When Christopher Jullien’s knee collided with the post and as the defender lay on the turf, let’s be honest how many of you thought ‘here we go again, up you get big yin’?
Then when you realised his signature ‘ I’m hurt but not really’ repeated shake of the wrist with his two fingers extended was missing. At that juncture how many altered their thinking to, ‘Oh come in can we not catch get a break here?
If the noise of the collision picked up by the sound equipment in Wednesday’s win over Dundee United wasn’t enough, the fact there were no histrionics from big Jullien soon hit it home that Celtic had a big hole to fill should the Frenchman not recover in time for tomorrow’s Glasgow Derby. The grainy post-match pictures of the player in crutches were enough to almost extinguish hope. It felt like the season in microcosm, whenever we get on the front foot, season 20/21 has a habit of aiming a swinging boot flush between our legs.
Six wins, confidence building, an attack banging in the goals and creating more, a midfield protecting a backline and a number ten delivering the ball to team mates like he’s practicing with his sand wedge and then the final piece in the jigsaw, a defence managing four consecutive clean sheets in the league then boom, fate takes aim.
We all wish Christopher Jullien a quick recovery, indeed it may be grasping at straws but we probably all still hope the centre half makes a remarkable recovery. But deep down and with travel restrictions impacting any hope of a quick jaunt to Lourdes it looks likely Neil Lennon will have to shuffle Celtic’s defensive pack again for tomorrow’s ‘just win’ Derby.
The decision as to who comes in to play comes down to only three real alternatives and possibly means Lennon’s plans of employing Kris Ajer at right back for his positional discipline may also have to be changed, indeed that’s all but a certainty. A glimmer of hope however does remain.
Jeremie Frimpong has played well of late, very much improved in fact and whilst there are obvious weaknesses in his positional play his threat going forward may well suit a team needing to win. But the decision as to who partners Kris Ajer is a tough call.
Nir Bitton, Shane Duffy and Hatem abd Elhamed appear the alternatives. Elhamed however seems to be in cold storage as rumours around homesickness linger – though his agent has poured cold water on those of late. It could be that Israeli is one of Lennon’s legendary wildcard selections but it appears unlikely.
If Nir Bitton getting the nod to replace Jullien on Wednesday indicates Lennon’s thinking then Celtic’s regular squad filler could be the one called upon. Yet his decision making and timing when players run beyond him has been magnified in recent games at both Hamilton and against Dundee United. If Lennon therefore felt ready to trust Bitton, it could well be that recent aberrations have planted seeds of doubt.
There is the added predicament as to whether playing Ajer and Bitton as a partnership ever works when both wish to play from the back, in my own mind with those two players it’s really either-or rather than a partnership that works together.
And then there is Shane Duffy, today’s Birthday Bhoy – happy Birthday Shane from all at The Celtic Star!
🎂 Happy birthday, Shane Duffy! 🍀🇮🇪
Have a great day 🙌#CelticFC 🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/e956Lrwe7E
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 1, 2021
The player arrived with a fanfare and started like a train. One that soon derailed. The defender has been poor passing out from the back and even his strong positional play, and ball winning skills in the air and on the deck have been somewhat inconsistent to say the least. Yet there have been signs of recovery of late and Duffy was playing well until picking up an injury in the Cup Final. Since then, he’s only been fit for the bench.
If as we expect Jullien hasn’t enough time to recover ahead of tomorrow’s game Neil Lennon has a tough choice to make. He is of course likely to give the Frenchman to the last minute to prove his fitness but in the meantime, he must be preparing a Plan B.
It’s no easy choice in choosing between three defenders, none of which have earned the manager’s trust as a first pick. One with morale so low in Elhamed, that it would be a heck of a risk to gamble on the player being focused, one a squad player more suited to a home tie against bottom six opposition, and another who on paper has had the best career of all three but for a multitude of reasons hasn’t shown what he’s capable of in a Celtic shirt.
But it’s that last reason why I’d be hoping to see Shane Duffy’s name on the team-sheet if Jullien is unavailable. Indeed, ideally – even if Jullien is ready to play – I’d select Shane Duffy and play them together and shift Ajer to right back.
Of all the available choices Duffy is a player that we know has more in his locker. We know all about Nir Bitton, what he can and can’t do, there is nothing more to come from Bitton that could surprise us.
With Duffy however we know he’s not reached the heights but we also know there is a player there with room to improve. He’s been there and done it elsewhere at a high level and had a career so impressive that he’s the Irish national captain.
Guys like Duffy were signed for games like this and are paid for games like this – he also has a point to prove. He’s made enough utterances in public of his own self-awareness that up to now performances in the Hoops have not been up to scratch. This could well be a game that is the making of him.
From a tactical perspective Celtic’s improving from set pieces should also come into the decision-making process. Turnbull’s lofted deliveries from corner kicks are a welcome addition to the armoury, yet without Jullien then Ajer and Bitton are not renowned for attacking cross balls with any degree of appetite or accuracy. If Celtic are to take advantage of balls into the box a threat in there is essential. Duffy – and preferably alongside Jullien – would give theRangers back line something to worry about, without them the chance to take advantage from Turnbull’s deliveries could be somewhat blunted.
Nothing makes a bigger hero of a Celt than a win at Ibrox and Duffy could be just the man to deliver.
When the alternatives are a wildcard, a solid but far from sound squad player and the Irish international captain with a point to prove, there’s no need to overthink the decision.
Shane Duffy needs to start at Ibrox. The only decision should be if that is alongside or instead of Christopher Jullien. That one will be down to Jullien’s powers of recovery.
Niall J
