Ross McCormack says ‘we need to be careful’ about what is being said about Celtic, defends Reo Hatate

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There was a sense of disappointment with Celtic’s result in Dinamo Zagreb.

It shows the progression Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic players are making that there is that sense of feeling after a Champions League match.

Nobody can argue that Celtic’s goalless draw against Dinamo Zagreb was the right result based on the performance both teams put out.

Very few clear-cut chances were created during that match as Rodgers watched his players dominate the ball throughout.

On a positive note, that’s back-to-back clean sheets away from home in Europe and another step towards securing that all-important play-off spot.

But then others weren’t too happy with Celtic’s display, including what the magic man, Reo Hatate, produced in the middle of the park.

All of which was slammed by Ross McCormack.

Ross McCormack lauds Reo Hatate’s qualities after Celtic’s draw against Dinamo Zagreb

Before the game, there was a lot of talk about what the make-up of Celtic’s midfield would be, with Rodgers opting to start Paulo Bernardo instead of Arne Engels, alongside the skipper and Hatate.

Callum McGregor was the only midfield player to stay out there for the entirety of the match, with McCormack defending Hatate’s performance and how he wasn’t the only one to drop his standards in Croatia’s capital.

The former striker also admitted that he ‘loves’ watching the Japan star in action and how he is ‘completely different’ from other midfield players, as he told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.

“Depends what standards you look at,” responded McCormack on if Hatate was ‘below his standards’ against Dinamo. “There have been some games where his standards have been exceptionally high.

“But he sort of wasn’t any different to anyone else, for me. It was one of them games where not much really happened. It was, dare I say it, boring actually. Not much happened. I just wanted more excitement.

“For me, Hatate, I love watching him. I think he is a midfielder who gets it on the half-turn. I love it when he takes that first touch around the corner. He is something completely different to the other midfielders.”

“You need to be careful with the words that we use because, to say ‘Celtic were awful’ when they have controlled, more or less, 90 minutes in a Champions League game away from home,” added McCormack.

McCormack slams suggestion Celtic were ‘awful’ against Zagreb in the Champions League

It wasn’t so long ago that Celtic were conceding seven to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and morale was on the floor.

Fast forward to the present and back-to-back clean sheets have been secured, with McCormack keen to bring certain critics down to earth.

Amid talk that Celtic’s performance against Zagreb was ‘awful’, McCormack told people to be ‘careful’ about what they say because of the difficulties of playing away from home in Europe.

“I mean, how many times has that happened over the last how many years? It doesn’t usually happen with Scottish teams. Just be careful,” warned McCormack.

“Yes, it wasn’t a great performance and it was a decent result. The game was crying out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck.

“But then don’t criticise players for trying something different because that’s what you are asking them to do in a sense. Just be careful with the words that we use. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t their best.”