Rangers looked dominant in their Europa League qualifiers as they secured one comprehensive victory after another. However, they were pushed to the edge in the first game in the Premiership as they had to rely on a late goal from Connor Goldson against Kilmarnock.
Rangers were purposeless for the most parts in the second half, and it seemed like they were trying to hold on to a 1-0 victory. Their nightmares almost came true as Kilmarnock equalised late. However, as it happened, it wasn’t late enough, and Rangers managed to find a winner in stoppage time.
Why does Gerrard need to stop the rotation of centre backs?
One thing that Gerrard did last season was he kept on changing Goldson’s defensive partner every now and then. Katic and Goldson had formed a seemingly strong partnership, but Gerrard introduced Joe Worrall in the Europa League games out of nowhere.
Katic started in 19 games after the Europa League qualifiers in all competitions. He started all the eight games in the qualifiers alongside Goldson and had formed a strong partnership with him. But he was later dropped in favour of Worrall. The English defender also never really managed to cement his place as Katic was given the nod on occasions.
The manager seems to be doing something similar again as George Edmundson started in the first leg vs Progres Niederkorn and many would say that he put in a man of the match performance in that clash where the home side won 2-0. Edmundson put in a powerful performance and made some crucial tackles and interceptions which helped the Gers finish the game with a clean sheet
However, in the second leg, Katic got the nod ahead of Edmundson even though he was one of the best if not the best player on the pitch in the last game. This breaks the confidence of the player and Edmundson would feel that selection in the starting eleven is not purely on a performance basis.
It is always good to have healthy competition for places. Rotation of players stops them from getting burnt out in a long season where Rangers will compete in four competitions if they make it to the main draw of the Europa League. However, centre back is a position which shouldn’t be tinkered with as the two central defenders need to have good understanding and communication between them.
Moreover, central defenders don’t need frequent rotation as that role isn’t one of the most energy-sapping positions. Centre backs primarily hold their ground for the majority of the game at the back instead of making lung-bursting runs now and then like fullbacks and midfielders. It is a position which demands consistency and Gerrard needs to pick one defender and back him for a few games. Changes should only be made if the player fails to perform.
