Reo Hatate

Celtic 3—0 Hearts

At the business-end of the season, Kyogo comes alive. Lawrence Shankland almost scored in under a minute. The Hearts forward had a stinker. His handball late in the second-half gave Celtic a penalty, well dispatched by O’Riley into the top corner and made the game safe.

Kyogo scored in three minutes. VAR took almost as long to decide he was onside and it was a goal. The Hearts keeper opted to punch out a corner. Hattate on the edge of the box, looked to shoot, but instead opted for a lobbed cross. Kyogo nipped in front of defenders and keeper to head into the net.

Hatate, in contrast, had one of those games where he ballooned shots over the bar and gave the ball away, but he’s still one of the best in midfielders in Scotland. He literally rolls with the ball and creates pockets of space all around him

The Japanese’s forwards second goal was a thing of beauty. Hearts had shaded possession. O’Riley on the right touchline on the half hour mark played one of those precision passes you see on video screens. Kyogo’s finish was also sublime. Running onto the ball and volleying home from inside the box. Simple but effective.  

They had created chances. With Joe Hart making a wonderful fingertip saves from Devlin to keep Celtic ahead. Overall, the Celtic keeper had a great game. He wasn’t as busy as his counterpart in the Hearts’s goal, Zander Clarke who had to deal with almost twenty shots on goal and was easily Hearts’ best player. But Joe Hart had to make important saves at important times. And  he was up for it. Vargas’s  onside and offside shot was saved by Hart (if it went in, he’d have been on). And late in the game with it 2—0, Taylor went down on the touchline and Hart had to come out to block another one-on-one.  

Brendan Rodgers went for the same team that started against Dundee. No surprise that James Forrest, who dragged us out of a giant hole of our own making, keeps his place. Nicolas Kuhn must be doing something extraordinary in training because he’s shown little on the big stage. It was good to see Kuhn, for once, hooked before Forrest. Maeda coming on. Forrest was by far our most effective winger. I’m hoping it’s Forrest and Maeda next week when we’ll beat Rangers and we’ll go through all that bullshit of it being not mathematically done yet.

 Of course, we know Daizen Maeda is back. That thought fills me (and I suspect many others) with joy, because our win today and next week—and we’re Champions. Maeda always turns up against Rangers.

We’ve been reminded Hearts have beaten us twice. One was a free hit at Tynecastle. A penalty that wasn’t a penalty and a man sent off that shouldn’t have been. But we’ve moved on. Hearts other win is something we’ve grown used to. Smash and grab. Hearts actually played better today, shading possession in the first thirty minutes. This goes way back to the Postecoglou era and in recent matches against Dundee and Aberdeen, we’ve been lucky.

We were seven points ahead. Five points behind. Now we’re six ahead with the finishing line in sight. Plan A—beat Rangers and it’s done. But as Hearts showed in spells today, if the opposition get the first goal (we certainly hope not) then it’s not a given we’ll win. I’m pretty sure we will. Plan B is win out remaining matches. I’m pretty sure we’ll do that too. Then it’s fifty-fifty for the last game of the season and Cup Final.

We’ll take the league. First and last and always.  

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Dundee 1—2 Celtic

A James Forrest double gets us over the line. With four games remaining, Celtic, with a win over Hearts, can effectively win the league by beating Rangers at home in the penultimate match. This was a twitchy match. Like many others we could have been out of sight or left reeling in injury time when Mellon missed a free header at the back post.

The Dundee plan was exactly what we’ve come to expect. Sit in, hit longish balls towards the forwards, focus on Taylor and Liam Scales side of things were Celtic are vulnerable to cross balls and corners in particular.

Celtic do what we always do. Started well with seventy or eighty-percent possession, with a few half-chances. Nicholas Kuhn and Reo Hatate threatened. The latter hitting the post with a wonderful drop of the shoulder, in the second half, but his shot hit the inside of the post. With Celtic two ahead that would have settled the match. Hatate is not back to his best, but he always tries to make a forward pass. He was the best midfielder in Scotland last year. Kuhn has had teething problems with his teeth and weight loss. I’ve yet to see him play a good game. To me, he is an empty jersey as he was again today.

James Forrest—yes I used to slag him off, but even a blind Rangers supporter would recognise him as our best winger in a poor bunch—match winner. Brendan Rodgers said something along the lines of he was the best winger at the club. Play him, many of us have been saying so for weeks. Palma looks good enough for backup. Yang may prove a good buy next season or the season after, but it doesn’t look good. Kuhn (sigh) I don’t understand why he keeps starting. I’m waiting for him to prove me wrong.

