Rangers dominate possession in most domestic games. This occurs quite often by default, as their opponents prioritise defence. As a consequence, it’s normal for the likes of Connor Goldson and Filip Helander to have plenty of touches, and time to decide how to use the ball.
The centre-backs need to tick all the key defensive boxes, but ideally they will also add value to the attacking play. This could mean staying calm and retaining possession under pressure or showing the skill to take space when it is given. It could involve playing through the lines to Alfredo Morelos or Ryan Kent, or switching out to the flanks when James Tavernier and Borna Barisic push forward.
Rangers have four centre-back options in their squad: Goldson, Helander, Leon Balogun and Jack Simpson. There’s also Nikola Katic, currently on loan at Hajduk Split. Each of these players have their own strengths and weaknesses, impacting Rangers’ build-up play in unique ways.
Connor Goldson: variety and unpredictability
Last December, Steven Gerrard specifically praised Goldson’s distribution, saying: “His passing has been next level”. There’s no doubt that the club vice-captain is the team’s best central defender when it comes to building play from the back.
Goldson has good range, meaning he can pass accurately over long distances. His favourite pass is the diagonal over the top for a forward to run onto. Usually, the recipient is Kent, but in the example below it’s Scott Wright.
The 28-year-old’s range ensures variety, making Rangers less predictable. Not only do opponents need to cut off the short balls into midfield, but they also need to watch out for the long ball in behind them for a quick runner to latch onto.
If Goldson isn’t playing a searching pass for Kent, he can switch the attack, picking out the left-back.
While the opponent is focused on preventing attacks down Goldson’s side, they leave Calvin Bassey free on the other side. Rather than playing two or three passes along the line, Goldson can pick the left-back out with one pass, giving the defence less time to shuffle over and deny space.
Filip Helander: keeping it simple
Helander is a pure central defender. He reads the game superbly, provides great cover for the more aggressive Goldson, and dominates in the air. He is not renowned for his ability on the ball. However, while he doesn’t necessarily *add* value to the team’s attack, he also doesn’t take too much away.
Generally, the big Swede keeps it simple and is a minimum fuss ball-player. He finds the nearest available teammate with the fewest amount of touches. In short, he knows his limitations, which is more than can be said for a lot of centre-backs.
Helander’s big advantage in possession is that he’s naturally left-footed. This appears to be important to Gerrard, as he has two righties (Goldson, Balogun) and two lefties (Helander, Simpson) in his four current centre-back options, ensuring depth on each side.
Having a left-footer at left centre-back isn’t absolutely crucial, but it can help, especially when being pressed from the inside by the opposition. While right-footers may feel uncomfortable, Helander happily takes the ball on his stronger side, playing left-footed passes into midfield or out to the flank.
His presence will be missed this season now that he's been ruled out for months with injury.
Leon Balogun: driving forward
Rangers fans that recall Madjid Bougherra will know how valuable (and, frankly, entertaining) it is to have a centre-back capable of driving the ball forward. Balogun may not have the same marauding tendencies as Bougherra, but he is arguably the most capable of the current Rangers options in this specific department.
He is quick and comfortable on the ball, which explains why he is the centre-back that gets shunted to right-back whenever Tavernier or Nathan Patterson are unavailable.
But when Balogun does play at the heart of the back four, these qualities can be seen when he steps out of defence and brings the ball up the pitch single-handedly…
Or when he escapes pressure from a striker.
Balogun may not have the vision and accuracy of passing over long distance that Goldson has, but he is more comfortable than Helander in isolation. He can solve the problem of pressure, without the help of nearby teammates, through the dribble.
Jack Simpson: Goldson/Helander hybrid
Like Helander, Simpson is a left-footer. However, he is far more agile and dynamic, and he also has a better first touch. While Helander looks to keep it simple and let more gifted ball-players do the heavy lifting in possession, Simpson actively looks to get involved.
The 24-year-old former Bournemouth man takes up far more proactive positions during the game. Here we see him playing on a more advanced line than Goldson, seeking to receive around the opponent’s first line of defence and progress the attack.
Simpson also looks to make himself available, changing his position in relation to the opponent. This is what makes him the most ‘dynamic’ of Rangers’ centre-back options. He doesn’t stand still, and he wants to get on the ball.
In the next sequence of clips he plays a one-two with Glen Kamara, changing position to receive the return ball and keep possession flowing.
Goldson is Rangers’ first-choice receiver on short goal kicks when under pressure, playing long balls to try and turn the opponent. But Simpson, assuming he eliminates some of the short-passing errors he made against Dunfermline in League Cup action, could take Goldson’s role in future.
Nikola Katic: loans and limitations
Having spent a whole year out with serious injury, it would be wrong to judge Katic too harshly on pre-season performances. However, his showing against Brighton highlighted some of his limitations on the ball.
Katic is famous for his aerial prowess, but his long passing has never been a strength. Against Brighton, one attempt at switching to the far-side full-back led to an opposition throw-in deep in Rangers territory.
A natural right-footer, Katic had fallen behind Goldson and Balogun in the pecking order. His on-ball issues, alongside post-injury rust, may well have been behind that. Nonetheless, if he impresses on loan at Hajduk Split, there may still be a future for him as a Helander-type, short and simple passer.
The future As it stands, Goldson’s contract situation remains unresolved. If he were to leave next summer, Rangers wouldn’t just be losing a leader, a solid defender and a valuable source of set-piece goals, but they would be saying goodbye to their most complete ball-playing centre-back.
The nearest to Goldson in terms of passing range and general comfort on the ball is Simpson, but he’s a left-footer and unlikely to play alongside Helander. Post Goldson-Helander, a Katic-Simpson partnership could make sense, continuing the trend of pairing one pure defender with a ball-player. However, both need to work on certain areas (Katic in possession, Simpson in marking and duels).
Centre-back is the only area in Gerrard’s system, and in modern football generally, where the concept of a partnership between two complementary players remains key. Nowadays most top teams, including Rangers, generally play some variation of three midfielders and lone strikers, but two centre-backs is still the norm.
Goldson and Helander have formed a near-perfect partnership, one where each player’s strengths compensate for weaknesses in the other, but there are questions over what happens when one of them leaves. The form of Simpson and Katic this season might help provide some answers.
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