Put Christopher Jullien against a physical centre forward on an artificial pitch and Celtic have a problem. Throw in the fact three out of 12 Premiership opponents play their football on a plastic surface and the odds on ten-in-a-row suddenly start to lengthen.
Celtic’s problems on these pitches can be over-played. Yet even after Ryan Christie’s fizzing 30 yard free-kick gave them the lead in Ayrshire you could see the warning signs. This looked and felt like those laboured afternoons at Rugby Park under Brendan Rodgers; days when Celtic couldn’t win here for love or money. While Kilmarnock looked perfectly at home, the visitors looked as green as their fetching new away kit.
Put Jullien against a technical opponent in the Europa League and he looks a player. Stick him up against a Lyndon Dykes or Killie’s Nicke Kabamba and he has all the poise and self assurance of Bambi on stilts. Against Hamilton last weekend Jullien and partner Kris Ajer gave an alarming number of chances away. Here, once again, the need for defensive reinforcements looked glaring.
The warning signs were there from the start. When Celtic won 3-1 here in January the rain tipped down from a leaden sky. On a sweltering day Kilmarnock reduced the size of the pitch and left it bone dry to slow the ball down and prevent the visitors fizzing it round. People can talk about wage bills and transfer fees till the cows come home. Nothing levels a game against Scotland’s champions more than a playing field better suited to lawn bowls.
There were just six minutes on the clock when Kabamba – a scorer in that 3-1 defeat – won his first header from a Ross Millen cross. After that he proceeded to bully and terrorise a six foot five defender.
When Celtic claimed the lead in the tenth minute the game looked likely to follow a similar pattern to last weekend’s 5-1 home win over Hamilton.
For Killie the goal was a tale of mixed fortunes. Gary Dicker was lucky to escape a straight red card when a late cynical tackle from behind endangered Odsonne Edouard.
The home team’s luck ran out when Ryan Christie smashed the set-piece into the net from fully 30 yards. While it bounced up new Killie keeper Danny Rogers will feel he shouldn’t have lost one from that distance. For Christie it was a first goal of the new season. For Celtic it was a false dawn.
The lead lasted just 13 minutes, the Kilmarnock penalty which levelled things a personal disaster for Jullien.
Squeezed in tight at the touchline with his back to goal, Nicke Kabamba was going nowhere. Jullien – in theory at least – had him hemmed in.
The arrival of Scott Brown should have helped matters, but didn’t. Kabamba somehow managed to nick the ball around the Frenchman before being uncermeniously hauled to the ground.
A clear penalty, Celtic’s new £5million keeper Vasilis Barkas had an immediate chance to make an impact on his club debut. The Greek international got close to Chris Burke’s low penalty, but not close enough. The ball nestled in the net, the home team level.
Suddenly Kilmarnock looked the more likely. Celtic’s build up play was lethargic and laboured.
Kabamba, in particular, fancied it against Jullien – sneaking in for another free header over the crossbar from a Millen cross. The central defender had a pretty nightmarish first half. With four minutes to play until the interval another dangerous Millen ball forward should have been meat and drink. Once again Jullien made a hash of things as Kabamba threatened to skip clear. Celtic scrambled enough cover for his deflected strike to bounce up into the grateful arms of Barkas.
In open play Celtic were restricted to scraps. As with the goal their next opening came from another set-piece conceded by reckless Kilmarnock tackling on the edge of their own area.
Alan Power was next into the book after a late challenge on Mohammed Elyounnoussi.
Odsonne Edouard took it this time, curling a left foot effort wide of the post.
When a raking Christie long ball towards the head of James Forrest – hardly a giant – is the best opening in open play it’s clear things aren’t working.
Kilmarnock could be highly satisified with their efforts at half-time. Celtic less so.
One of the few advantages of games behind closed doors is the ability to hear on-field shouts.
Three minutes into the second half Scott Brown screamed at his teammates to get going. ‘This isn’t good enough’ roared the captain. He wasn’t wrong.
Celtic could find no rhythm. They created little.
One wayward Edouard half volley early in the second period summed up their efforts. Compact, disciplined and quick on the break Dyer’s Killie were executing their gameplan brilliantly.
Callum McGregor’s curling right foot strike in 64 minutes dropped on to the roof of the net and summed up their problems. While the centre halves gave chances away they toiled to create in the attacking third.
Edouard and Elyounoussi couldn’t get going, the latter making way for Polish striker Patryk Klimala after 66 minutes, the arrival of Hatem Elhamed for Frimpong signalling a change of formation to 4-4-2.
‘Calm down, be patient’ was the vocal message from Neil Lennon. Yet, with eleven minutes to play the concern was enough to replace Brown with Olivier Ntcham. It was an overdue move, but did nothing to break down Kilmarnock’s heroic resistence.
Time after time Celtic ran into dead ends, Klimala’s close shave with an inviting Christie cross as close as they came. After terrific displays from the likes of Kabamba and Millen Kilmarnock were well worth their point.