Forrest has nothing left to prove. But he’s only 32. His first goal on the half-hour mark was a belter. Kyogo teed him up from the edge of the box. A ball fired into the Japanese striker. He spun away with the outside of his boot. Forrest took it first time on the volley and fired it in the net.

Around the hour mark, after Dundee had started the second half strongly and corner after corner created goal scoring opportunities for the Den’s men, Forrest robbed a defender on the edge of their box. He played a give-and-go with Hatate and got on the end of it. Ricki Lamie and Portales played like Laurel and Hardy and Forest nipped in and nutmegged the keeper. That looked like job done.

Forrest, of course, comes off for Palma. Kyogo off for Idah. But it was the loanee Norwich striker that brought Dundee roaring back and looking for an equaliser. Mo Sylla and Jordan McGhee headed past the post and straight at Joe Hart. The Celtic defence looked to have cleared—yet another—free kick. Portaless’s downward volley was nothing like Forrest’s, but it hit Idah and wrong-footed Joe Hart.

Hart found time to get a late booking for time wasting. He deserved it. But it would be interesting to see if the same rule was applied when we play home and away and keepers take an eternity and opposition players fall down.

Man of the match by a mile, James Forrest. I gave him the man of the match for his contribution against Aberdeen. Let’s hope he’s a certain starter for the remaining fixtures. We still lose too many goals. McGregor still looks off the pace, but he’s still far superior to Iwata. If we can get Maeda back and Forrest on the other side, we’d be full strength for the remaining four league fixtures and the cup final. We’ll win the league, not the cup. I’ve been saying that for a while. I hope I’m wrong and we win both. Maybe Kuhn will get a hat-trick in the Cup final. Let’s just get over the line. Hearts at home. Home win.

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Celtic 3—0 Saint Mirren

Zach Hemming had little or nothing to do in the first-half. Celtic had two enforced changes from the team that started against Rangers. Liam Scales has picked up an injury. I’m not particularly worried. He’s been on a downward slide. Nawrocki gets his chance and did OKish. I am worried about Maeda. We saw his value at Ibrox. It’s not so much the work he does with the ball, but his closing down, in that sense he is irreplaceable.

Yang got the nod. He took the wrong choice with a chance in under sixty seconds. He could have shot, but chopped back. His form has been up and down as it was here. The same could be said for Kuhn. He’d a disastrous start to his Celtic career and then had a few assists. I’d have preferred Forrest at Ibrox and Forrest now, which tells you everything you need to know of what I think of our wingers. But Kuhn made a few tentative passes and you wonder if he should have shot instead.

Most of our goal-scoring opportunities came from the right wing. After giving away the penalty that wasn’t a penalty last week, Alistair Johnson had a man-of-the-match performance with a hand in our two goals.  

Reo Hatate from the edge of the box and an attempted nutmeg inside the box were one of the few other first-half chances. O’Riley a sidefooted shot but didn’t look like scoring.

But it was Hatate’s genius that opened the scoring. A pass from Johnston and inside the crowded box, the Japanese international pinged it into the top corner to open the scoring and the floodgates of relief in the 53rd minute.

 Much has been made of there being lots of rain over Dundee. No conspiracy. Just Scottish weather and bad groundkeeping. The assumption being, Dundee wanted to avoid defeat by employing a rain maker. Someone explain that to me. All our games are must-win now. We take it for granted that is going to happen. But I get nervous, pre-match. We’ve seen what happened this season and it’s not been good enough.  

We’ve had high winds over Paradise making it harder to judge passes. A twelfth man. With Saint Mirren and all other teams coming to sit in, including Rangers, we know what to expect. Long throws were their primary weapon. In the main we dealt well, with them. Carter-Vickers brings composure to our defence and allows us to pass from the back.  But corners present the same challenge. But Saint Mirren’s first, and only corner, didn’t come until the 89th minute and we were 3—0 up.  

Kyogo’s goal, fifteen minutes into the second-half, settled the game. Again it was Johnstone with the assist. A delightful ball over the top took out Gogic. Kyogo from almost inside the six-yard box headed home.

Celtic upped a gear. Greg Taylor, strangely reluctant to shoot, with Hemming saving awkwardly with his knees locked together. Yang getting into a muddle in front of goal, again.  Hatate’s effort swinging past the post.

Obviously a quiz question in later years, both teams made six substations. We weren’t really sure how that worked. Something about a head knock.

Adam Idah got a late goal in the 89th minute. Luis Palma should have scored but fluffed it. His rebounded shot hit by Paula Bernardo. The ball looped into the air and easily knocked over the line by the Norwich loanee. Every point counts. Every goal counts as we know from the recent past. We weren’t as ruthless as we could have been, but after a wind-strewn first-half, most everyone would have settled for a three goal, full-time lead. Let’s hope it doesn’t snow on Hampden next Saturday.

