Reo Hatate has had a below par campaign to date, there’s no getting away from that. Very much like his fellow Japanese Daizen Maeda, he has been underperforming and to many he looks very much like he’d rather be somewhere else…
Reo however, has that fantastic ability to change a game with a moment of genius, and on his day he is a superb playmaker, the best in the league when he’s on his game. That’s not an exaggeration but this season it has frustratingly become a rarity.
Reo Hatate more than proved that at Ibrox today when he was introduced for the second half by Martin O’Neill with the team looking for some spark and creativity after a lethargic first forty five minutes in which we were second best to everything.
Reo provided the spark and was the real difference maker in an impressive second period which saw the Japanese international and his Celtic teammates dominate proceedings in an impressive showing of grit and determination as we earned a well deserved point and probably did enough in the second half to merit a victory.
Introducing Reo for the ineffective Alex Oxlade Chamberlain proved to be a masterstroke by Martin O’Neill, as he was hugely influential in our hard fought comeback, sealing it off by scoring the last minute equaliser, showing great character and determination to bundle the ball into the net after being thwarted by Jack Butland twice in succession following his unsuccessful attempt from the penalty spot.
What also impressed me was Reo’s attitude after scoring, despite the temptation to celebrate with the supporters in the corner, he instantly grabbed the ball and ran to the centre circle. Reo knew this was a game we had to try and win, and it proved he has that winners mentality we require and demand in our players.
Reo proved his ability in a massive way at Ibrox, playing a big part in the outcome of the game. Just don’t expect his critics to highlight this, or give him any sort of praise. If Reo’s season sparks into life after that brilliant second half at Ibrox he could be the difference maker in this tight title race. He’s now got to start at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Have seen a few comments about Hatate after the game today and bluntly, they are from people who didnt watch the match. They couldn’t have watched the match or the impact Reo had. Credit where its due.
Maeda was worth a goal 2nd half too. I was ready to bench him for the rest of the season after that 1st 45!
The only thing better than Beatons miserable face heading to the monitor would have been a 3rd goal, but we’re just not that good just now, not consistently anyway. We need to find a goalscoring rhythm heading into the next run of fixtures. Aberdeen and Motherwell will be hard games.
All of the squad will be needed. Even those that have had a run of indifferent games can still have the quality to contribute. McCowan last week. Hatate today.