Whilst it would be unfair to say the signing of centre back Moritz Jenz on loan from Ligue 1 side Lorient was met with indifference, it certainly didn’t generate the buzz of the Carter-Vickers or Jota recruitments. Maybe the “loan” element is a factor The reality is Celtic have spent nearly £20m on incomings with … [continue reading]
Jullien
Centre Health
By James Dailey Are Celtic well covered at Centre Half? This seems such a simple question, but the answer is unfortunately conditional. Two centre halfs at Celtic get what I believe to be unfair criticisms which focus on relative weaknesses, ignore strengths, and lack contextual benchmarking. Of course, performance levels are irrelevant if players cannot … [continue reading]
Bitton Is A Centre Half
By James Dailey Much angst and disgust were expressed in the dying moments of the transfer window on Friday. Part of being a supporter is “enjoying” the raw swings in emotion. I wish I had a nickel for every time my Twitter feed included a post declaring how the board was amid betraying the support … [continue reading]
Rare Centre Back Continuity Brings Reward
The Mid-term report series turns its beady attention to the centre back position. This part of the team has been a problem for Celtic for many years in terms of injury and lack of continuity. This season saw Ajer and Simunovic prepped to start the European qualifiers by being installed as first choice at the … [continue reading]
Integral Jullien Leads The Way
Despite defeat to The Rangers, Jullien again stepped up in a big game. There was really no contest for Bhoy of the Match. He wasn’t faultless of course, and with 2 defensive errors, he contributed to the 9 Celtic racked up to apply pressure on themselves. Jullien was successful with 15 challenges and interceptions, which … [continue reading]
A Roman Tale
Celtic completed a double over Lazio with a second come from behind win, this time in Rome. History abounds. First win in Italy and earliest Group stage progression. And all done in the most dramatic fashion with two last minute winners. Like all good dramas there were three acts and a sting in the tale. … [continue reading]
Bolingoli and Jullien Vital Against Cluj
Much was made of Bolingoli and Julliens’ absences in the season low defeat to CFR Cluj. Exit from the Champions League was scrutinised for many reasons – tactical and personnel, but the lack of £10m of new signings was noteworthy. At the time, Jullien had 196 minutes under his belt and was “bedding in”. But … [continue reading]
Edouard Adored
Celtic have one foot in the Europa League Group Stage following a 2-0 home win over AIK Stockholm. After the Transylvanian terrors of Cluj, this was a case of Move On with no SOS against the Swedes (sorry!). Team Tactics Like Cluj, AIK have a distinctive style they commit to wholeheartedly and, seemingly, unbendingly. A … [continue reading]
Jullien’s Debut
Lennon’s marquee Summer signing (so far!) finally made his debut in the away tie in Tallin versus Nomme Kalju. Jullien was assessed in Jullien: The Aerially Dominant Eagle Has Landed using information from WhoScored?. But it is much preferable to have ”real life” data to get my hands upon! Opposition Context As discussed on Twitter, … [continue reading]
Jullien: The Aerially-Dominant Eagle Has Landed
Christopher Jullien becomes Celtic’s second most expensive transfer, and another where the money heads to France. He brings the first team centre half options up to three with Ajer and Simunovic. Another centre back will likely be needed. Thanks to WhoScored? there is, relatively, a wealth of data. He wore the number 6 short for … [continue reading]