JULLIEN GLAD OF CELTIC’S FRENCH CONNECTIONS
Defender says compatriots at Parkhead helped him settle into Scottish football
THE Auld Alliance between Scotland and France was formed in the late 13th century in an attempt to repel England’s frequent invasions and proved beneficial to both over the following 250 years.
The close association between players from those two nations has been fruitful for Celtic as well in the past season as they have maintained their unprecedented spell of domestic dominance and enjoyed some memorable excursions in Europe.
The likes of Scott Brown, Ryan Christie, James Forrest, Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor were hugely important for Neil Lennon as the Parkhead club won their ninth consecutive Scottish title during the 2019/20 campaign.
But Odsonne Edouard, Christopher Jullien and Olivier Ntcham have all contributed greatly, up front, at the back and in the middle of the park respectively, too.
Has the age-old affinity between their two countries ensured they have all gelled on the field and off it? Whatever the reason, the combination of cultures is clearly working wonders.
“The French players have done well at Celtic,” said Jullien. “When I arrived, having some already here made me more comfortable. Odsonne and Oli were there, and others, like Boli [Bolingoli], spoke the language too. It helped me settle at the start.
“But the staff at the club made me so comfortable too, along with the Scottish boys. Even some of them try to speak French at times! But as team-mates they make you very comfortable and that’s a big thing at Celtic.
“French players are different to Scottish players. We are a little more chilled! You need to adapt to Scottish football, but everyone at the club helped us do that.”
Jullien continued: “When you have a person like Scott Brown it helps too as he is the perfect captain. He is the biggest leader I have ever seen in football. I am so happy to have him on my side. His talent, his passion on the field, his will to win – he is amazing for every one of his team-mates.
“Then you have the other guys like Griff, Callum, Ryan and all the rest. Having a lot of Scottish and French players is a perfect mix for Celtic. There is a good balance.”
The 27-year-old arrived in Glasgow after a £7million transfer from Toulouse in June. The 6ft 5in centre-half had been used to squaring up to the likes of Paris SaintGermain, Lille and Lyon in his native France. But he believes the 12 months he has spent in Scotland have improved him both as a player and a person.
“I have developed on so many levels,” he said. “When I arrived and did my first interview, I spoke about how I wanted to progress on everything, on the field and off it.
“My team-mates made me feel comfortable and I learned a lot from them. At Celtic, if you lose you have to come back fighting. There is no other way. That mentality makes you stronger as a player and a person. I have become a better man and a better footballer.
“You learn from every game and training session. The worst moments of the season can be just as important for you. For me, when you fall you need to show the strength to get back up. The bad games the team had, the bad games I had, they definitely helped me.
“I feel stronger for the experience of last season and even my family notice a change in me. From this point in 2019 to now, they say to me ‘you are a completely different man’. I feel I have developed a lot. The trophies show the achievement on the pitch, but I have progressed off it too. I am happy at Celtic, I feel settled in Glasgow and life is good.
“The weather could be better, but it’s a great city and I love working with the staff at the club. I feel stronger, quicker and I think I have become a better player since signing for Celtic.
But I also know that I need to keep making progress and I will be working hard in pre-season to do that. I want to return even stronger.”
Jullien has raved to his former team-mates back in his homeland about his time here since moving and could very well have paved the way for a few of his compatriots to join him going forward.
“I have had a lot of French players I know asking: ‘How is Celtic?’” the defender said. “I say to them, ‘It’s huge, one of the biggest clubs’.
“In France, there is a lot of respect for Celtic. Everyone knows it’s a famous club with amazing fans. But when you also focus on the team and the big games we play, you realise just how huge it is. I post personal videos on my social media and the reaction from back home is big.
“When my friends come to games, see the stadium, the fans and all the talent we have they are blown away. A lot of them would love to play for Celtic but it’s not that easy. There are a lot of good players dreaming of the same.”
Jullien has formed a good partnership with Kristoffer Ajer and been solid defensively, but he has also been a threat in the final third, at set pieces especially, and has also weighed in with some important goals.
“I was a striker until I was about 13 and then I changed position to defence,” he said. “I was more comfortable with the game in front of me. But I have always loved scoring goals.
“I spoke with the manager when I arrived and he spoke about what he wanted from me. Keeping clean sheets is my job but he also told me expected goals from set-pieces.
“We set a target, which will stay between us, but he felt I could help the team and I did my best.”
French players are different. We are a little more chilled!