‘Woeful’ – Exclusive: Whelan slaughters Celtic ‘Schoolboy’
Noel Whelan has blasted Celtic defender Christopher Jullien for his “woeful” performance against Kilmarnock.
The former Leeds United and Aberdeen striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs, called the 27-year-old’s defending “schoolboy” and insisted that he “needs to step up his game” for the rest of the season.
The centre-half endured a torrid afternoon against Kilmarnock’s Nicke Kabamba and gave away a penalty as the Hoops struggled to a 1-1 draw at Rugby Park.
The draw hands Old Firm rivals Rangers an early advantage in the title race after they ran out 3-0 victors over St Mirren at Ibrox and leaves Neil Lennon’s side without a clean sheet this season.
Whelan lamented Jullien‘s poor defending and warned the Frenchman that he will face far more aggressive forwards than Kabamba before the season finishes.
“Jullien is a slow burner and a slow starter,” he told Football Insider.
“The defending was woeful for the penalty. You have Scott Brown and himself around the attacker but nobody got any body to body contact on him. That is poor defending.
“I thought Scott Brown would have made it more difficult because that was far too easy. Neil Lennon knows that. Kabamba has two men around him, to skip through that easily and then to pull him back is schoolboy.
“You cannot afford too many of them throughout the season. They have dropped two points. Even though Kilmarnock are a well drilled outfit that is a poor result for Celtic.
“Jullien needs to step up his game. That cannot happen. You will get more aggressive strikers and you haver to match that. He has to be clever enough to defend that kind of player.”
In other Celtic news, it can be REVEALED that the Hoops have lost out in their pursuit of striker after he agreed to join Premier League club.