Shane Duffy’s arrival at Celtic will be intriguing for many reasons, but a lot of fans will be wondering how he’s going to fit into the first team.
Lenny tends to play with a back four and Ajer and Jullien will see themselves as un-droppable, but even those who are utterly terrible at maths will understand that three does not go into two.
It leaves the management team with a big decision to make when it comes to settling on a regular starting XI, but it’s also possible that we might see a bit of tinkering this season.
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Duffy looks like he will improve the defence so a lot of fans will want to see him going straight into the team, so here’s a look at the two most likely ways that Celtic will line up to incorporate him:
This does appear to be the most likely option because it’s Celtic’s general shape and it makes the most of the strength in midfield, but it also means that someone is going to miss out.
There will be speculation that Ajer might look to force a move and he could even be deployed in a rotation role in the midfield to get him into the team that way, but it ultimately means that one of Jullien/Ajer/Duffy won’t be a regular starter in their normal position.
Option two could be deployed more regularly in Europe but it could also be effective in tougher league games where it’s especially important to dominate in the central areas.
It probably won’t be a long term plan because it immediately takes Forrest and Elyounoussi out of their best roles, but it would allow Celtic to control the game and build from the back so it’s a handy option to have.
A lot will depend on Ajer’s future so if he’s sold an a squad level player comes in to replace him then it immediately makes Duffy and Jullien the first choice pairing, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out this season.
