The Connor Goldson qualities Rangers have retained with contract bombshell

"#RangersFC today wishes to put on record our sincere thanks to Connor Goldson for his service to the club over the past four years…," it read, seemingly preceding the inevitable news of his departure.

#RangersFC today wishes to put on record our sincere thanks to Connor Goldson for his service to the club over the past four years…

…as we look ahead to the next four years of having him at Ibrox 💙#Goldson2026 pic.twitter.com/kfoNDX7tRA

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) June 1, 2022

"…as we look ahead to the next four years of having him at Ibrox."

Everyone expected Goldson to depart for pastures new this summer following the expiry of his contract. Indeed, speaking after the Europa League Final, Giovanni van Bronckhorst himself conceded the likelihood of Goldson remaining at Ibrox was “small”.

His decision is not only a boost based on consistent performances since arriving at Ibrox in 2018, but also frees up funds that would've otherwise been spent finding a replacement. 

Just how good is Goldson?

It’s difficult to judge defenders based on data because not every effective defensive action is measurable. a high volume of involvement does not immediately equal good performance. Defender A could make double the defensive actions of Defender B in a season, but what if Defender B simply played in a team that dominated the ball?

To use another example, when a team fields an offside trap that negates the need for defensive intervention, there is no record of a tackle, interception or duel. Prevention is an underrated attribute in defenders and Goldson has excelled in this area during his time at the club.

Put simply, the best defender is not necessarily the busiest. To borrow an overused Paulo Maldini quote: “If I have to make a tackle I have already made a mistake.” While an extreme example, this statement demonstrates that defending should not always be measured by direct involvement.

Goldson's ever-present role in the heart of Rangers’ record-breaking 2020/21 defence and 2021/22 run to the Europa League Final is clear evidence of quality for those who remain unconvinced. 

READ MORE: Should Rangers attempt Amad Diallo loan extension to experience untapped potential?

“I would love to have Connor in the team next year and I still have in my mind that he will be part of Rangers next year,” van Bronckhorst told the media recently before a contract extension was confirmed. 

Steven Gerrard’s affection for Goldson was no secret and the ex-manager said prior to his Ibrox departure of the defender’s contract negotiation: “He knows how much I want him to stay here.”

Both managers Goldson has worked under at Rangers clearly rate him highly given his contributions with and without the ball.

A better player than he arrived

The narrative surrounding Goldson can admittedly become a little short-sighted. He would not have been irreplaceable this summer and does have the ocassional mistake in his game, as demonstrated in the Europa League final. However, the player that leaves Ibrox is a far better version of the 25-year-old who arrived for £3 million from Brighton.

Comparison of his 2018/19 StatsBomb radar to last season’s output shows this.

If you're new to these visuals, the higher the percentile rating and closer to the boundary lines the better.

The highlighted blue area (18/19) is usurped by red (21/22). Note in particular the decreasing number of one-v-one duels Goldson is losing (Tack/Dribbled Past), increase in successful interceptions and aerial wins alongside his xGBuildUp almost doubling, which will be elaborated upon later.

2020/21 was likely his strongest individual season as Rangers conceded a meagre 13 goals in the league. However, comparing 2021/22 to that title-winning campaign reveals little difference in regards to his output.

Factors such as Allan McGregor’s statistical drop-off, a lack of tactical variation leading to the development of a soft underbelly and regime change must be considered when reviewing the performance of the defence as a whole last season.

Goldson's availability and durability would've been hard to find in the market. Take a look at his minutes played in the Premiership since he first arrived. 

Developing in possession 

The trademark Goldson diagonal that Gerrard utilised predominantly to switch play and occasionally break behind the defensive line has been further unleashed by van Bronckhorst since last November.

A look at the defender's successful high passes in the Scottish Premiership last season shows three clear directions of travel.

1. The switch of play to open up the pitch and move the opposition’s defensive block.

2. The diagonal played into space to break the defensive line.

3. The floated ball to James Tavernier high up the pitch, to enter the attacking third. A passage of play that increased under van Bronckhorst,

Goldson’s role and responsibility has changed somewhat since Gerrard departed.

As demonstrated in the season-upon-season comparison above, the number of long passes played hasn’t deviated all that much, dropping from 17.76 in 2020/21 to 16.25 in 2021/22.

Additionally, in that title-winning season, he averaged 67.59 passes, a number which again dropped slightly this campaign to 66.33. His average pass length (25.51 to 25.34) pass forward percentage (25 to 26) and pass sideways percentage (72 to 72) all show little sign of change. It should be added that Rangers' average open play passes from 597 in 2020/21 to 561 in 2021/22 shows a slight reduction.

It's Goldson’s xGBuildUp increase that speaks to the extra responsibility placed upon his distribution into the final third under the tutelage of van Bronckhorst.

xGBuildUp is a metric that: “Attributes the xG value of the final shot to all players involved in the entire possession. xG and xG Assisted are omitted to focus on possession work.”

Excluding xG and xG Assisted allows the metric to concentrate solely on build-up play, the sequences of possession that leads to the creation of chances.    

In 2020/21, Goldson had the sixth-highest total at the club.

In 2021/22 he had the second-highest.

Simply put over the course of last season, the defender became the second most important player statistically in getting possession up the pitch and into forward areas.

As the Rangers Review highlighted soon after van Bronckhorst's arrival, the team’s build-up play has become more direct, with greater emphasis placed on either centre-back moving the ball forwards without the help of midfielders.

Take this example from a defeat against Aberdeen in Gerrard’s first season. Goldson and Joe Worrall have Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara dropping in as passing options to progress the ball forwards. 

Compare that with a 2-2 draw with Motherwell in February under van Bronckhorst's management. Here, Goldson is expected to eat up ground and move the ball into the final third himself, facilitating two midfielders (Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo) to remain in the final third.

This tactical alteration has increased Goldson’s responsibility and activity in chance creation.

Defensive versatility

Most importantly, Goldson possesses the ability to defend in a high line and low block. His recovery pace and mobility allowed Gerrard to play a high line that squeezed the opposition up the pitch and lent itself to quick counter-pressing. 

READ MORE: Supporting runs and imitating Kyle Walker: Analysing Calvin Bassey's future Rangers role

For van Bronckhrost, this attribute allowed him to defend using his favoured man-for-man system as Rangers reached the Europa League final, given Goldson is comfortable making defensive actions high up the pitch.

This trait should not be underrated. There are countless examples in world football of players appearing uncomfortable when defending high up the pitch isolated in an individual duel, without the insurance policy of a tight-knitted defensive shape.

Comparing Goldson’s defensive activity map in the Europa League this season demonstrates his flexibility.

Notice the height of his interactions in home ties, when Rangers played an aggressive front-foot style of football.

Compared to European fixtures away from Ibrox, often approached in a more conservative manner.

Rangers can approach the new campaign with a defensive unit, boosted by the free signing of John Souttar and retention of their vice-captain.

They're keeping an experienced, durable and flexible defender who will, injury-permitting, remain the cornerstone of the side until 2026.