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Win or bust, Rangers at Ibrox, Sunday.

We all know the story. Win at Ibrox and we’re clear favourites. Lose and it’s for Rangers to lose. I’ve not even considered the draw. Win or bust.

We pretty much know what the team will be. It’s much the same team that started against Livingston. Callum McGregor, if fit, will come in for Tomoki Iwata. Quite simply, he’s a better player. He’s been the best player on the pitch in the last couple of derbies. I’ve no evidence to say that he’ll start, other than wish fulfilment.

Brendan Rodgers may take the longer-term view. But there is no longer-term view.  

I’m with Chris Sutton in emphasising the importance of Reo Hatate. His stand-ins, and there’s been a long line that includes Paulo Bernardo, aren’t as good. Hatate, to me, is one of the best midfielders in Britain. Rangers have nobody that would get near him, or indeed our midfield. That’s why I think, if we overcome the usual up and at them, and settle into our passing game, Celtic are much better. But even under the sainted Postecolglou, we had games in which were bullied. I hope this is not one of them.

Up front Daizen Maeda and Kygo strike terror into the Rangers’s backline again and again. Feed them and we’ll win.

It seems that we have options on the other wing. Luis Palma may be available. I don’t really care. He doesn’t do enough for me. (Obviously, I hope he proves me wrong.) Yang looks to be second-pick to Nicolas Kuhn. Kuhn had a terrible start to his Celtic career and looked a dud. He’s played himself back into contention. I know it’ll never happen. Maeda starts for a number of reasons, but I’d play James Forrest ahead of all three would-be wingers.

We need Carter-Vickers to be on his game. Simple. He’s not playing against world-class opposition, but he makes us stronger because he can pass and move. He won’t get bullied.

Liam Scales is back from injury. He’s been a first pick for a while. He’ll need to help Taylor deal with a lot of high balls fired in his direction. He’ll need to make sure he wins his headers at Rangers’ free-kicks and corners. They’re bigger than us and win more headers. We need to have a plan for dealing with that.

Rangers really fancy themselves for this one. They have hauled us back in the league, which is a major disappointment. But let’s be blunt, there’s nothing especially good about this Rangers team. The frustrating thing for us is we’ve not been much better. There’s lots of way we can lose this game. But if we play our football we win. That sound a bit Ange Postecolouish (remember him?) but it stays true.

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Celtic 2—1 Rangers

It was no great surprise that Rangers fell from the height of mediocrity to their first defeat at Parkhead. The surprise for me is it’s taken this long. Of course, I’m biased. It took several seasons until after he’d left Rangers and had retired from football to admit Brian Laudrup was a good player. Rangers huffed and puffed and did little until the last ten minutes of injury time to raise the blood pressure. But I still didn’t think they would equalise.

There were two wonderful goals. Of course, all goals against Rangers are wonderful. Paulo Bernardo’s strike through a packed penalty box and into the net had me sitting on the moon for a while.

Kyogo has been off-form and not scoring. But he’s always a blizzard of activity. Always moving, closing down. Trying to get in behind. His take on the turn proved pivotal. Outside the box, he took a touch to create space and put it in the top corner. Two minutes into the second-half and Celtic had a two-goal lead.

Balogan’s red card when he wrestled Daizen Maeda to the ground was the work of Kyogo closing him down and feeding his speedy teammate. The form Maeda has been in, he’d probably have stumbled or fell over his feet. Celtic should have comfortably seen the game out from then on in. Added more goals.

Maik Nawrocki came on after thirty-five minutes with Stephen Walsh going off injured. He did OK and seems a good enough passer of the ball. I’m not sure why he’s fallen so far and so fast down the pecking order. He gave away the free-kick outside the box which led to the Rangers goal. James Tavernier’s strike was another top corner effort.

Celtic won the match by having better players. Cyriel Dessers’ chance for an equaliser, before half time, came from a dreadful pass by Alistair Johnson back towards Stephen Welsh, who mis-controlled it. Dessers took so long to shoot it allowed the Celtic defence to get back and for Joe Hart to amble out, clutching his Zimmer frame, and collect the ball. We’ve got Kyogo. They’ve got Dessers.

Good players in these matches look as if they’ve got time to pass. Chris Sutton advised Todd Cantwell to watch Callum McGregor DVD’s. He bossed the midfield in the same way that Kyogo always seems to score against Rangers. Matt O’Reilly got a bloody nose. But our prized asset was a level above the Lundstrums and Sterlings.

