Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has delivered his verdict on the performance of debutant Yuki Kobayashi against St Mirren on Wednesday evening.
Following the Bhoys Viaplay Cup semi-final success over Kilmarnock, the Celtic manager made several changes to his starting 11.
One of those being at the centre of defence after Cameron Carter-Vickers came away sore from Hampden Park.
Somewhat surprisingly, the 57-year-old introduced January signing Yuki Kobayashi to his side as the Japanese defender made his first appearance for the club.
It was bound to be an intriguing test for the former Vissel Kobe man, making his debut against a physical St Mirren frontline at Parkhead.
However, Kobayashi came through the game well, helping the Hoops keep a clean sheet in a 4-0 victory over Stephen Robinson’s side.
Speaking directly after the match, Ange Postecoglou delivered his verdict on the performance of his team and the debutant at the back.
The former Socceroos boss stated that he was happy with the defender’s all-round performance, dealing well with the Saints forward players, as he continues to settle into life in Scotland.
He said [The Herald]: “He was good. It’s not easy. He is still adjusting to the football here, the life here.
“They are a big, strong, physical team, very direct. They launched some balls in the box, so we had to deal with that side of the game, which I thought he did quite well.
“I thought he was really good on the ball, really composed. He will get better from that, but as an introduction, a first game, I thought he was good.
“I thought we were good [overall], really strong in all aspects of our game.
“We started the game well, but with their long throws, they have the ability to get the ball in the box without really advancing too far up the pitch. So we had to deal with some balls in the box, which I thought we handled well.
“Aside from that, I thought our football was really good. Our goals were outstanding. And there were some great moves that didn’t end up in goals. It was a really strong all-round performance.”
A solid debut for Kobayashi who is going to add balance to Celtic backline.
As mentioned, it was always going to be a tough and intriguing test for Kobayashi going into this game against St Mirren, who are the only team to defeat Celtic domestically this season.
However, the Japanese centre-back stood up to the task and dealt with all the challenges thrown his way across the 90 minutes.
As Postecoglou points out, Celtic’s new number 18 also looked extremely composed on the ball, which is a much-needed attribute when playing in this team.
As a left-back centre-back, he is going to provide the Hoops boss with another fantastic defensive option who can add some balance in possession.
I am sure Postecoglou and Kobayashi were glad to get the first appearance out the way, and it was a strong way to kick off life at Paradise.
I look forward to seeing how the defender develops, and it wl be interesting to see how much more involvement he has in the second half of the campaign.
In other news, Ange’s unlikely VAR praise as Stephen Robinson references “incredible” Kyogo Furuhashi piece of magic.
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