Nikola Katic has fully come into his own this season and the big Croatian is Rangers best defender.
This may not exactly be a revelation to those who have watched Rangers so far this season, but Nikola Katic is officially their best defender. He got off to a solid start last season as well, but lost his spot to Joe Worrall (for reasons that remain a mystery to me) and once he lost his place he lost confidence. That said, Katic played in the last several matches of the season and was highly effective.
When Rangers made a big-money signing of Filip Helander from Serie A many figured that Katic would be the odd man out. Connor Goldson has Premier League experience and is the vice-captain of the team, while Katic is still young and lost his spot last season.
Katic has responded by becoming a dominating force at the back of Rangers team. He wins absolutely everything out of the air, fearless in attacking anything and everything. And his speed has won many balls as well.
The sheer tenacity of defending from Katic has made him an ideal player for the typically physical Scottish Game. The big Croatian seems to relish in the physicality, as opposed to his fellow countryman Borna Barasic who has struggled with it.
He is also a threat on the offensive end, using his great header skills to good effect out of set pieces, and his strength makes him hard to move.
With his combination of ability and youth, Katic may not spend much longer with the club as if his form continues he will almost certainly be receiving significant bids.
Regardless of how long he spends with the club, he looks to be Gerrard’s best signing so far.