Kristoffer Ajer makes case for defence as Celtic target six-point lead

There was only one moment of mild alarm for Celtic at the weekend, in an otherwise stress-free stashing away of three points with a regulation?one-sided win. The reaction to it tells much about why Brendan Rodgers’ men will be looking to open up a six-point advantage over Rangers at the top of the Premiership when their game in hand brings ?St Johnstone to the champions’?east end of Glasgow citadel on Wednesday.
Celtics Kristoffer Ajer and  goalkeeper Scott Bain, who started his third straight game, acknowledge a job well done after securing a clean sheet. Picture: SNS.Celtics Kristoffer Ajer and  goalkeeper Scott Bain, who started his third straight game, acknowledge a job well done after securing a clean sheet. Picture: SNS.
Celtics Kristoffer Ajer and goalkeeper Scott Bain, who started his third straight game, acknowledge a job well done after securing a clean sheet. Picture: SNS.

Fist-pumping ensued from Kristoffer Ajer after he extended his long leg to poke the ball away from Steven Boyd as the Hamilton forward had the goal at his mercy 17 minutes from time, with Celtic then only one goal to the good. A penalty box tackle that had to be precise to prevent the concession of a penalty, the Norwegian’s inch-perfect slide and contact was well worth a show of emotion more normally associated with putting the ball in the net, he argued.

“The clean sheet was important for us – that’s three since we came back from Dubai. Obviously, that’s the main target for us as defenders but we’ve also scored ten goals in those three games, which is really positive,” said the 20-year-old. “I celebrated that tackle – strikers celebrate their goals so we should be allowed to do that. You’re always happy
to prevent a goal and I was actually in doubt if I was going to bring him down or not but, luckily, I made the right decision. I also saw quite early that the ball was going wide from my tackle, so that was a relief.”

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It is a mentality thing for Ajer that goal prevention should be as valuable as goal scoring. The club’s statistics reflect the poise with which Celtic have been able to pursue clean sheets in their own environs.

In 11 league games that have all been won, Rodgers’ men have coughed up only four goals. They haven’t lost a goal in their past four home league games and, indeed, haven’t conceded one from open play in a domestic match at Celtic Park since Florian Kamberi produced a stunning strike in a 4-2 defeat for his Hibernian team three months ago.

Ajer has ably deputised for the injured Dedryck Boyata in the victories over relegation-threatened Hamilton and St Mirren this past week, and puts that down to what is drummed into those in his department of the team daily.

“It’s a mentality we have in every single training session and the defensive coaches are on at us each day to keep clean sheets so we bring that into matches and we know that if everyone is 100 per cent on then there is the possibility to do that every time,” he said. “Clean sheets give you a great opportunity to win the game, although our other main target is to play attractive and entertaining football.”

Celtic, with Airdrieonians in the Scottish Cup at home to resume their season following the winter shutdown, have had a gentle re-introduction to their campaign that faltered before Christmas with the derby defeat at Ibrox that was preceded by a desperate loss at Easter Road.

It is therefore difficult to read too much into what they have produced in their 10-0 aggregate scorelines across these three home matches against modest opposition. They have had good turns from loaness Timothy Weah and Oliver Burke, the former handed a start at the latter’s expense, but previously Mikey Johnston had contributed similar scoring returns in being deployed as the central striker in 
comfortable wins before the shutdown.

What is evident is that Scott Sinclair, pictured, has the bit between his teeth again, a late header banking him an eighth goal in seven games.

Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie, who both netted against Hamilton as a result of aberrations from Ryan Fulton, continue to bring industry and invention.

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The team continues to evolve though and there is intrigue as to where the goalkeeping situation is heading after Scott Bain was preferred to Craig Gordon for the third straight game. Bain, as with the team’s defensive record in these games, has been faultless.