Hatate, expectations and craft
The weight of expectation around Reo Hatate is substantial. Our midfield fulcrum (or former fulcrum) has started only four league games this season and made another four appearances from the bench.
He returned to action yesterday, when he came through 45 minutes against St Mirren, the same side he made his last appearance for Celtic against, on 2 January. Normal footballers need a lot of gametime before contemplating an appearance at Ibrox two weeks on Sunday. Reo is not normal, however.
His game is not based on industry, he is all about vision and touch. His mind operates at a speed none of his domestic contemporaries can match, comparisons to Lubomir Moravcik are valid.
Alan Thompson is one of my favourite Celtic all time midfielders. When he played, I wrote on these pages that he was the most influential Celtic midfielder since the Lisbon Lions.
He played in a midfield with Lubo, so you can imagine the feedback I got, but love Lubo as we did, Alan was more influential. He was hard as nails, a prodigious worker, as well as a scorer and creator of several of the most important Celtic goals of the 21st century.
For around three weeks after returning from injury, Alan was a passenger. Fans got on his back, he once memorably cupped his ear after scoring. When short of full fitness, his systems just didn’t work.
Question is, do Reo’s different attributes allow him control the Ibrox turf the way he has previously done so, even short of match fitness? I’m not convinced. Proceed with caution.