Reo Hatate has been, without doubt, one of Celtic’s best players this season.
As well as turning it on in the Champions League, the Celtic midfielder has been showing his class domestically as Brendan Rodgers maintains his unbeaten start to the domestic season after the Bhoys beat Hearts.
Even when Celtic are struggling to break down teams, Hatate always seems to pull something out of his hat to break down opponents to ensure the Hoops continue their domestic dominance this season.
But against Hearts, James McFadden spotted something that the Japanese midfielder did that helped turn around a poor first half at Tynecastle into an eventual hammering of Hearts.
James McFadden spots Reo Hatate tweak that was ‘controlling the pace’ of Celtic’s game vs Hearts
McFadden told Sky Sports Scotland, “It’s tough because they are top players, they will find space, they won’t continue to do the same things over and over.
“Because Hearts, they had a good structure and the players were very diligent within that in the first half about when to try and stop the space going forward and at the right time to go and press and they were frustrating Celtic because they couldn’t find those spaces to play the killer passes.
“But in the second half, Hatate, he was outstanding, controlled the game. They try and stretch it and at times the wide men, the midfielders become wide, Engles and Hatate and they try and then create the space to get the overloads, but it wasn’t working for them.
“So then you see Hatate coming in more central, controlling the pace of the game and it was always going to be the case.
“We said at half time, the amount of effort that Hearts put in they had just to get the reward of getting themselves in front and having something to defend.
“But you know that Celtic are gonna come out energized whether it’s the team that’s on the pitch or they make the changes that give them that energy again.
“And the different types of players that play within the system and are still so effective.
“So you felt that when Hearts got their chances, they had to take them to give them that little bit to hold on to.
“Celtic in the end, just prove too strong again.”
Reo Hatate’s five best games for Celtic this season
Hatate has been a standout at Celtic ever since Ange Postecoglou brought him over from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021.
Having made 19 appearances for Celtic this season so far, here are five of Hatate’s best games under Rodgers as the Hoops boss looks to defend his title.
- Celtic 4 v 0 Kilmarnock. Hatate scores Celtic’s second goal in the Scottish Premiership curtain raiser as the Bhoys destroyed Killie.
- St Mirren 0 v 3 Celtic. The Japanese midfielder was the best player on the park as he finds the back of the net once again as he dismantled the Paisley club in Celtic’s first game without Matt O’Riley
- Celtic 3 v 1 RB Leipzig. Another masterclass from Hatate after scoring Celtic’s third goal to seal a vital Champions League win.
- Motherwell 0 v 3 Celtic. Hatate controlled the game again to help Celtic beat a Motherwell side who were sitting fourth in the league at the time.
- Hearts 1 v 4 Celtic. As McFadden said, Hatate was superb as he took control of the game in the second half to ensure Celtic left Tynecastle with all three points.
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