Paulo Bernardo only usually plays in our most difficult European fixtures were we get routinely start well, concede and get turned over. He got booked for over-celebrating his first goal. The referee didn’t book me for over-celebrating because he recognised I was too drunk to care. The referee could have been sent off Bernardo for a late tackle and a second yellow card. In other words, he carried a bit of luck. He’s seen off Odin Holm and David Turnbull for the starting spot in midfield. It’s now looking conceivable he might see off Reo Hatate, the best midfielder in Scottish football last year, for his place in the Celtic team. That’s encouraging.

Alistair Johnston could also have been sent off. He caught Abdallah Sima with a swinging arm. He’d already had a yellow, and he too was lucky. But the most talked about decision of the match also involved the Canadian. With hindsight, we know Rangers players were already offside. Johnston didn’t know that and he made several errors. He tried to shepherd the ball out. He didn’t. He tried to hold off Sima. He couldn’t. And he handled the ball. Stupid is as stupid does. He got away with one and so did we just before half-time. I think Johnston is average. I’d be looking for better, and I don’t mean Tony Ralston.

Joe Hart had a good game, but I’d be shopping for a replacement now.

Greg Taylor was decent. It’s no great secret that all teams in league hump the ball up to the left wing and try and get up the park. Win free kicks and corners and score that way, because they’re not going to see much of the ball. I’d like a new left back.

Daizen Maeda hasn’t played a good game since his return from injury. Dare I say it? We’ve a million wingers but Luis Palma is the only one that looks better than average. Even then it’s not a given. Bring back Paolo Di Canio.

We do need another centre-forward regardless of the Asian Cup. It’ll be an interesting transfer window. We’re supposed to be linked with Scott McKenna. Decently average. I’d hope for much better than another squad player. Top of the league and your no. I think we’ll stay there. But not win the Scottish. Too inconsistent. Too fragile defensively.       

Hearts 1—4 Celtic

Celtic dominant from start to finish. It’s always good to hear Hearts’ fans booing their team off at half-time and scuttling down Gorgie Road well before the end. Brendan Rodger’s team was much as expected. Our midfield picks itself. Matt O’Riley has been Scottish player of the month, based on his goals and assists, he’ll be Scottish Player of the Year. Knocking back a ten million quid bid was just common sense.

He was at it again, scoring after four minutes. Luis Palma dinked the ball into him. A swivel of his hips and he knocked the ball into the far corner, leaving the Hearts goalie with no chance. A superb opening goal set the tone of the match.

 Reo Hatate before and during the international break looked to be somewhat closer to the top of his game. He’d a few lose passes in a half which Hearts rarely threatened. Kenneth Vargas committed more fouls than Hearts’ solitary first-half strike. Joe Hart put out for a corner, even though it was going past the post.

Hatate set up the second goal. O’Riley’s pass played him in behind the defence. Hatate, from near the touchline, put the ball across the goal. Maeda tapped it in. After the obligatory VAR check, the second goal was given.

But Hatate could—and should—have put Celtic on easy street at the start of the second- half. Alex Cochrane had taken a roasting from Maeda all afternoon. The full back was adjudged to have pulled Kyogo back after he turned away from him inside the box. It looked a soft penalty. Hatate’s penalty at Livingston had the virtue of creeping under the keeper. This one did not, hitting the post. Perhaps it’s a good thing Hatate is taken off penalty duties now. In closer games it might cost us. I’d give the ball to Palma at penalties.

Kyogo tried to take the ball from Hatate for the penalty (he’s missed a stack too). But he’s scored in eight of eight against Hearts. O’Riley dummied (or missed the ball) and the Japanese forward was on hand, as he invariably is, to fire home.

Lawrence Shankland hasn’t scored in ten games. He fired home in the 65th minute to give Hearts an outside chance of taking something. Ironically, it was Maeda that played him in. He took the ball from Cochrane but his run across the Celtic box and slack pass played in Shankland. He still had lots to do, but bent the ball around Scales and in off the post.    

Maeda and Kyogo give us an unmatchable work rate. That touch of magic and goals. Lots of goals. The other place on the wing hasn’t been nailed down. Yang had his chance in some of the bigger European matches. He came on today and had a shot on goal blocked. Forrest, in some of our more difficult matches on plastic pitches such as those at Livingston, also came on for the last twenty minutes.

Luis Palma doesn’t have their pace, but the Honduran is scoring goals and he keeps the ball better than Yang. His dink set up the first goal. He looks to have the jersey as we go into the next big European tie. And he can think himself unlucky not to have scored already in Europe. Small margins.

