Mjallby insists serial winners will not ease up

ANOTHER week, another step on the seemingly never-ending journey of domestic domination. It would be a brave man who predicted precisely when all this will come shuddering to a halt. Johan Mjallby is sure of only one thing. With battlers like Scott Brown running the dressing room at Lennoxtown, Celtic will not be allowed to drop their intensity levels by so much as half a per cent — even in a knockout competition always destined to rank third in a list of Scottish football’s Big Three. Sure, compared to a Rangers side still seeking that first major trophy since 2011, the treble Treble winners maybe don’t have the same overwhelming need to lift the Betfred Cup. Even with their eyes fixed on much bigger prizes, however, Mjallby feels Neil Lennon will ensure his players retain their desire to keep every piece of silverware rolling in. The former Celtic player and assistant manager said: ‘The fans want this trophy haul to continue until eternity — but that’s unheard of. ‘The Scottish Premiership will always be the priority and then the Scottish Cup. ‘The Betfred Cup is maybe more important to Rangers for confidence — and to prove they are on the right track to become proper challengers. ‘But it’s important, when you play for the Old Firm, that you try to win every trophy. ‘Neil will put himself under a lot of pressure because he has stepped into the shoes of a manager (Brendan Rodgers) who did incredibly well domestically. It’s a tough task. ‘He looks at the bigger picture and knows it’s all about the league, in a way. ‘That’s the prize he really wants, to make sure they have another go in the Champions League next season. ‘But he’s put a lot of trust in these guys who have been used to winning all these trophies — to make sure the new guys understand how important it is to continue this run. ‘I’m talking about guys like Scott Brown, Callum McGregor and the guys who have been there for a number of seasons.’ Lennon’s inability to get Celtic into the Champions League group stage, following their play-off loss to Cluj, inevitably strengthened the hand of those fans convinced that the Northern Irishman — back for a second spell as boss — is a step down from Rodgers. Defending his old team-mate and former boss, Mjallby said: ‘Neil isn’t daft, so he knows if you don’t qualify for the Champions League and lose to Cluj in the manner they did then you expect criticism. ‘As Celtic manager, you are expected to qualify for the Champions League. But Brendan Rodgers didn’t do fantastically well in Europe. ‘He won all the domestic trophies, which was fantastic. And it’s up to Neil to make sure that continues.’ The big one, of course, is the title. A ninth consecutive league flag. For all kinds of reasons, on both sides of Glasgow, there is an obsession with whether Celtic hit or miss that highwater mark. Mjallby believes that even his old team’s ‘comfortable’ win at Ibrox should not discount Rangers from having a say in the destination of the Premiership crown. ‘A lot of people think Rangers will go all the way this time and, for me, it’s the first time in years they are a proper challenger to Celtic,’ said the Swede. ‘I was surprised how comfortably Celtic won the Old Firm game. I thought Rangers would be a bit more aggressive with their pressing as they were successful twice at Ibrox last season. ‘But you have to give Celtic a lot of credit for the way they played off the ball. ‘We generally speak about Celtic being very attack-minded and good on the ball but off it they were very comfortable, which will stand them in good stead in Europe. ‘Neil Lennon outthought Steven Gerrard because he got his tactics spot on.’ As a former centre-half, Mjallby is paying particular attention to the heart of the Celtic defence. In Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer, he sees the potential for a serious partnership — even if the latter’s versatility may see him occasionally punted one step to the right. ‘I’ve been really surprised at how good Kris Ajer has been at right-back because he’s going to become a great centre-half for the club,’ said Mjallby. ‘But he’s shown that he can play right-back as well. ‘Christopher Jullien came with a big price tag and big things were expected but it took him time to get used to life at Celtic. ‘They have everything in that pairing — very good in the air, strong physically and they read the game very well. ‘Ajer is very good on the ball and Jullien can defend his box. He’s got the height and likes to go in for a tackle as well. He’s got all the ingredients to be a successful defender.’