Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer didn’t have the best run of games prior to the international break. He scored an own goal in the 1-1 draw with Hibs, then performed poorly in the 2-0 loss to Livingston.
He played in the first game after the international break, the 6-0 win over Ross County, but he wasn’t tested much as the Dingwall side had few chances in the game.
We will get a better chance to see if Ajer has recovered from his poor run of form when the Hoops take on Lazio on Thursday in the Europa League.
Seems certain to come up against in-form striker
That fixture will be a stern test of Ajer’s abilities as a Celtic player. At some stage of the game, he will come up against Ciro Immobile, who is currently one of Europe’s in-form strikers.
Ajer will have to be at his best to stop Immobile from having an impact on the game. Now, there seems to be little danger of Ajer losing his place in the Celtic side.
He is still one of the first-choice centre-backs at the club alongside Christopher Jullien. However, if his poor run of form continues, then he could well find himself under pressure when Jozo Simunovic regains his full fitness.
There is also the possibility of Nir Bitton playing at centre-back. Neil Lennon has used the player in that position before.
Good performance will help both player and team
That it is why it is important for Bitton to perform well against Lazio. It could help both the player, and the team.
It would cement his place in the starting line-up, and it would also help the Hoops pick up a significant victory in Europe.
Hopefully Ajer’s indifferent run of form has come to an end. If it has, it can only be a good thing for the Hoops going forward.
If not, then questions will be asked about the player’s place in the first-team.
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