Iwata came on as a substitute and smashed the ball home for his first Celtic goal from inside the box after a game of ping-pong to make it four. A fairer reflection on Celtic’s dominance. But the Japanese midfielder is unlikely to be first pick any time soon. It seems likely that the team that started today will be first-picks against Atletico Madrid.

The Spaniards will be unfazed with Celtic’s pressing. Our defence needs an overhaul. Matt Philips, on loan, hasn’t added defensive solidity, but it on the bench today. He’ll be away when the loan period finishes. Gustaf Lagerbielke has come in and hit the buffers. It’s a pity we can’t send him back to Elfsborg and recoup some of our £3 million. He wasn’t in today’s squad.  Maik Nawrocki is back and it looks like him, or, fellow injury victim, Stephen Welsh will challenge Scales for a first-team spot.  Carter-Vickers is back—European clanger aside—is a big plus. Simple. We win most games with him in the team.

Greg Taylor has a poor start to the season but he looks to have picked up a little. Alistair Johnston had slipped backwards to where he was last season. But there were signs of resurgence today. Neither full backs, nor our keeper, Joe Hart have serious competition for places. But I guess you could make a case for saying the same thing about Kyogo. Although Oh was unlucky with a few strikes today. Iwata finished off his rebounded double whammy of shots.

Tynecastle can be intimidating. Not today. Parkhead can be intimidating. Let us hope so on Wednesday night. There was much to admire in Celtic’s performance. But Wednesday is the real deal. Any sloppy passing, as we know, will be severely punished. I’d put us as underdogs. But the old mantra, if we play to our capabilities, we might sneak a win. I’d take a draw. We need a new penalty taker. We need that bit of luck that has evaded us in the competition so far.  Hail, Hail.   

Celtic 3—1 Kilmarnock.

Back to league business. Reo Hatate’s opening goal was a boy’s own effort after twenty-two minutes. A nutmeg on Watson in midfield. A shimmy to take him to the edge of the box. A curler into the corner. Loan Kilmarnock keeper, Will Dennis, had no chance, but helped keep the score down. The Japanese playmaker had a poor start to the season. But this was just goal of the season stuff.  His passing range was back to its best as he won man of the match and could have had a hat trick, coming closest with a second-half dart into the six-yard box. And we expected him to finish. We really did suck in our breath and wait.   

Kyogo could have had a hat trick too. An offside ‘goal’ flagged in under ten minutes. Maeda could have a hat trick. The two Japanese internationals trying to outdo each other in the box like Keystone cops.

Greg Taylor and Anthony Johnson could have hit three. I’m joking about the full backs, but they had most shots on goals in the early stages of the game.

  No excuses about plastic pitches, but swampland might have been a problem in past seasons. Our team’s selection today more predicable. The return of Carter-Vickers. The inclusion of Luis Palma. The late goal on Wednesday night was a gut punch, perhaps more than Palma’s disallowed ‘goal’.

He got our second goal today in a home match that Celtic are expected to dominate and usually do with around 75% possession.  He was lucky. The ball played back from Hatate looked offside.

 McInnnes’s teams, like other Scottish teams, aim to hit our fragile backline on the break. The rise to the first team of Liam Scales has been impressive. He’s kept the jersey. With Lagerbielke as competition that’s perhaps not of epic magnitude, but it still needs him to win his headers and pass from the back. As Chris Sutton mentioned (and the rest of us already know) we lose too many goals from corners and free kicks (as in the first goal in Rotterdam and midweek shows again with perhaps too much clarity) while offering little from corners other than more short corners. Scales got on a few balls whipped into the box.

 But then Greg Taylor goes and spoils a good theory by scoring from a Maeda flick on to make the game safe ten minutes after Kilmarnock had scored on the 82nd minute.

Greg Taylor was looking for a foul on the edge of the Kilmarnock box, but the referee played on. We were short at the back. Watson scored from a cut back. Unbelievable as it seemed Kilmarnock were back in the game.

Less than five minutes after scoring, Kilmarnock should have equalised. A ball to the back post (no surprise). Three big Kilmarnock players queueing up. The ball goes sailing over Joe Hart’s bar. McInnnes’s game plan in micro.    

James Forrest missed a great chance, once and then again. Maeda had another pop. Oh, who came on for Kyogo, got excited and tried to pass to himself. Work in progress. Yeh, we know, Oh, Oh, Oh!

Vassell, the Kilmarnock striker, missed a sitter at the back post at the death, which would have made it 3—2.

