Reo Hatate’s role under Martin O’Neill has become a growing talking point, with the midfielder finding regular starts harder to come by as the trio of Callum McGregor, Arne Engels and Benjamin Nygren have been preferred.
There is no doubt Hatate is a top-quality player on his day. At his best, he brings energy, movement and a goal threat from midfield.
The issue, however, is consistency. Too often his game comes with turnovers in dangerous areas, moments that leave Celtic exposed and force others to firefight behind him. That is something O’Neill has clearly been keen to reduce. Hatate was given a start on Saturday and began the match brightly, showing early intent and movement. That influence quickly faded, though, and his impact diminished sharply after the opening exchanges. He struggled to control the tempo and failed to assert himself as the game wore on. Alongside him, Paulo Bernardo also endured a difficult afternoon and was withdrawn at half-time. RecordSport journalist Michael Gannon believes Hatate’s approach is now having a knock-on effect on McGregor, placing unnecessary strain on the Celtic captain. “I think Hatate is, I mean, again, I thought he started okay on Saturday night and then faded badly and he was losing the ball,” Gannon said on Hotline Live. “I said he doesn’t have any control in the game. “If I’m going to play with Hatate and Nygren, Nygren has played quite advanced and he’s not a guy who’s going to win second balls or counter-press. That’s just not in his make-up. He’ll pop up in the box and have a go, but Hatate should have more discipline to play that role, and he doesn’t. “So he’s creating problems for McGregor and that makes him look bad at times. I think that’s where Oxlade-Chamberlain goes.” The suggestion is that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could offer a more controlled presence alongside McGregor, easing the burden on the captain and giving Celtic greater stability in possession. Hatate has a challenge on his hands now. Talent has never been in question, but discipline, ball security and game management are now key if he is to force his way back into O’Neill’s preferred midfield and avoid becoming a peripheral figure at a crucial stage of the season.