Steven Gerrard and his boys are deservingly getting accolades from all around after they came out of Spain with a point against Villarreal, a side which finished fifth in the La Liga last season. The gaffer made a brave call to include Joe Worrall in the starting lineup ahead of Nikola Katic, who has been the preferred first choice centre-back so far. As the game began, the Gers fan might have thought that Gerrard made a mistake as Carlos Bacca scored a goal inside a minute, when both the centre-backs were at sixes and sevens. But the Englishman regained his composure and put in a decent performance at the back.
The fact that Gerrard trusted him to start in such a big game suggests that the gaffer is happy with what Worrall brings to the table and we might see him regularly at the back for his side this season. The Nottingham Forest loanee was even seen barking out orders to some of his team-mates during the game, and he certainly didn’t look like a player who was making his debut. What made the call even more brave from Gerrard was that Worrall hadn’t played a competitive game since February, as Forest manager Aitor Karanka sidelined him.
Katic and Goldson formed a strong partnership, though there were some chinks here and there. Like Worrall, Katic is also of the same age, and there were some games where he was found out at the back. The English u-21 international didn’t mince any words when he said he had come here to play and he doesn’t mind seeing his other team-mate on the bench.
Worrall said,”I wasn’t surprised to be thrown into such a big game. I’ve got enough experience even at a young age to cope at this level and I proved it here.”
”Connor and Nikola have done really well but I haven’t come to Rangers to sit and say, ‘Oh, they’ve done really well so keep playing them’. I want to play and it’s as simple as that. Whether it’s with Connor or Nik I don’t really care – I just want to get in the team. Selfishly, I’m here to play minutes. I’m not here to praise them. That was my first start since February and I’ve been desperate to play. I’ve been training hard and feel fit – at least I thought I was until I got a cramp after 80 minutes!”-he added further.
The defender is likely to be the first choice centre-back after a decent outing in Spain. He looked decent on the ball and read the dangers well when Villarreal were attacking. The 21-year-old was found wanting on some occasions, but with more game time, one could expect him to be the primary partner for Goldson throughout the season at the back for the Gers.
