As quoted by Rangers.co.uk, Steven Gerrard has predicted his defenders could be in the goals once more, as his side take on FC Midtjylland in a two-legged Europa League Qualifier.
Connor Goldson was the hero for the Gers at the weekend, with his injury-time header downing Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
It may be harder to find space in the box against the Danes though, given the step up in quality. There has been plenty of hype around Midtjylland’s own prowess from set-pieces, with the likes of ex-Celtic star Erik Sviatchenko looking to get on the end of crosses.
However, the manager is confident his side can more than hold their own in that area of the game.
Gerrard identifies three Rangers aerial threats
“I think with Niko [Katic] and Connor [Goldson], and also Filip [Helander] when he is ready we have guys who have really big, tall profiles who are hungry in the opposition box and can go and cause a threat,” he said, as quoted by Rangers.co.uk.
“Scotty Arfield got his goal at the weekend because of Niko’s hunger in the box, and then Connor stepped up as a leader to get us three important points.
“We certainly carry a threat ourselves, but we got done with a set-piece at the weekend which was a concern, so against a team like Midtjylland, we have to defend set-pieces really well and we’ll have to defend our own box. That’s the priority.”
Verdict
With these comments, Gerrard seems to have hinted that Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson will start in Denmark.
Helander is clearly still not quite up to it but could feature in the second leg, while George Edmundson doesn’t even get a mention.
The manager is spot on to highlight Rangers’ own aerial threat in light of all the talk about the opposition. Helander and Katic are both 6ft 4″, while Goldson stands at a still impressive 6ft 3″.
Ideally, the attacking players will do the job from open play. If called upon, though, the defensive unit is certainly capable of continuing to contribute goals.
