AJER SETS SIGHTS ON A GLORIOUS HOMECOMING
THE hope is that a happy homecoming will now follow Kristoffer Ajer’s big break. For that to happen, Celtic need a goal in Trondheim next Wednesday evening.
Ajer did his part in last night’s first-leg stalemate against Rosenborg in the Champions League third qualifying round.
Drafted in for his first start to partner Jozo Simunovic at the heart of the Parkhead defence, the 19-year-old helped keep his Norwegian compatriots at bay to claim a vital clean sheet.
While there was a degree of good fortune in that outcome, with Rosenborg spurning two prime opportunities in the second period, Celtic’s biggest issues lay at the other end of the field.
Shorn of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths through injury, regardless of the latter’s suspension, their strikerless line-up toiled to pose any significant threat to the goal guarded by Andre Hansen.
Dembele could be out until September with a hamstring complaint. Brendan Rodgers is not yet clear whether the calf issue restricting Griffiths will be resolved by the time his side steps out at the Lerkendal Stadium.
It just so happens that Ajer scored on his last appearance at that ground. Back in April 2015, a fine strike wasn’t enough to prevent IK Start dipping to a 3-2 defeat.
Then a midfielder, the teenager is now focused on his current role at centre-back. But he is convinced a depleted Celtic will still have enough firepower elsewhere to claim the away goal that could secure a place in the play-off round.
‘Rosenborg made it difficult for us,’ admitted Ajer. ‘They had a good structure as expected. We had a lot of the ball and we played well as a team. But we just couldn’t get that final touch in the final third. That’s all we lacked.
‘Now we look to the second leg. I have played in Trondheim before. It’s a good atmosphere and a nice pitch. We’re looking forward to it.
‘Rosenborg are a big team in Norway. I lost last time there, but I managed to score, so we will see how it goes next week.
‘It’s difficult to say how they will play. In Norway, they are used to having the ball a lot but we will see how they approach it tactically when it’s a different opponent and just one game to go through.
‘I don’t think being without the strikers was a big problem. We found the spaces well but we didn’t manage to take our chances in or outside the box.
‘Obviously with Moussa and Leigh out, the gaffer changed the system but I think everything worked out quite well.
‘We always go in to games trying to score. We will have to defend well in Trondheim as well, but hopefully we will do that.
‘Could I play up front? I played striker a bit when I was young but centre-half is my position now!’
Ajer’s move from IK Start had been lined up by Ronny Deila, but Rodgers was in place by the time he actually arrived at Parkhead.
The ex-Liverpool manager immediately pinpointed centreback as the youngster’s primary position. Six months on loan at Kilmarnock last season then helped the process of adaptation.
Even so, it was still a significant test for Ajer to make his full debut in a pressurised encounter with £30million-worth of Champions League ambitions on the line.
His only previous competitive Celtic outing had been as a substitute against Lincoln Red Imps in the second leg of last season’s preliminaries.
‘It was a huge honour to play a game like this for Celtic,’ said Ajer. ‘I have been working really hard since I have been here and the gaffer gave me the chance.
‘I was a bit nervous when I found out yesterday morning, but I think I came out of it okay.
‘I had some time to prepare and there has been good communication with the manager. You know, you can prepare as much as you want, but when you come out here, you feel it is a big
“We will have to defend well in Trondheim”
thing. It was good for me to come out with a clean sheet and good for the team as well.
‘The manager told me to keep it simple. He knew it was probably the biggest game I have played in my career, so it was about defending first and foremost.
‘It was important to stay in control in the situations. I felt it went okay.’
That was down in part to some woeful finishing from Rosenborg, even if Ajer wasn’t culpable in the creation of the chances. Yann-Erik de Lanlay fired the best opportunity over the bar before one-time Arsenal man Nicklas Bendtner took a fresh air swipe in the centre of the penalty area.
‘Rosenborg had some good chances where I think Craig (Gordon) did really well,’ added Ajer.
‘They had opportunities in the second half, but we also had some good shots from inside and outside the box that would have gone in on a good day.
‘In terms of my performance, I haven’t played so much against Rosenborg in the past, but I know how Norwegian teams play.
‘It will be a tough game for us in Trondheim, but we will go there with ambitions to do well.’