Gordon Dalziel says he noticed a small chat between midfielders Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate that sparked Celtic towards the Premiership title last weekend.
The Hoops knew before heading into the Dundee United clash at Tannadice that at least a point would guarantee a fourth Premiership title triumph in a row.
Celtic actually started poorly, but that was arguably down more to the organisation and set-up of Dundee United before they eventually fell apart and lost 5-0.
The Hoops finally got ahead via Ryan Strain’s own goal before being dealt a painful blow when Jota had to be substituted out for Adam Idah due to a knee injury.
And Dalziel thinks the introduction of the Irish striker, coupled with a chat between McGregor and Hatate during the Celtic tangerines protest, changed the outlook of the afternoon.
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Gordon Dalziel on McGregor & Hatate Celtic chat
Sky Sports, who broadcasted the game live, uploaded a clip of the Celtic fan protest which delayed the encounter, and it shows McGregor and Hatate helping to clear the pitch.
The midfield pair then converse with each other, seemingly a tactical discussion, and Dalziel thinks that was crucial for Celtic for the rest of the match.
Speaking initially about Adam Idah, Dalziel said on the latest Open Goal podcast: “I thought he came on at Tannadice and was excellent by the way. I think his link-up play was very, very good. Honestly, I thought his movement and everything…
“I thought that Celtic (got better after he came on). See after the wee stoppage (protest in first-half), you seen McGregor and Hatate having a wee chat with each other.
“Now it shows you how good those players are, they must have just sorted something out because were not at their best, were they? And it was all down to Dundee United.
“But I thought Idah brought something a wee bit different and I think he’ll start (against Rangers).”
Hatate is a ‘phenomenal player’ for Celtic
In recent weeks, Reo Hatate has been magnificent for the Hoops, particularly in the last two games against St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup and Dundee United.
After Celtic trounced the Perth Saints at Hampden Park to progress to the Scottish Cup final, BBC pundit Allan Preston waxed lyrical about the Japanese star.
Preston went as far as saying that Hatate can play with any top team in Europe easily and claims that when he finds it too easy up in Scotland, his performances drop a bit.
Preston said: “Hatate is another one. He thinks that he has got the ability to play in the very top level of England, if he wants.
“Any top team in Europe, he can go and play. His consistency when it gets too easy for him, that’s when he sometimes switches off, but he is a phenomenal player. You can see that.
“He is a brilliant football player, and a real good find by Celtic.”
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