Celtic’s central defensive pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien offer manager Neil Lennon “everything”, according to former Hoops favourite Johan Mjallby.
The duo have played together four times in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, with the Bhoys conceding four goals in those matches.
But Mjallby has been suitably impressed with the partnership.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, he said: “Neil has everything in that pairing of Ajer and Jullien. They are very good in the air, strong physically, and they read the game well.
“Jullien came with a big price tag and big things were expected. It took him time to get used to life at Celtic, but Jullien is a very good defender.”
Is Mjallby right about Ajer and Jullien?
Celtic have started this season well defensively, and that almost always leads to praise of the central defensive partnership.
To be fair, Jullien and Ajer have both looked impressive individually in the opening stages of the season.
Jullien has won 6.56 defensive duels per match so far this term, as per Wyscout, which equates to 75% of his duels faced.
Similarly, Ajer has won 7.78 defensive duels per match, which equates to 69.1% of his duels faced [Wyscout].
As a point of reference Jozo Simunovic, another towering Celtic centre-half, has won just 4.81 defensive duels per game so far this term, as per Wyscout.
A good defensive partnership is built on more than individual excellence, however, and in that respect, it seems as if Ajer and Jullien are forming a steady partnership.
The last game they both featured in was the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at the weekend, and during the course of the game they won 14 out of 20 duels between them.
Mjallby isn’t the only one who has come out in praise of the duo, however, with teammate and goalkeeper Fraser Forster describing their burgeoning partnership as “brilliant”, as reported in the Evening Times.
Few players understand a defensive pairing as intimately as their goalkeeper, so for Forster to corroborate Mjallby’s opinion, it illustrates just how well the duo are getting along.