‘Slacking off’ – Reo Hatate shares where Celtic Champions League experience has helped his game

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Reo Hatate has made marked improvements in his game this season.

That’s according to the Celtic midfielder himself who feels he has come on leaps and bounds in a defensive capacity. The 27-year-old has played 47 times this season both domestically and in Europe and it has been in the Champions League in particular where he feels he has shone.

Hatate featured in every game for the Hoops in the tournament and, again, Hatate feels good about the numbers he has put up with a goal and two assists in those matches.

And he reckons he has benefited significantly from squaring off against big-hitters in Europe in the revamped group stage as well as vs Bayern Munich in the heartbreaking 3-2 playoff defeat.

With Celtic, Hatate and co. are so used to keeping hold of the ball for the vast majority of any game domestically. So it was vital for his development to face teams who can also do the same against the Scottish Premiership giants.

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Reo Hatate says Champions League football has helped him improve at Celtic

That’s where he reckons he has received a boost that he hopes can help him with Japan on the international stage, which is where he is this week.

“I think my defence has improved a lot, and I feel that I can fight both as a group and as an individual,” Hatate told Gekisaka.

“(In the Champions League) we have played against teams where we could keep the ball and also teams that we clearly couldn’t keep the ball, so when we can’t keep the ball, we have to do things like not slacking off in defence.

“I think that this is something that we have to do, and I think that we have improved in that area. I played every game in the Champions League this season, and I feel like I have a great feeling as an individual.

“When playing against top-level teams, I have experienced many times that small differences can produce big results, and I felt that again. However, I feel that there are many areas where I am doing well.

“I hope that I can firmly incorporate that into the national team.”

Hatate’s Celtic stats and chances of playing for Japan

Hatate won’t have harmed his chances of playing for his country this season anyway with another league title on the way to add to the Premier Sports Cup as well as, he hopes, the Scottish Cup later this year, too.

But he acknowledges with other serious midfielder options for manager Hajime Moriyasu to choose from, he’s still on the cusp of a first-team, regular spot.

That’s why his Celtic form is so vital to his career prospects with the Samurai Blue and he’s praying his time will come.

“Personally, I know I’m on the edge of it, and I’ve had a lot of disappointments here that other players don’t, but I’ll just do what I have to do. There’s nothing I can do about what I can’t do, so I’ll just do what I can. If I get a chance, I’ll play well.”