I saw that Celtic passed on Kyogo, and you can bet that Reo Hatate saw it too Chris –Sutton March 23, 2024 Akura Celtic FC 0 At first, Reo Hatate wasn’t in favor. He might wind up becoming the golden boy now. In Scotland, Hatate and Callum McGregor are the two top midfield players. Brendan Rodgers, the manager of Celtic, has the potential to give his team a huge lift just when they need it, if he can get both players healthy and ready for the final stretch. It’s a fact that Hatate has had an awful season. He was my Player of the Year the previous term because of his incredible talent and ability to lead by example. When Rodgers benched him in favor of David Turnbull at the start of the season, I found it puzzling. As I stated previously, it had to be a problem related to his thinking or fitness because, no matter how much respect you give him, Turnbull had no business being in any starting lineup before the Japanese when the Premiership began. After that, things became worse when he sustained the injury at Aberdeen on the second weekend of the season, which forced him to miss more time. I continue to maintain that during the little run in October when Hatate regained his top speed, Celtic played some of their greatest stuff of the year. Talks that Rodgers had with him appeared to be effective. He played brilliantly both at home against Kilmarnock and away against Hearts, and the team’s results mirrored his. He raised the bar, but against Atletico Madrid, he was forced back onto the sidelines with yet another injury, and we haven’t seen him much since. Hatate’s injury at the Asian Cup was just another headache in a long line of them for Celtic this season and, of course, they will have to be careful with him. However, that midweek comeback game is crucial because, I’m sure, his absence has played a significant role in the team’s inconsistent play and ups and downs. Rodgers has tried various options in the middle of the park without Hatate as McGregor and Matt O’Riley have had to do the heavy lifting. Turnbull was given that first opportunity and the fact he just wasn’t up to it was proven when packed off to Cardiff in January. Odin Thiago Holm never got started with the red card against Feyenoord followed by a succession of failed chances when dished out. Paulo Bernardo gave some hope that he could fill the gap and there was a period around the festive fixtures when he looked the part. However, the Portuguese hasn’t really kicked on since the mid-season break in the way Celtic would have wanted and Tomoki Iwata now has the job. He, too, has looked tidy enough in recent matches and played well against St Johnstone seven days ago, but holds nowhere near the levels of influence that Hatate possesses. Losing McGregor was another boot for Rodgers, especially with the timing of it. Celtic had given away their advantage at the top of the table, yet an opportunity to seize it again arose with a shock Rangers home loss to Motherwell. Rodgers and his team had the chance to grab that title initiative back the following day against Hearts at Tynecastle, yet without McGregor, they failed to take it, although, of course, the red card to Hyunjun Yang and the bizarre VAR calls made during the Gorgie game had an effect on the eventual outcome. Unlike last season when McGregor missed key games, Celtic did not have an Aaron Mooy to fill the void or a Hatate. The captain is so valuable and some fans only see his true worth when he’s not in the team. He’s an outstanding footballer and does so much to knit the whole side together. He and O’Riley were having to try and do three jobs in the first-half of the season and it had an effect of wear and tear. The Danish international has been left holding the fort, but the opportunity to be reunited with his best sidekicks will put a shot of energy into his play, too. Kyogo Furuhashi looked more like his old self last weekend in the win over Craig Levein’s team and he would benefit massively from his countryman being in the side again. I saw a passage of play in that St Johnstone game when the striker made a brilliant run from deep which cut him straight through the visitors’ defence. Had Iwata spotted the pass, Kyogo would have an age to go through on the keeper and pick his spot. Unfortunately for Celtic, he didn’t see it, but you can bet your last coin Hatate would have spotted it. It’s not being harsh on Iwata, it’s just a fact. The tempo and fluency in Celtic’s play will rocket if Hatate, McGregor are in tandem again. Keep Kyogo on form, keep Cameron Carter-Vickers fit and add that midfield trio and Rodgers could go into the final two months with as powerful a selection hand as he’s held all term. Potentially, if Celtic can get through the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, there are 10 games left in their season. Every single one of them promises to be massive and it is going to take big game players. Having them all his disposal through until the end of May would be perfect timing for him. The equation is pretty simple for Celtic. Win all 10 of those remaining games starting at Livingston next weekend and the Premiership and Scottish Cup double is theirs. It’s a big period and it calls for stars who can make it happen. Hatate and McGregor are two who can shine more than any in the country. GET MORE NEWS HERE Related Brendan RodgersCeltic FC
