It is fair to say that it hasn’t been a great week for Celtic. The Hoops’ two defeats to Rangers and Milan have put the team under a lot of pressure going into Sunday’s trip to Aberdeen.
One player who seems certain to start for Celtic in that game is Kristoffer Ajer. Ajer has been one of the few players to come out of the losses to Rangers and Milan with any credit, as arguably he stopped the Hoops from suffering a heavier defeat to Rangers, and he was the best Celtic defender on the pitch in the game against Milan.
Ajer’s good performances in a difficult time for Celtic have been backed by football statistic site WhoScored.Com.
Topped blocked shots table
If we take a lot at how the player performed against Rangers, Ajer had one total tackle, two interceptions, four clearances and one blocked shot. He rated second in clearances behind Diego Laxalt, was first in blocked shots and third in interceptions.
He performed even better against Milan. Ajer topped the interceptions table with five. He was in second place behind Laxalt with four total tackles and made the most clearances with two.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten about that Ajer created one of the few chances Celtic had against Rangers. One of his trademark runs set up Leigh Griffiths who fluffed his lines.
Currently the best central defender at the club
It is fair to say that with Shane Duffy struggling, Chris Jullien and Nir Bitton out and Stephen Welsh still learning the game, Ajer is currently Celtic’s best central defender.
That might not have been what people expected to happen when Duffy joined the club. However, in the last few weeks Ajer has thrived in his performances, even though Celtic haven’t played that well overall.
Hopefully the run of good performances continue for Ajer at Pittodrie on Sunday. Celtic might well need him to be at his best if the Hoops are to get the three points.
In other news, Ryan Christie is adamant that he shouldn’t have been ruled out of the Glasgow derby.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