Celtic denied an earlier first-half penalty by VAR. Kyogo and Hatate both wanting to take it. Neither have been great penalty takers. It’s probably time to pass penalty taking duties to Luis Palma. He’s not got much pace. Doesn’t seem to have a trick that gets him past his opponent. In other words, he’s not Jota. But he does know how to keep the ball. More importantly, he’s a goal scorer. His effort was denied midweek.  Given an offside goal by VAR today. On another day we could have hit nine or ten. On another day we could have been held to a draw with McInnes spouting the usual stuff we heard a million times before. Celtic deserved to win. We did win. Our defence isn’t very good. That’s the weakest part of our team. We proved that again today. But we’re ten points clear of Rangers. We hope St Mirren stay in touch at the top and win tomorrow.

  All the usual gung-ho things about Europe are being spouted, but realistically as fourth seeds in the group, we’ll finish fourth. Our only consolation has been Rangers’ implosion. Top of the league and we’ll stay that way coming to the break for international football. Stay that way until the end of the season. I’d like to think so. If we can get out defence sorted we’d be an impressive side in Scotland and hope to win the double. That’s all we can ask for now. Brendan Rodgers celebrates 700 games a manager. Pretty bog-standard today. He won’t be complaining.

Celtic 3—2 Athletic Bilbao

James Forrest’s testimonial. He was made captain and given 49 minutes to strut his stuff, which was four minutes more than his first-half team mates. It was a game of two halfs (yeh, I know it always is). Our first-half team, which I imagine will be close to the starting line-up on Saturday for flag-day and the game against Ross County, was largely outplayed and went in a goal down at the break.

Bilbao could have been three goals up in the first five minutes. Celtic conceded after 90 seconds. Reo Hatate’s sloppy pass was picked up and played to the edge of the box. Unai Gomez curled it into far post. Hatate wasn’t the only one to give the ball away. Kwon Hyeok-kyuy’s passing was poor and backward. He made too many mistakes.

Kyogo came close to equalising after a superbly worked opening, but his shot was too near the keeper. Bilbao kept the ball better, created more chances and were slicker in attack. Inaki Williams looked certain to make it 2—0 for the Spanish side, with yet another ball given away in midfield. Carter-Vickers slid in to block his shot, and it really should have been finished. The American international lost his man at a corner in the first five minutes, but was comfortable thereafter and is a certain starter, when fit, in the same way as Callum McGregor.

It was McGregor, playing a more advanced role, who won the ball back in the Bilbao half. After Hatate redeemed himself with an equalising goal, a ball over the top found Iwata as favourite to win it. Thirty second later Celtic were a goal down again. Iker Muniain rolled the Japanese player and cut inside to score far too easily.

I’m not sure if the Celtic second-string for the second half was up to it. Alexandro Bernarbei got his second pre-season goal and our equaliser. He’d played a one-two with Matt O’Riley and scored. The young Argentinian is a joy going forward. But simply can’t defend It’s not been a good pre-season for Greg Taylor. The more physical and quicker wingers have left him in their wake. Abada had a couple of strikes. Yang was a standout on the other side. Holm looks the kind of midfielder who gives himself time on the ball and can pick a pass. Turnbull took the captain’s armband from Forrest and got us the winner from an Oh cutback. The former Scotland young player of the year had a good pre-season, whether he gets into the team on a regular basis, I don’t know. I suspect Maik Nawrocki will replace Carl Starfelt. I like the look of the Polish import. I’ve regarded Starfelt as a second stringer, but he has proved me wrong. I might be wrong again.

Our second stringers were better than our first stringers tonight. Whether the likes of O’Riley and Abada can be grouped in that category is a moot point. It wasn’t to be for James Forrest. He had one chance where he jinked one way and tried a shot, but it hit two or three players. I’d high hopes for Haksabanovic, but he stayed on the bench with youngsters such Kelly and McPherson. Liam Scales had moved up the pecking order and started the second-half ahead of Stephen Welsh.

It’ll be interesting to see if Iwata starts on Saturday ahead of Ralston. Joe Hart in goal. Greg Taylor will retain his spot. Carter-Vickers will start.  I’m guessing Nawrocki is here to stay. Starfelt can go. If we can get some cash for him all the better.

Midfield. Kwon might turn out to be something special, but on the evidence of tonight’s match he’ll be on the bench. McGregor back in front of the defence. Hatate in one of those players that is so much better than everyone else. But he keeps giving the ball away in dangerous areas. He did it in the first minute and we lost a goal. He tried to dribble out of the box later in the game and nearly gave away another. He’s still a certain starter. O’Riley will probably come back into the team. Maeda on one side. Abada on the other. Kyogo through the centre. Holm and Turnbull are lurking and ready to start. Yang is looking to nail down a spot. And we know if anyone is going to drop out, it’ll likely be Abada. Oh is third-choice striker, but he offers something different and more physical. When Kyogo goes off, Maeda goes central. The next game is not Athletic Bilbao, but Ross County. Malky MacKay’s men would take a draw, and we know they’ll have eleven men behind the ball, like all Scottish teams. We need to cut out the mistakes and backward passing. This time it’s for real.