At first, Reo Hatate wasn’t in favor. He might wind up becoming the golden boy now. In Scotland, Hatate and Callum McGregor are the two top midfield players. Brendan Rodgers, the manager of Celtic, has the potential to give his team a huge lift just when they need it, if he can get both players healthy and ready for the final stretch. It’s a fact that Hatate has had an awful season. He was my Player of the Year the previous term because of his incredible talent and ability to lead by example. When Rodgers benched him in favor of David Turnbull at the start of the season, I found it puzzling. As I stated previously, it had to be a problem related to his thinking or fitness because, no matter how much respect you give him, Turnbull had no business being in any starting lineup before the Japanese when the Premiership began. After that, things became worse when he sustained the injury at Aberdeen on the second weekend of the season, which forced him to miss more time. I continue to maintain that during the little run in October when Hatate regained his top speed, Celtic played some of their greatest stuff of the year. Talks that Rodgers had with him appeared to be effective. He played brilliantly both at home against Kilmarnock and away against Hearts, and the team’s results mirrored his. He raised the bar, but against Atletico Madrid, he was forced back onto the sidelines with yet another injury, and we haven’t seen him much since. Hatate’s injury at the Asian Cup was just another headache in a long line of them for Celtic this season and, of course, they will have to be careful with him. However, that midweek comeback game is crucial because, I’m sure, his absence has played a significant role in the team’s inconsistent play and ups and downs. Rodgers has tried various options in the middle of the park without Hatate as McGregor and Matt O’Riley have had to do the heavy lifting. Turnbull was given that first opportunity and the fact he just wasn’t up to it was proven when packed off to Cardiff in January. Odin Thiago Holm never got started with the red card against Feyenoord followed by a succession of failed chances when dished out. Paulo Bernardo gave some hope that he could fill the gap and there was a period around the festive fixtures when he looked the part. However, the Portuguese hasn’t really kicked on since the mid-season break in the way Celtic would have wanted and Tomoki Iwata now has the job. He, too, has looked tidy enough in recent matches and played well against St Johnstone seven days ago, but holds nowhere near the levels of influence that Hatate possesses. Losing McGregor was another boot for Rodgers, especially with the timing of it. Celtic had given away their advantage at the top of the table, yet an opportunity to seize it again arose with a shock Rangers home loss to Motherwell. Rodgers and his team had the chance to grab that title initiative back the following day against Hearts at Tynecastle, yet without McGregor, they failed to take it, although, of course, the red card to Hyunjun Yang and the bizarre VAR calls made during the Gorgie game had an effect on the eventual outcome. Unlike last season when McGregor missed key games, Celtic did not have an Aaron Mooy to fill the void or a Hatate. The captain is so valuable and some fans only see his true worth when he’s not in the team. He’s an outstanding footballer and does so much to knit the whole side together. He and O’Riley were having to try and do three jobs in the first-half of the season and it had an effect of wear and tear. The Danish international has been left holding the fort, but the opportunity to be reunited with his best sidekicks will put a shot of energy into his play, too. Kyogo Furuhashi looked more like his old self last weekend in the win over Craig Levein’s team and he would benefit massively from his countryman being in the side again. I saw a passage of play in that St Johnstone game when the striker made a brilliant run from deep which cut him straight through the visitors’ defence. Had Iwata spotted the pass, Kyogo would have an age to go through on the keeper and pick his spot. Unfortunately for Celtic, he didn’t see it, but you can bet your last coin Hatate would have spotted it. It’s not being harsh on Iwata, it’s just a fact. The tempo and fluency in Celtic’s play will rocket if Hatate, McGregor are in tandem again. Keep Kyogo on form, keep Cameron Carter-Vickers fit and add that midfield trio and Rodgers could go into the final two months with as powerful a selection hand as he’s held all term. Potentially, if Celtic can get through the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, there are 10 games left in their season. Every single one of them promises to be massive and it is going to take big game players. Having them all his disposal through until the end of May would be perfect timing for him. The equation is pretty simple for Celtic. Win all 10 of those remaining games starting at Livingston next weekend and the Premiership and Scottish Cup double is theirs. It’s a big period and it calls for stars who can make it happen. Hatate and McGregor are two who can shine more than any in the country. GET MORE NEWS HERE
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