Mjallby backs Ireland captain to add valuable experience to back line
THERE was fighting talk from Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy last night as he completed his season-long loan spell to Celtic and immediately set his sights on being part of a 10-in-a-row winning team.
But the aggression that he will lend the Parkhead backline will be eagerly welcomed according to Johan Mjallby, who expects the 28-year-old to add steel to a Celtic defence that has looked limp in the face of any physical threat.
Arriving with a reputation for the kind of approach that served Mjallby well in his career, Duffy could head straight into Neil Lennon’s squad for the game against Ross County in Dingwall next weekend.
Andifthedefender’sreputation suggests he will be something of a throwback, it is something that Mjallby believes is no bad thing.
“You look the way so many modern defenders play and there is always a lot of emphasis given on playing the ball out from the back and being able to carry the ball out from defence,” said the Swede. “It can be nice. It is a valuable asset to have in your team.
“But, for me, old-fashioned defending will never go out of fashion. I know there is a change in the ways that teams defend but ultimately if you are playing as a central defender then the onus is on you that the team does not concede goals.
“I would never have said that my real strength was on the ball and there will be loads of modern defenders who will be very comfortable in that role. But what should be first and foremost in the minds of anyone playing defence is that you stop the other team scoring goals. It is that simple.
“And that is what Shane will do. I have seen a lot of him and he has that physical presence at the back. He just looks like an old-fashioned centre-half who loves to keep a clean sheet and who prides himself on being tough to beat.
“He isn’t afraid to get his head on the line or his body on the line and that is what you want from your defenders.
“Anything else that comes after that is a bonus but primarily you want them to do anything to stop the ball going into the back of the net. As a defender,
I always felt a clean sheet was something to celebrate the way a striker celebrates a goal and he looks like that type of dominant and commanding player.”
Duffy has already endeared himself to the Celtic support with his affinity with the club. His own role in engineering his loan move out of Brighton and up to Glasgow will have been noted as he made a personal appeal to the Premier League club who could have cashed in on a sale given the three years he has remaining on his contract.
“The fact that he already has an affinity with the club will help him,” said Mjallby. “He really wants to be there, by the looks of things. The supporters will love that and he will love that too – the chance to go and play for a team you grew up supporting. Not everyone gets that chance.
“They will be excited to see him and I know that Neil will be pleased that he has got him in because he just has that real commitment and desire to win. What you have also seen is that he is a leader. Those qualities in that area of the pitch can be so important.
“You have seen how effective Scott Brown is at that but having a couple of players like that in the dressing room can be massive. He is going to Celtic as a player still at the peak of his career but with a load of experience in England and in international football.”