Reo Hatate from the first whistle yesterday showed us exactly why we’ve missed him to much…
Reo Hatate returned to the Celtic starting lineup for the first time in five months at Livingston yesterday afternoon and immediately reminded us all just how good a footballer he is.
It was a bit of a surprise to see the Japanese playmaker play from the start due to his lack of match fitness coupled with the horrendous Livingston playing surface. But it proved to be a masterstroke by Brendan Rodgers and John Kennedy as Reo was the best player on the park for the hour he graced us with his presence.
To watch him in action you’d never think he’d been out for so long. His touch, his vision and that ever so decisive final ball were as clinical as ever. He even had a say in the all important opening goal as he forced the unfortunate Jamie Brandon into putting the ball past his own keeper. Indeed in his post-match interview with Celtic TV, Reo was claiming that goal as his own! I’m not going to argue with him over that!
We look a much more compact and dynamic side with Reo in the team. We’ve clearly been missing his influence these past few months. Callum McGregor, Paulo Bernardo, Matt O’Riley and Tomoki Iwata are all wonderful players, but Reo brings an extra dimension to the middle of the park, with his guile and ability to create something out of nothing.
You could clearly see the difference in our side yesterday with every single player wanting to give him the ball at every opportunity. We looked a much more balanced and threatening side than we have done these past few months.
More importantly Reo didn’t seem to suffer any affects of the brutal concrete carpet that the players were subjected too. That bodes well with a trip to Ibrox the next stop in our title bid. He might be lacking in match fitness, but I’d be surprised if Reo isn’t in the starting XI come next Sunday afternoon.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
