I like the brutal part of his defensive game. Like Puyol and Masche he doesn't back down from a challenge.
He doesn't necessarily need to become stronger than likes of Lukaku. But rather learn how to effectively defend against physical players with the help of his teammates.
Him and Araujo can make a good pairing. As much of a clown Pique is sometimes, I think for now they both benefit from rotating playing with Pique one game and each other the next.
But at the moment Pique should be ahead of him in the Gala XI.