WITH the greatest of respect to the strikers of the Scottish Premiership, fine players that they are, it is unlikely that many of them will be giving Celtic’s new centre-back Moritz Jenz sleepless nights this season.
The German defender came up against the superstars of Paris Saint Germain last season while at Lorient, and even managed to help his side to a creditable draw at home, with a last-gasp Mauro Icardi goal the only thing separating him and his teammates from taking the scalp of Lionel Messi and co.
Jenz seems a self-effacing sort, so he would never claim that 1-1 draw puts him on the same level as the talents he came up against that night, but he does feel that the experience will help him as he adjusts to the changing expectations that will be placed upon him as a Celtic player, and help him to handle the step up to the Champions League too.
“The game was before Christmas, I thought ‘they are not going to have all their superstars’. ‘It’s going to be OK’,” Jenz said. “But 10 minutes before, they showed the team sheet and they had everyone with them.
“Then you get excited because these are the people you have been watching since you were small. These are the top guys at the top level.
“In the warm-up, you just forget. You don’t care who is next to you, if it’s (Sergio) Ramos or if it’s Messi. On the football field, we are even.
“Maybe they have much better qualities, but if you work hard and make it difficult, you have a chance. In the end, you just focus.
“The away game was a heavy defeat. But I was on the bench for that game so I have a good record against PSG!
“Messi was just fantastic. For me, he’s just the greatest player. It’s impossible to man mark him because he knows exactly where to be between the players. He gets the ball every time and you can’t get close to him.
“Also (Kylian) Mpabbe, for example, he’s very quick so it’s very difficult if the ball goes in behind you. So you need to have good cover and communication.
“So you learn more things about how to organise and how to be tougher and make it quite nasty for them.”
Making the game ‘nasty’ for the opposition, as Jenz puts it, is a notion that seems alien to Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, even if it seems he may be willing to make some minimal concessions to his attacking philosophy when going up against the continent’s big guns in the Champions League group stage.
Such an attitude chimes with Jenz’s own outlook though, the 23-year-old being firmly of the belief that respect for the opposition should never tip over into a fear that results in Celtic compromising on the attacking style that has made them so successful under Postecoglou in the first place.
“We should not go into games with anything to fear,” he said. “Because Celtic, if you see them in the league, they are very brave. Attacking football, possession football.
“I think if you play in Europe, last year we played Leverkusen for example, and against them they were brave.
“They could have won the game out there. You have to have the mentality to be brave and proud and 100 percent go for it.
“The coach will help me out with his ideas as he will decide how we play and who will play.
“I can add a little bit to it as I’ve experienced a [similar] situation against PSG.”
What was striking about meeting Jenz in comparison to other new arrivals on these shores from abroad was his breadth of knowledge about Celtic, which is hardly surprising given the education he has received in the club from his connections to Fulham.
The defender was coached by Celtic legend Peter Grant as he came through the youth ranks at Craven Cottage alongside one of the the club’s current midfield stars, Matt O’Riley, who he still classes as his best friend.
“It’s true, we kept in touch every day since I went to France and Switzerland,” Jenz said.
“We text every day and he told me the atmosphere at Celtic Park was amazing.
“I watched the games [last season] and got jealous because it’s Celtic and so famous.
“Everyone knows what it’s like to play for Celtic so it’s a dream to play with Matt because he’s my best friend.”
Grant imparted more than just stories about his Celtic days to the young prospect at the time though, and the aggression he introduced to Jenz’s game may now benefit his beloved club years down the line.
“He’s a great person,” said Jenz. “He’s a very good person off the field, very polite and a proper gentleman. On the field, like a different person!
“That’s how it is, you have to have that fire, you have to be like a lion. I really like that about him.
“I asked him a lot of questions [about Celtic]. He told me that Andy Thom played here, and he was also German, then I spoke to his sons too because they are Celtic fans too and they would always be telling me about the club.
“So, it was in my brain and now I’m here, it’s incredible.
“I’m extremely happy to be here.”
