Neil Lennon will no doubt take one game at a time when it comes to his time as Celtic boss. He will not want to look too far into the future. For him, all thoughts will be on the game against St Johnstone this lunchtime.
However, Lennon should make a selection for the St Johnstone game with the Glasgow derby in mind. That is, to return Christopher Jullien to the starting line-up.
Jullien is fit again, and was on the bench for the game against Sarajevo. Now, with Nir Bitton injured, the time is right for Jullien to make his return to the side.
Trio have not played together that often
You have to think that Celtic’s first choice centre-back trio are Kristoffer Ajer, Shane Duffy and Jullien. That trio has not had enough playing time together.
That should change for the game against St Johnstone. Also, if Neil Lennon wants to start the trio against Rangers in a fortnight, then Jullien needs some playing time ahead of that match. It might not be a good idea to just select Jullien for such an important game without playing football for weeks beforehand.
Only defensive change should be star’s return
If Lennon is planning to make changes for the game, the only one in defence should be Jullien in for Bitton. In fact, that is the only defensive change we have selected in our predicted XI to play St Johnstone.
What also has to be taken into account is that Ajer and Duffy will be away on international duty for over a week right after the St Johnstone game. The defensive trio won’t get a lot of time together before the game against Rangers.
That is another reason why Jullien should be recalled for the trip to Perth. The trio can’t work together in training, so they can do it on the pitch.
Jullien was in a decent run of form prior to his injury anyway, so there is no real concern about selecting him for the game. Hopefully Neil Lennon thinks about the game in two weeks, and starts Jullien against St Johnstone. It could pay off in the derby.
In other news, Kris Boyd expects Celtic to go far in the Europa League.
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