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This article is part of Football FanCast's The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Christopher Jullien made his first start for Celtic against Nomme Kalju on Tuesday, and we're edging ever closer to discovering Neil Lennon's preferred centre-back partnership.
On the chalkboard
Lennon has opted for a flexible back-three this summer, with Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo marauding down the left-hand side as a wing-back. This has meant Kristoffer Ajer has been playing as a mixture of right-back and centre-half, with Jozo Simunovic and converted-midfielder Nir Bitton in the middle.
Simunovic and Bitton have stepped up well as the Celts conceded just twice in their three games with the unusual formation. Before the Nomme Kalju away leg we hadn't seen where Jullien fits into this system.
But with Lennon reverting back to his favoured 4-2-3-1 system for Tuesday's game in Estonia, he gave us his biggest hint yet as to how the side will line-up long-term.
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A sign of things to come
Jullien was deployed alongside Simunovic as one of two central defenders in Estonia and this could well be the system we see at Parkhead going forward. Yet, we might see slightly different personnel.
The giant Frenchman was brought to the club from Toulouse for a £7m fee, per BBC Sport. This sort of outlay would suggest he'll be expected to be Lennon's go-to central defender this season - it's the sixth biggest fee the club has ever shelled out.
Alongside him, despite the early season form of Simunovic and Bitton, should be Ajer. The Norwegian has shown signs that he's on his way to the very top and would provide a nice blend of experience and youth if he were to be partnered with Jullien.
Ajer was pivotal for Celtic as he made 45 appearances en route to a treble treble victory last season. There's a very real chance that the club play with two new full-backs and new signing Jullien at the back for large portions of the season, so the continuity of having the 21-year-old in the backline shouldn't be undervalued.
We will have to wait to see the Ajer-Jullien partnership in full flow thanks to the Frenchman's domestic suspension, but the former's potential and the latter's price tag will surely see Lennon land on them as his go-to pair.
Jullien's size and physical dominance, combined with Ajer's technical ability and high potential, makes them the ideal partnership to lead Lennon's second reign. Sorry Jozo.
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