Neil’s Bhoys on the front foot
NEIL LENNON has kept his promise of making Celtic more direct, according to stats.
In the Premiership last season Celtic averaged 68.81 per cent of possession but it’s now 59.9 per cent.
The Hoops averaged 628 passes per game but this season it stands at 492. They also averaged 90 passes back and 265 sideways – that’s now 65 and 185.
Rangers’ average possession of 67.7 per cent has them second in Europe.
Elyounoussi is just finding out Celtic’s appeal for himself and he admitted he’s loving the chance to kick-start his career in Scotland after stalling at Southampton.
The attacker struggled to make an impact at St Mary’s after the move from Basel but Hoops boss Neil Lennon has given him back his mojo.
Elyounoussi said: “You don’t lose your skills in one season but you lose some confidence and think too much.
“Lennon said he wanted me here, that he would make me better and bring me back where I was. That’s what I needed to hear. The choice was simple then.
“I lost a bit of pleasure. That is why it was important to get away and try something new, rediscover the joy of expressing yourself on the football field. I’m allowed to do that here.”
Ajer is convinced everyone will be a winner with Elyounoussi’s Celtic switch, with the winger starting to find his feet at Parkhead.
The defeat by Livingston at the weekend is still painfully fresh but days earlier the 25-year-old produced a moment of magic to grab the crucial second goal against Cluj to send Celts top of their Europa League group.
Ajer, speaking to TV2 in Norway, said: “Moi showed insanely good skill, as everyone knew he could. You don’t necessarily become a worse player when you go a period without playing.
“What you need is to get started, gain confidence and believe in yourself.
“Remember Moi was sold for the largest sum we have seen for a Norwegian player. It goes without saying he is a very good player. I am absolutely sure Celtic is going to benefit him hugely as well.”
Celtic went from Cluj to bruised after being out-fought by Livi on Sunday but Ajer admitted it was a sore lesson for Elyounoussi and the rest of the new Bhoys.
He said: “I’ve been trying to tell Moi this is a physically tough league. He got some scrapes as soon as he came up here and that’s how it’s like to play here. You get tackled and shoved about but you have to get used to it here.
“It’s a little different from other clubs, where you might lose one weekend and win the next but that’s fine. Here you are always a couple of games from disaster.”
Ajer admitted it takes a shift in mentality when he goes on international duty. Norway face Spain on Saturday night and they go in hope rather than expectation. The Norwegians are hoping