player and after these comments, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he is retained in the side.
In Edmundson, there’s a young and physically imposing replacement waiting in the wings.
Yet, given that he didn’t play a single minute in the group stages of the competition, perhaps Gerrard would consider drafting him in at this stage an even greater risk than deploying the confidence-shy, but relatively more experienced Katic.
