John Kennedy hailed Hatate’s big game credentials as the Japanese warmed up for Old Firm slobberknocker by dismantling Livingston.
Reo Hatate was hailed by John Kennedy for his rampaging ways after his incredible comeback propelled Celtic back to the top of the standings.
The Japanese star, who excelled at Livingston and went straight into top form, was showered with praise by the Parkhead assistant coach.Hatate, starting for the first time since October of last year, showed all the customary dedication and class and contributed significantly to the game’s opening goal in the 3-0 victory.
At the Tony Macaroni Arena, the 26-year-old performed with ease, and Kennedy stressed the significance of the Asian’s outstanding comeback. “The gaffer thought to get him in the team quickly because he was on it right from the first minute and he has been in training,” the assistant manager stated. For the past few weeks, he has been excellent. He worked incredibly hard and returned in fantastic shape. It was time to let him go because we had the game last week to give him some minutes and he was pretty good. You can see what he gives to the team, in my opinion.
Kennedy said, “I believe that’s always the case with your best players,” indicating that hate makes a difference for the winners. In terms of huge games and great performances, he has demonstrated that. Although it’s clear that he’s not quite up to speed, he appears to be in fairly decent shape, and his confidence boosts the team’s morale.
“He plays with such poise. You can see how he adds a calmness to the game, even on a challenging pitch. He provides us with a somewhat different dynamic by seeing the passes that the front players thrive on.
It’s critical that he returns. All that needs to be done is get him through this week and into next week’s extremely fit state. Paulo [Bernardo] came on, created a little buzz, and scored even after he came off.
With his effort, Bernardo was scoring his fourth goal of the year, and Matt O’Riley’s third goal of the year took his career total to twelve. In West Lothian, the Danish international was also playing exceptionally well, and Tomoki Iwata contributed to the victory in lieu of captain Callum McGregor.
Kennedy went on, “He’s been important to us this year; the dynamic shifts a little when Callum comes out. Even Tomoki was really good in terms of the physicality he provided us with, the amount of times he scooped up second balls or broke up attacks, and that made it possible for Matt and Reo to get more involved.
It’s a positive dynamic. Now that we have solid choices, it will be important in the run-in.
Celtic dominated the game from the off, demonstrating their excellent performance against the bottom team in the league. Prior to the crucial game against the Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday, Rodgers’ team appeared to be in excellent shape.
In addition to having Hatate back in the mix for the victory against Livi, captain McGregor is expected to make the showdown at the top of the table. This season, Rodgers’ team has struggled with injuries, missing lengthy stretches of play due to the absence of several important players.
Stars like Cameron Carter-Vickers have also experienced periods of inactivity, but heading into the last seven Premiership games, the American also appears to be in excellent health. Kennedy acknowledges that it has not been easy to deal with the absence of the stars, but things are starting to come together on the fitness front. Kennedy assumed the primary technical area responsibilities while Rodgers was serving a ban and seated in the stands at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
“The squad is taking shape,” he remarked. With Reo back in, Cam [Carter-Vickers] has played for ninety more minutes, so we have a clean sheet of health.
“We just need to concentrate on performing at that level and we’re in fantastic shape heading into the run-in. It has been difficult, but that is a given in football. It occasionally occurs and has an impact on our performances and rhythm.
But we’ve been doing really well lately. Although we have given up a few soft goals that have allowed other teams to win, our attacking performance has been excellent. Our front players have performed admirably, both in terms of our ability to provide them and our final product of scoring many goals.
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