Gamba Osaka 0—1 Celtic

Gamba Osaka 0—1  Celtic

Alexandro Bernabei we know,is great going forward, but can’t defend. His only other competitive goal was against Ross County, where he scored a screamer. He scored a break-away goal here. Coming from the right-back slot on the half-way line, he tried to play in Kyogo, but caught the ball wrong with the outside of his boot and it went towards the corner flag. He chased it down. The defender played it back to the keeper. He fluffed it and Bernabei had a tap in.

Maybe that’s an omen. I always like omens when we win. Maybe he will get better at defending, but I doubt he’ll displace Taylor. And if Tierney ever was to make his way back (I very much doubt it) Bernabei is dust. I’ve also like the looks of Vata and Ben Summers. The latter came on after ninety minutes with young right-back McPherson getting a face wound. Pre-season, and the younger players tend to get some game time. There’s talk of O’Riley and Abada leaving. We don’t need it, but if the money was right, I’d take it. Other players will come in. Holm made a second-half appearance. Tidy enough, but difficult to say how good he is. I’d love to see Hatate on a long-term deal like his compatriots. He’s getting more of the ball under Rodgers and we look more dangerous.

Celtic play their last game of the Japanese (Asian) tour next Saturday against Wolves in Dublin. That’s Irish for you.

 A different team for each half. Celtic were generally better and created more chances in the first-half. Gamba Osaka, Kyogo’s stomping ground, better in the second. Maeda continued with his fine pre-season form. Having an early offside goal disallowed when he was clearly onside. Similarly, Suzuki scoring for Osaka just before half-time, with both Celtic full-backs playing him on, but it too being chopped off for offside.

Osaka hit the inside of the post in the second half and Siegrist making a double save and somehow keeping the ball out of the net. Then again, his first save was poor. I know he’s been injured but I’m not convinced by Siegrist.  Losing six goals in a midweek match isn’t good. But pre-season doesn’t count. I take the position with Joe Hart, I took with Siegrist. We need an upgrade, how badly, I’m not sure.

The new look Celtic look very much like the old Celtic. The new manager looks and sounds like the old manager. Ange—well, I’m no longer interested in what he says or does. Celtic being a stepping-stone sticks in the craw. We know most players follow that path. Maik Nawrocki, for example, is not here for the love of any kind of green we know, unless you’re as rich as my partner, Mary (and she’s a Hun). But most of us agree, its defence we need more bodies. Better players. Rangers, for example, have lots of players over six-feet in their team. They’ve added to that number.  

My usual rant involves saying I never rated Carl Starfelt. But I’ll give him pass marks today and last season. Greg Taylor proved me wrong. Yet the thought of Kieran Tierney returning hasn’t got me whooping with joy. He’s Celtic through and through. Better than what we’ve got. But his massive salary would bring a different kind of pressure, not just on him, but other players, like Kyogo, demanding parity. If we’re going to bring any player back make it Virgil.

Maeda with his midweek hat-trick, and two efforts today, stole the show. Rodgers hints that he’s going to play him through the middle. I don’t know if it’s a worry, but Kyogo has been playing deeper behind Oh. Out top scorer is best when playing on the shoulder of the last defender. With few touches in a game, that’s where he got so many of his goals. Wait and see.  

These games, and a new manager, give other players a new mindset and a new start. David Turnbull, for example, has threatened to be the next big thing, but fallen short. He’d a good 45 minutes, a turn and shot, which was saved by the keeper (he was offside). Return of the old. James Forrest returns to the starting line-up in his testimonial season. He was back to his best in the first-half.  Let’s hope he stays fit. But again, we’ve a million wingers coming in. For Haksabanovic, you feel it’s either stick or twist for him and the club this season. His second-half performance showed promise, but also petulance. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

Iwata at right back. That’s interesting and shows his versatility, but I’m not sure he’ll nail down a starting position in midfield. Liam Scales is back, for how long, I’m not so sure. Scales came in and played in the centre of defence with Lawal for the second half. The young Irish man played in that position for Shamrock Rovers. Not sure he’ll stay.

