The Old-Firm derby proves to be instrumental for any new debutant, and two players have impressed Scott Brown in particular. The Celtic captain has been vocal and public with his praises for the two summer arrivals, Boli Bolingoli, and Christopher Jullien.
The duo’s calibre of being good enough for a club of Celtic’s standards was questioned when the two first arrived at Celtic Park. All the negative attention had put Mbombo and Jullien in the spotlight for this fixture against eternal rivals, Rangers.
The defensive duo put in a spirited performance in their first-ever fixture against the Gers. Their performance helped keep the Rangers attack at bay. Steven Gerrard’s men even failed to get onto the score-sheet in a 0-2 defeat against Celtic just before the international break.
In the end, the positive result against Rangers has made everyone forget about the troubles Celtic were facing in the transfer market. It has also placed them three points above Rangers right on top of the points table.
Brown even commented on the transfer business conducted by Neil Lennon & Co and has been quoted saying –
“Everyone was on their backs early doors but they were fantastic at Ibrox and I think they have set their standard now, and they need to make sure they push on from there.
But we have brought in some good players as well. We have brought in three right-backs, we have bought another left-back as well, and a left winger.
So the squad is looking really, really good”
What can be expected out of the two players now?
New Leader
Christopher Jullien displayed exceptional leadership qualities in the victory at Ibrox. It is expected that the towery presence at the back, Jullien would be made the new leader of the Celtic back-line. The departure of Dedryck Boyata has left a void in the Celtic back-line which Jullien would be able to fill following his top-notch performance against Rangers.
Jullien even has three years of experience playing in the Ligue 1. This makes him a worthy addition to Neil Lennon’s squad.
Decent Cover
The other player in our discussion, Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, endured a difficult start to life following his move from the Austrian side, Rapid Vienna. However, the player’s recent performances have instilled confidence in the player from the Celtic’s perspective.
Deadline day arrival, Greg Taylor is going to find it increasingly difficult to get into the squad ahead of an in-form Mbombo. Neil Lennon is expected to have his own set of problems in terms of starting eleven selections, and it will be interesting to see which player comes out on top.
