When it comes to competition for places Callum McGregor has seen off a few over the years – and most recently the exits of both Oliver Abildgaard and Yosuke Ideguchi can in some way be explained by the consistent form of Celtic’s captain.
Now there’s a new kid on the block in the shape of the J-Leagues Most Valuable Player last season, Tomoki Iwata. And it appears, as reported in The Herald, that Iwata is more than aware of the challenge he faces to get the gametime that eluded those who went before him when it comes to attempting to dislodge Callum McGregor from the centre of Celtic’s midfield.
“I knew if I wanted to play in European football, I would have to play as a holding midfielder. That’s where the manager used me at Yokohama. It’s been about a month since I came here, but the speed and intensity of play is different from Japan, and even the ball and pitches are all different.
“The reality is I can’t do as well as I did in Japan because we have Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate who all start games and they all have something special that they can do…and I don’t. So I want to gradually get used to it and play more matches.
“My strengths as a holding midfielder are tackling and breaking up moves. But in this Celtic team, you need to have something extra. Here we have players who can create the tempo of an attack and distribute passes, for example, Callum McGregor.
“Callum McGregor is the heart of the team and the captain. I think the bar is set very high for me to be able to compete with him. But I have my own way of developing. Even if I don’t play in as many games, there are things I can learn from him in training.
“When I see how he passes the ball, or how he makes a change of tempo, he is very consistent, which is something I lack. I think it’s important to learn that in a short time and evolve into a player who can do something when he has the ball. A large part of my motivation to sign for Celtic is to play in the Champions League and I would love to do that next season and I will keep fighting to improve my game here.”
Celtic’s new signing has some advantages over the likes of Ideguchi and Abildgaard, in that he isn’t quite so constrained by playing only one position. Indeed, Iwata’s versatility extends to both central defence and full back from his time in Japan, something that may well assist him in racking up more appearances than either of those players who left Celtic during the January transfer window managed.
It is also refreshing to hear such honesty from a player as to his limitations and weaknesses as much as his strengths, and his willingness to learn from McGregor in training is something few players would likely highlight so publicly.
Once again then it seems the character of the player as much their footballing ability has been an important consideration in the signing of Tomoki Iwata. Now it will be down to the player himself to prove he can play alongside, or even dislodge, Callum McGregor from Celtic’s engine room.
A big challenge perhaps, but one Tomoki Iwata seems keen to meet head on.
Niall J
