When Stiliyan Petrov arrived in Glasgow he couldn’t speak a word of English and had to go through his first season at Celtic trying to find his feet in the Scottish game while attempting to learn a language. It’s fair to say Stan’s debut season in the Hoops was much more subdued that the rest of his time playing for the club and now the Bulgarian has drawn some interesting comparisons between his own early months at Celtic and those of Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate.
“Everything is hard at first. He’s miles away from family and friends, and there’s a language barrier. It’s a big thing. People will say you have interpreters, but that’s not going to help Hatate all the time,” Petrov stated in an interview in Scottish Sun. “When you are in a playing environment, players want to hear you talk. Even if you don’t speak the language, they want to see you make the effort.
“So he must try to understand the language — but it’s difficult. You listen and talk, and when you’re not involved in it, and don’t really understand those conversations, it is very difficult.
“I’d go home and wouldn’t be able to discuss having something on my mind, or if I was happy or unhappy, I couldn’t say it. This will be Hatate. It takes time, but Celtic are in a better place now with liaison officers.
“He will also have learned well from last season. He’ll understand Scottish football, the physicality, the technical side of it, and the players. When I came to this country I had to learn a lot about Scottish football, the players I was playing against and with. It takes time for that.”
“He started really well but then had a dip, which is just normal because of the way he plays.
Hatate plays with so much intensity. He has to get fitter and stronger, and get better stamina, but he will do that.
“What I expect him to do is to trust the process, and trust the manager at Celtic. If he does that then it will take his mind off the pressure, because he will be thinking that there are demands on him to score all the time.
“He does not have to do that. It will come as long as he enjoys his football, and gets to understand the demands of the Scottish game.
“I love Hatate as a player. You can see his strengths and how he loves running from behind, and then getting into the right position to score. He gets into perfect positions. But you have to take your time.
“Now he’s running everywhere. What he has to do sometimes is stand still, enjoy the game and don’t let matches pass him by. I believe the manager will help him to understand the game better this season.”
