Eros Grezda or Daniel Candeias? It’s a question Steven Gerrard will have to think to himself on plenty of occasions this season.
To many, there would be one clear winner. Candeias has been raising the bar in recent times. Since signing in the summer of 2017, the Portuguese has made 66 appearances at the club. Bagging 11 goals, his energy has made him a cult-hero in Govan.
Grezda, meanwhile, remains an unproven talent. He’s yet to put in a consistent run of good performances despite a highly-talked about reputation when he arrived in Scotland this summer.
It would all point to Candeias starting when Livingston turn up to Ibrox on Saturday then. Fresh off of his suspension, the right-winger would be itching to make an impact. Only it’s not the right decision.
Grezda deserves the chance to build on his first two Rangers goals against Motherwell last weekend. He was electric in the final stages of the match, but it was also against 10 men. Grezda just needed something to help him pick up some confidence, and he’s done just that.
It’s vital he stays in the side
Dropping him at this stage, given the early troubles he’s had with injuries and fitness concerns, would be extremely detrimental to his game. He’ll already have had some of his confidence taken down after a 4-0 home mauling by Scotland yesterday. Removing him from the Rangers side when he doesn’t deserve to be would be a big double-whammy.
Rangers know what Candeias will do. He’ll run his heart out for the club and try and put in a ton of crosses for Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty. Regardless of how many times he’s dropped, he always comes back more determined.
Considering the fact he’s just returning from suspension, Candeias is likely expecting not to start this weekend. It wouldn’t be much of a blow for him, and he’ll be just as assured on the field when he comes back into the fold.
Increasing Grezda’s confidence up to a level where he can perform consistently must be on Gerrard’s mind. Therefore, dropping him for Candeias would be the wrong way to go about things.
Grezda vs Candeias will be an intriguing battle in the long-term. For now, however, Gerrard has to stand by Grezda.
