LEARN HOW TO TOUGH IT OUT

Under-fire Jullien must get hardened for battle to avoid being targeted as the £7m weakest link

FOOTBALL managers have much in common with military generals. Whether on the field of play or the battleground, an ability to identify and exploit weaknesses in the other camp tends to keep them in a job.

One year after Christopher Jullien arrived at Celtic from Toulouse for £7million, rival Premiership managers do not need the Hubble Space Telescope to see how Neil Lennon’s men might be got at. All that’s required is a busy, physical striker with no aversion to a plastic pitch.

On his day, with the ball at his feet, the 27-year-old looks worth every penny of the handsome fee paid for him. He scored winning goals against Lazio in the Europa League and in the League Cup final against Rangers. His ability as a footballer is not up for debate.

For Jullien to have struggled physically once on the road last season would have been forgivable. Yet Livingston’s Lyndon Dykes ran him ragged on two occasions.

And, on Sunday at Kilmarnock, Nicke Kabamba stepped into the role of the Frenchman’s tormentor, the penalty he won after outsmarting him indicative of the way their battle went.

Tomorrow in Paisley, Jim Goodwin will not be able to call upon a plastic park. But in Jon Obika, the St Mirren manager does have the kind of physical player that Jullien has struggled with. No prizes for guessing what the cunning plan will be.

‘There are a lot of teams who are now going to look at Sunday’s game and try and do exactly the same,’ predicted former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs.

‘It’s what managers do. They look at how certain teams play against Celtic and Rangers and, if they’ve got a result, they’ll try and do exactly the same.

‘They might not have the same type of players but they’ll try and do similar types of things.

‘So he has to overcome that side of it. He needs to deal with that this season and deal with it quickly.’

Standing 6ft 5in in his stocking soles, Jullien could be said to have more the physique of a basketball player than a centre-half.

For all his ability in the air in both boxes and as a first attacking outlet, you would never describe him as a powerhouse. In a league populated by players who thrive on a battle of brawn, the concerns are obvious. ‘I don’t think it’s ideal when he’s come out and said he didn’t like the physical side,’ Stubbs added. ‘That’s not what you want and it’s happened on a few occasions now as he got ruffled up by Dykes at Livingston. ‘But at other times, he looked a really classy centre-back. That’s why it’s important to have a different type of central defender when you are up against physical sides.’ With Nir Bitton and youngster Stephen Welsh the current cover for Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer at centre-half, Celtic manager Lennon, it goes without saying, is in the market for a new recruit. But he won’t have a new body in the door by tomorrow and nor is he likely to have a fresh face to take on Aberdeen’s Ryan Edmondson on Saturday. So how does he adapt Jullien’s game in the meantime? ‘It’s difficult to get someone to be aggressive. It’s either in you or not,’ said Stubbs. ‘If you’re the manager, there are certain ways you can play around it. If you maybe start with a higher defensive line against some of these teams then it becomes more difficult for them. ‘If you don’t get that distance right, in terms of your starting position, then it’s easier for a centre forward to really pin you back. ‘If it was me, I would look to negate that problem in terms of playing a higher defensive line. That would mean the balls being played forward towards him have to be really accurate. ‘It would bring the midfielders closer to him and offer him more protection.’ Last season, Jullien (left) played his best football after Christmas in a back three, making that another option.

‘He is very comfortable as that spare one in that system,’ Stubbs offered. ‘It’s something Neil will look at. He alluded to it a lot last season that the system suited them when they went on a good run.

‘But in order to play that three, you are taking away an attacking option. At Celtic, it’s more about attacking than defending. With him having only two recognised centrebacks right now, his hands are tied. It’s probably got to be a back four.’

Tactical tweaks are all very well, of course, but they’ll count for little if the player in question doesn’t strengthen their resolve. Jullien will never dominate opponents like Bobo Balde. But Stubbs feels he can toughen up.

‘I think there is an element of that,’ said Stubbs. ‘But if you look at different centre-backs, the same could probably be said about someone like John Stones.

‘He’s really elegant and good on the ball but he’s the same as Jullien in that he probably doesn’t like the physical side to it.

‘I just think: “Don’t accept that, do something about it — be clever about it”. And I just don’t think Jullien was potentially clever enough about it on Sunday.

‘He didn’t go about it in the right way. He probably let it affect him too much and got into situations he didn’t need to. That physicality was clearly troubling him.

‘There is no point trying to have a strength contest with someone you know is stronger than you. You’re going to lose.’

Just two games into the season then and the reason behind every dropped point will be examined in detail as Celtic and Rangers look for an advantage in the title race.

For now, a slender advantage rests with the Ibrox club but Stubbs has questioned if Steven Gerrard’s side can continue to handle the pressure once fans return to stadiums.

Ahead of their home game against St Johnstone at a deserted stadium tomorrow, the former Celtic defender wonders if largely the same group of players who folded last season will continue to hit the heights when subjected to the scrutiny of the paying public.

‘It helps Rangers having no fans in,’ Stubbs stated.

‘When it starts to intensify with fans back, it could have an effect on them.

‘Don’t forget, last season, we had one of the Rangers coaches (Michael Beale) talking about them dealing with pressure.

‘When you do drop a few points, all of a sudden there’s more pressure added to the mix when you have your fans there.

‘At the moment, it’s just down to ability and Rangers’ starting XI is very strong.

‘They should find themselves in a good position but the big question is whether they can do it over the course of the season.’

“It’s not ideal when he’s come out and said he doesn’t like the physical stuff... that’s not what you want”