As Celtic prepare to face Yokohama F Marinos in the first leg of the Japan Tour tomorrow, the Celtic fans eagerly await the first glimpse of the team under Brendan Rodgers since the Irishman took over for his second spell at the club.
Many fans will be wondering if the style of football we have been accustomed to will change over the course of next season and just how our new signings are likely to fit into the Brendan Rodgers system.
And whilst that is all bubbling away in the background, it is worth remembering that this is not the first time that Celtic have faced the Japanese J League side.
The 3rd of August 2006 saw Gordon Strachan take his Celtic side which featured Shunsuke Nakamura to Japan for a pre-season friendly.
Marinos, at that point, were hovering around the bottom half of the J League but still managed to outclass a Strachan side that, albeit was not close to full strength, but still had the likes of Neil Lennon, Alan Thompson, Aiden McGeady, Shunsuke Nakamura and Stan Varga in the lineup.
Celtic were humbled 3-0 by the J League side and Nakamura said after the match [BBC]. “I am ashamed with this result. But, personally, it was an honour and a joy to play against Marinos in front of their supporters.
“For my team-mates, I felt rather sorry for them as they had to travel a long way and then play in the heat.”
The friendly match was, strangely, organised after the Scottish season had kicked off. Celtic had just defeated Kilmarnock 4-1 before heading off to Japan and were due to face Hearts at Tynecastle the following weekend which they eventually lost 2-1.
The trip, just like this year’s, was clearly designed to take advantage of the Japanese interest in Celtic due to the signing of Nakamura and his superstar status in the country.
Obviously, the result didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Celtic never lost another league match until March and won the league comfortably along with the Scottish Cup.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers speaks in first press conference of Japan Tour; the test ahead for Celtic
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