THEY’VE GOT MY BACK
Ajer takes top spot as Duffy picks the elite defenders ahead of our verdict on Scotland’s greatest stars
JIM DUFFY hated losing as a player and his winning desire is equally as strong in the dugout.
The former Celtic and Dundee defender reckons the Premiership is packed with top stoppers and in the week we begin our search for Scotland’s top 50 players he gives us his lowdown on the best of them.
The top-flight is packed with tough-as-teak defenders but it’s the giant piece of Norwegian wood at the heart of the Celtic defence that gets Duffy’s vote as the star of the stoppers.
Here’s the Dumbarton boss’s top 10 Premiership defenders and you can find out on Saturday in our 24-page mag if any of them are in the top 50 Scottish players.
1. Kristoffer Ajer – The Celtic player has improved in all aspects of his game, defensively and also going forward on the ball. There is still a lot more to come from the Norwegian. He’s been Celtic’s best defender and has also stepped up in Europe. He was immense against Lazio and shows the levels he can get to.
2. Andrew Considine – The homegrown boy is a massive player for Aberdeen at left-back or centre-half. That was evident when he made his 500th Dons appearance on Sunday. To play so many top-level games shows how consistent he’s been. When it comes to natural defending I would say he is as consistent as anyone in the country and he also chips in with the odd goal. But first and foremost he is just solid and reliable. 3. James Tavernier – Rangers’ captain goes into the top 10 because of the other side of his game, his attacking runs, goals and assists. The biggest compliment you can pay him is the team isn’t as strong when he isn’t in it. You’d like him to be a bit more secure when Rangers don’t have the ball but you can’t argue with the contribution he makes on the attacking side.
4. Scott McKenna – A fit McKenna has to be right up there. He is big, strong and powerful and he covers the ground quickly. He has all the attributes a top defender needs but I still think he has a lot to learn, especially positionally. With everything else he has in his game he can go on to become a top, top defender.
5. Declan Gallagher – He has been immense this season, a consistent performer and a reason why Motherwell have done so well. At Livingston he proved his worth and I think he has improved again this year. Gallagher has also been rewarded with Scotland call-ups and didn’t look out of place. 6. Connor Goldson – He still has a bit to learn positionally but Rangers have also done well defensively and don’t lose many goals. He is a big part of that. He can be slack at times and had a couple of big moments where he has been caught out against Celtic, losing possession and then compounding it by going out and chasing the ball.
7. Stuart Findlay – In the last 18 months he has been as dependable as anyone in the top flight
and has been a main player for Kilmarnock. He’s improved and learned over the last two seasons and has really adapted to how Steve Clarke wanted him to play. 8. Christopher
Jullien – Building a solid partnership with Ajer at Celtic. Still needs to add a bit of consistency but he is another who is big, strong and good on the ball. Will only get better. 9. Lewis Stevenson – A one-club man. A Steady Eddie who came through the system and knows what it means to play for Hibs. He is a solid leftback and has been a bit unlucky that Scotland have produced some outstanding left-backs or he would have won more caps.
10. Gary MacKenzie – St Mirren are not a team who will score a lot of goals and so rely heavily on their defence. He wins his headers, is positionally good and defends his box. Does the basics well and his experience will be important this season.
Duffy’s verdict: Ajer would be my pick of the bunch. The top defender in Scotland right now.