He’s never seemed the complacent or self-satisfied type, but you could allow Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou a wry smile as Reo Hatate smashed home the Hoops’ opener last night.
That makes it two excellent games out of two for Hatate, who joined the club from Kawasaki Frontale, where he’d won two consecutive J League titles. There was confusion over how Hatate would fit at Celtic. He’d even been erroneously described as a left-back, having played some games in the J League in that position.
But no, he’s a creative and endlessly perseverant midfielder, with goals and assists to his game. As we saw abundantly last night.
Hatate was a creative force. Along with his goal, he showed his range of passing, delivering accurate long balls and short passes alike. Off the ball, he won 6 duels and made 6 recoveries [Fotmob]. As a number 8, it was exactly the kind of performance you’d want from Hatate.
Ange Postecoglou was full of praise, but said there’s more to come from the Japanese midfielder. The Celtic manager said [Scottish Daily Mail, print edition, 27/1/22 p.83]: “Reo [Hatate] has got more you know, he is just beginning.
“It’s not easy because he set a pretty high bar after the first game. But he is a very determined young man to reach the top.”
On Celtic’s in-house media, Ange added [Celtic FC]: “During his junior career, he played as a striker as well. So he’s got [goals] in his locker. There’s more to come from him.
“That’s the beauty of the players we’ve brought in. They’re all in their early twenties, they’re all really hungry and ambitious. We’re forming a good nucleus not just for this year, but beyond.”
Ange Postecoglou says there’s more to come from Celtic star Reo Hatate
There’s a common theme amongst Celtic signings this season; the majority are getting off to an absolute flyer in the Green and White.
Hatate was Man of the Match on his debut. Daizen Maeda scored. Yosuke Ideguchi, in two outings, has looked like the commanding ball-winning midfielder we were promised. Matt O’Riley’s first Celtic game was excellent. Going back to summer, we can point to the likes of Kyogo, Liel Abada, Jota, Juranovic, Carter-Vickers and more who took no time to settle.
It shows a real difference in how Celtic are operating this season. Players are integrating extremely well, and the squad around them are backing them to the hilt. Every time there’s a contentious decision, or a moment of celebration, the whole team’s together.
Hatate, who let’s not forget, scored an absolute peach last night, has been a seamless addition to this group. Ange values hard-working players with technique and quality on the ball. The former Kawasaki Frontale man ticks each box there.
It’ll be extremely interesting to see what a fully-fit Celtic starting XI looks like. At the moment, you couldn’t really justify dropping Hatate. Especially when the manager believes there’s more to come.
These are promising times for supporters. For Celtic, Hatate embodies the optimism of fans as we look ahead to a pivotal run of fixtures.
Read more: Matt O’Riley’s outstanding Celtic numbers v Hearts; what a debut
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