CROWN JULLS
Chris got all emotional last time at Livi but his bounce back shows the mental strength that runs through our squad says Lennon
CHRISTOPHER JULLIEN admits he got too emotional the last time he went to Livingston.
The big defender wasn’t the only one as Celtic stumbled to a rare domestic defeat at the Tony Macaroni Arena back in October.
Ryan Christie saw red and the only emotion bubbling up in Neil Lennon that afternoon was a sense of anger.
It didn’t last long though and the manager admitted there was some good to come out of that dark day in West Lothian.
The champions reeled off 12 wins on the spin in three different competitions on the back of that bloody nose, claiming Lazio’s scalp a couple of times to top their Europa League group, sinking Rangers to win the Betfred Cup and soaring to the summit of the Premiership.
It was the same after going down to Gers at Parkhead at the end of 2019.
The response on the home front has been devastating.
Eight wins out of eight, a 12-point gap at the top of the table, a Scottish Cup semi secured and their big rivals Rangers crumbling under the pressure of having to keep up.
Copenhagen was another set back in the Europa League last week but just when everyone was waiting to see some kind of mental damage, any hint of
BY MICHAEL GANNON vulnerability, they dug out a Cup win on the McDiarmid Park cabbage patch.
That’s the difference between the big two in Glasgow just now.
While Rangers continue to falter, Celtic keep their composure. And they get the job done.
Lennon reckons his defensive rock is a great example of the mental strength his side has shown.
The big Frenchman got laughed at for admitting he found Lyndon Dykes too hot to handle but Jullien’s response has been equally as emphatic as his team’s to that day in Livingston.
The Hoops boss said: “He bounced back really well from that day. It was something he wasn’t used to. He’d arrived from a different football culture but he learned from it and has embraced it now.
“Chris has been absolutely superb for us this season domestically and in Europe. That was a big lesson for him but it’s one that he learned quickly.
“There is a maturity about him and he has leadership qualities. He has integrated well and the boys like him.
“In some of the big games he has put in some heroic displays. In Copenhagen he was outstanding, Lazio he had a great game, and there have been some super performances domestically.
“His goal tally is right up there as well with seven or eight for the season already.” Jullien has been worth every penny of the £7million shelled out to Toulouse last summer but he’s typical of the kind of player at Parkhead right now. And it’s not always about how they win that Lennon looks at – it’s how they lose too. The Hoops boss said: “You have to deal with defeat, that’s the only thing you can do. We bounced back from that one and won a long run of games. “It’s not just the mentality – they are good players. “But the mentality is good and there’s a core in the dressing room who really drive the team on. The rest support that.
“You never know if a player has that about them when they sign. You try to gauge it.
“Do they throw in the towel? It’s the character you are looking for as well as the talent. Obviously the people working for the club do the due diligence on their background, their family life and what they are like away from football.
“That’s what separates the good from the very good. We had a big disappointment on Thursday night. We shot ourselves in the foot but we responded very well on Sunday and that wasn’t easy.”
Lennon can sense everyone is waiting for his side to slip up on the home front.
He is well aware it can come when it’s least expected but there will be no surprises at Livingston tomorrow night.
The Hoops were held 0-0 there under Brendan Rodgers before going down on their last visit.
It’s not just Celtic who have toiled in that neck of the woods – plenty others have struggled to get out of Livingston with more than their bus fare home.
Lennon said: “It’s not really about revenge or anything. It’s just the next game. Gary Holt and David Martindale are doing great stuff at Livingston. There’s a concern going there.
“We haven’t even scored against them the last couple of times so we are going to have to rectify that somehow. We’re going to have to roll sleeves up, it’s going to be a battle.
“Their home form is terrific. They are a team I admire, there’s no superstars in the side but they work really hard.”
He’d come from a different culture but he has learned
NEIL LENNON ON JULLIEN ADAPTING TO SCOTLAND