After being pleased with Tomoki Iwata’s efforts in both training and games, Brendan Rodgers appears to be planning to offer him more starting chances at Celtic.
The Japanese midfielder was brought in by the team during Ange Postecoglou’s reign, but under Rodgers, he has seldom played, earning only one start this year.
But that was on Wednesday night, when they defeated Hibernian 4-1 at home. Iwata had a strong game the entire time, and his addition allowed Callum McGregor to play in a more forward position in the midfield.
Iwata would have played more before now, according to Rodgers, but he has been dealing with injury problems. There’s a fair likelihood that there will be more match action in the near future.
Brendan Rodgers is pleased with Tomoki Iwata’s improvement for Celtic.
According to the Celtic manager, it would have happened earlier, but he wasn’t available, according to Football Scotland.
We’ll take a look at whatever the game requires. He has performed admirably in the games that he has entered and in training. You can see that it has the potential to work well when up against a strong opponent like Hibs.
Regarding modifying McGregor’s position, Rodgers continued, saying, “He’s a captain of the team and an absolutely incredible player.” He gives his all in every game, whether he’s playing as an 8, an inverted full back, a controller, or anything else.
“He sets a great example for the other athletes. He embodies all the qualities of the perfect football player, including mental toughness, system interpretation skills, competitiveness, physical bravery, and quality. He is the perfect football player to have on your squad.
It seems then that the Celtic boss was pretty happy with how his midfield looked against Hibs. It stands to reason that will continue for the trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Iwata is also registered in the UEFA squad so could even feature against Feyenoord next week, too.
McGregor hasn’t been at his best in that ‘number six’ position this term and if he manages to make a bigger impact in more advanced positions with Reo Hatate out, Iwata will undoubtedly get more chances, too.
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