Has Steven Gerrard been preparing to field Eros Grezda against Aberdeen in recent weeks?
Last night against Spartak Moscow, we got yet another 20 minutes from the Albanian winger. It appears that Gerrard has been focusing on fielding him in recent matches to help build up his match-fitness.
This may very well be because he sees Grezda as the ideal fit to play up top on Sunday. Against Spartak, Grezda was Gerrard’s first port of call to try and change the game.
Even though Grezda came on and didn’t take a spot alongside Alfredo Morelos, he could easily still play there on Sunday. Rangers will be without the Colombian and fellow forward Kyle Lafferty through suspension and being cup-tied respectively.
Grezda could’ve won the match against Spartak last night in the final few seconds. He was in the box for a cut-back from Ryan Kent, before blazing his shot just over. It certainly wasn’t an unconvincing strike, but Grezda just put too much elevation on it.
The main thing was, however, that he was in the position for the shot. It was good striker’s awareness from the Albanian, and that was a sign he could perhaps play up top fairly capably.
A lack of serious competition
His alternative competition comes in the form of Umar Sadiq, Scott Arfield, and perhaps Ryan Kent in particular. It would be extremely surprising to see Kent shifted from where he’s performing so capably down the left. Arfield is also still injured, and is a major doubt for Sunday’s match.
Nobody needs to mention why Sadiq won’t play. He’s barely featured in Rangers’ first-team since arriving on-loan from Roma. If he was going to feature on Sunday, surely he would’ve gotten at least some minutes last night.
Instead, responsibility is likely to fall on the shoulders of Grezda. Of course, Gerrard could still surprise us on Sunday and play an unexpected talent. Grezda’s recent substitute appearances against Spartak and Hamilton could point to him being selected, however.
Whoever starts will need to hold the ball up to good effect against a pair of powerful centre-backs. It will be surprising if Aberdeen fielded anyone other than Scott McKenna and Michael Devlin at the back, and both love a challenge. They’ll look to get tight to Rangers’ front-man and give him no time on the ball.
Gerrard needs to pick someone who he feels can cope with that pressure best.
At this early stage, it looks like he has his eye on Grezda
