Celtic’s result against Yokohama F Marinos didn’t go as well as planned. A 6-4 defeat in the opening fixture of the Japan Tour showed that on top of a lot of positives we can take from the game, there is still work needing done to help get the team ready for the start of the new season.
However, one player that left a good impression on not only the Celtic fans, but also Yokohama midfielder, Kota Watanabe. The Marinos midfielder had the unenviable task of putting the shackles on the Hoops midfielder and it seems that Hatate has left a lasting impression on the 24-year-old.
Watanabe said [Hochi News], “It’s a friendly, but I played with my usual feeling. It is a world-famous team and I wanted to challenge them to see how well I could do. I felt the opponents weren’t 100% (conditioned) either, but I think I did what I could do.
Yokohama star impressed by ‘great’ Hatate
When asked about he felt he coped being up against Reo Hatate, Watanabe said, “I was able to play football while watching the opponents, and I was changing my position by looking at them.
“There are a lot of things to learn from him, such as how to hold the ball, and I thought he was a key player, and I thought he was a great player.” [translated by Deep L]
The popularity of Celtic in Japan has never been so high. The hype and promotion surrounding the return of our Japanese players has been something else.
The Japanese public has really embraced the club since Celtic’s arrival in their country this week. Celtic now move on to face Gamba Osaka in the final match of the Japan Tour where Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to see improvements from the game yesterday morning.
In other news, Tomoki Iwata sets first-team ambition as Celtic midfielder impresses in Japan
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