Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda form Celtic’s Japanese contingent included in Hajime Moriyasu’s squad for their double-header against China and Bahrain in World Cup qualifying.
Both players have been at the forefront under Brendan Rodgers this term, helping the Bhoys to build an early foothold at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Despite this, the pair endured contrasting fortunes during last Thursday’s 7-0 rout against China, where 23 players were involved in matchday preparations.
Maeda got himself on the scoresheet off the bench. Meanwhile, Hatate wasn’t included in the matchday squad, rendering him unable to add to his nine caps for the Samurai Blue.
While Japan prepare for their clash against Bahrain tomorrow, the latter has opened up on his omission from the resounding victory.
Reo Hatate’s reaction to omission against China
Speaking to Gekisaka (translated via DeepL), Hatate delivered a fairly harsh self-assessment of why he wasn’t included against China. He also made a vow to get ‘better and better’ to force his way into Moriyasu’s plans.
“I simply felt strong when I watched it. It can’t be helped that it’s over, but I think it was my lack of ability that kept me out. If I had the ability, I would have been able to play in the games and make the squad, so I think my lack of ability is the reason for this result. I think this result is due to my lack of ability. I want to do well for myself.
“If I can be witty plus something else, I think I will get better and better. I want to be conscious of that.”
Later, he added: “We have a lot of quality players in attack, and they played with confidence, which was expressed in the game. We have no choice but to turn this difficult position into a further leap forward.”
Reo Hatate will only go from strength to strength
Admittedly, translations don’t always account for context, but most Celtic fans would agree that Hatate is doing himself a major disservice when he talks about his ability.
The 26-year-old continues to be part of an engine room that has swept all before them this campaign, scoring twice in his opening five appearances.
Once he returns from international duty, Hatate will be a key player for Celtic as they set their stall out for domestic success while competing in the Champions League league phase.
Hopefully, he can reach double-figures in Japan caps tomorrow before coming back refreshed and ready to lead from the front under Rodgers.
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