Nikola Katic vs Joe Worrall is certainly proving to be an interesting battle, but what must in-form Katic be thinking from the bench?
The Croatian centre-back hasn’t put a foot wrong since arriving at Ibrox in the summer. Developing a highly-praised partnership with Connor Goldson, Rangers got a terrific repuation over the summer for being organised at the back.
Since then, however, the introduction of Worrall has thrown Katic onto the bench. On-loan Nottingham Forest man Worrall has had an inconsistent start to life in the first-team. Starting with an impressive showing in Villarreal, the centre-back did well against Ayr before looking woeful against Livingston.
Again, Worrall put in a great display against Rapid Vienna on Thursday night to cement his place. Now, he has a big challenge today against Uche Ikpeazu of Hearts. Another impressive showing and it’ll be hard to drop him.
Yet, that’s exactly what Steven Gerrard has done to Katic. There were certainly no signs of detriment in Katic’s game before being thrown to the bench. It seems to have been a tactical decison more than anything. Now, it’s Worrall who’s looking to strike up a successful partnership with Goldson.
Too much too soon?
One possible explanation is that Gerrard may feel he’s giving Katic too much too soon. The Gers manager has called the Croatian starlet a “baby” in the past in terms of his defensive work.
Does Gerrard actually see Katic as one for the future instead of the here and now? Probably not. After all, we’ve seen what Katic can do at a high level in Europa League qualifying. He also didn’t look out of place at venues such as Pittodrie and Celtic Park.
Katic himself will know this, and will be wondering why he’s being benched consistently at this point.
Granted, he may come back into the starting line-up this afternoon against Hearts. Worrall has played the last two matches, and Gerrard may want to freshen it up once more.
But one of the biggest dangers in football is consistently switching up your defence. Gerrard should know this more than most given his experiences at the highest level of the game.
It’ll continue to be an interesting development in Rangers’ first-team. Should Katic be put back in for today’s match? Or does Worrall now deserve the chance to continue building on his Rapid Vienna performance?
Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