What constitutes a good season for Rodgers? Usually, it’s the treble. He needs to win the league. Simple. Probably with one of the two cups. Preferably both, but we allow for a blip here. One of those terrible refereeing decisions or a sub-par performance and losing two goals from corners. As long as it’s not Rangers, we’re OKish with that. Some kind of run and luck in Europe would be good. Winning the Champions League. Wait and see.   

Celtic v Rangers, Scottish Cup semi-final.

Whatever Kris Boyd says I usually think the opposite. But here we are agreeing on something. Whoever wins at Hampden on Sunday will win the Scottish Cup. For Celtic it’s the treble. And for Rangers, well, I’ll leave that to Kris Boyd.

Martin O’Neil got in the act. Standards in Scottish football have dropped, he said. The team he took to Seville would beat the current Celtic team. One thing he picked up on is this Celtic team is smaller. Carter-Vickers may be described as a tank, but Bobo was literally head and shoulders above him. Bobo, of course, couldn’t play football. Any ball below the knee was hoiked up the park with a pair of size 15 flippers, pronto. Midfield giants Lennon, Lambert, Thompson and Petrov could all play football, but rarely passed the ball backwards to Bobo. Most balls were played up the line or in behind. The Motherwell forward, Kevin van Veen, in the recent Motherwell draw at Parkhead, held off Greg Taylor and went on to score. It was a poor goal to lose. But imagine John Hartson up there. Greg Taylor would still be running around him until this Sunday trying to get the ball. Nobody was better than Chris Sutton at holding off players. Every shy up the line was onto his chest and back into play. Kyogo is good, he’s coming up for 30 goals in a season. I’d say that’s a minimum a Celtic centre-forward should expect. Even Scott McDonald managed that. Larsson regularly hit 50 or more. He’d just about everything, including an ability to hang in the air for ten minutes, no other Scottish player with the exception of Eric Black had that uncanny ability. I think we know the Seville forward line would absolutely murder a backline that includes Starfelt who is a poor man’s Joos Valgaeren. But blessed Martin O’Neil concedes this Celtic team is a joy to watch. And if you look at the statistics, the players that take the most touches tend to be Carter-Vickers and Starfelt. They need to defend corners and free kicks in the way the Seville team did, but they are also expected to play the beautiful game from the back.

We know who is going to play in defence. Hart, Johnson, Carter-Vickers, Taylor.

Midfield is harder to guess. Callum McGregor is an automatic first pick. Reo Hatate, is the ace in the pack, one of the best midfielders in Britain. Far better than the Alan Thompson of Seville fame. But Hatate been injured. And for all his ability, he’s had some poorish games against Rangers and Alan Thompson always played great against Rangers. I don’t think Hatate will start, but hope he does.

Aaron Mooy too was exceptional before his injury. He came back into the team that beat Rangers at Parkhead, but looked off the pace. He was the worst man on the park. I don’t think he’ll start either.

Matt O’Riley has had a mixed season. He scored two great goals against Kilmarnock, but the rise of Hatate and Mooy meant he spent much of his time coming off the bench. Odds on to start this match. I hope it’s the flamboyant O’Riley that emerges and not a player that too frequently disappears against our Glasgow rivals.

Tomoki Iwata came on for Mooy in the last Old Firm game and steadied the team. He hasn’t the flare of Hatate or Mooy, more a defensive midfielder, but the former Japanese player of the year is a great passer and, with our injuries, I think he’ll start.

We know Kyogo will start. His record against Rangers is one reason we keep winning. Daizen Maeda is our bullet train for closing down, and he scores goals too. He’ll start.

That leaves the right wing up for grabs. James Forrest is injured. So what, you might be thinking. Liel Abada has also been injured. We’ve all heard the stories linking him with clubs such as Ajax. That’s not our concern now. The only thing that matters is winning on Sunday. Abada has a good scoring record against Rangers, but I think he’ll be on the bench. Often he contributes more coming on as a substitute.

Jota would start if he was fit. He’s our most gifted winger that does the old fashioned bit of taking full backs on and dribbling.

  Sead Haksabanovic started against Motherwell. We lacked width and penetration because neither of our wide men could take on the massed ranks of defenders. The Montenegrin has come off the bench and sparkled with some great goals and cameos. But on Saturday he was poor. His first few dinked passes failed to reach a team mate. Rudi Vata done more with the ball in his short time on the park. When it gets frenetic, Haksabanovic finds time and space. He’ll find more of that at Hampden. Here’s hoping he scores one of his wonder goals.

My ideal team includes obviously Hatate and Jota. And a fit-again Mooy. But I suspect none of this trio will start. Most pundits expect a high-scoring game. I think Celtic will win, 1—0. Kyogo to score. What’s your prediction?