‘Hit-and-miss’ – Joe Hart weighs in on Reo Hatate debate

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·12 de dezembro de 2024

‘Hit-and-miss’ – Joe Hart weighs in on Reo Hatate debate

Joe Hart weighs in on Reo Hatate debate as he explained his former teammate is ‘hit-and-miss’ following Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Dinamo Zagreb at the Maksimir Stadium…

Joe Hart seen speaking to Peter Schmeichel of Celtic prior to the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

The Japanese midfielder has undoubtedly been inconsistent for the Hoops this campaign, and his performance on Tuesday evening was one of his poorest displays of the season so far.

Vídeos OneFootball

Hatate or Engels for Hampden?

Now, with Luke McCowan cup-tied for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against theRangers, Brendan Rodgers has a decision to make in midfield whether he will go with Reo Hatate or record signing Arne Engels alongside skipper Callum McGregor and the inform Paulo Bernardo.

Reo Hatate is challenged by Lukas Kacavenda during the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

Don’t know what you’re going to get

Hatate’s eratic 65 minutes showing in Zagreb brings up the midfield debate for yet another time. Whether it be the crucial winner against Aberdeen at Pittodrie or the sensational performance versus RB Leipzig, or the wasteful display against the Croatian champions on Tuesday, you just don’t know what you’re going to get from the 27 year-old playmaker.

Hitting those high standards and performing consistently seems to be an issue for Hatate. Whether this passes the Brendan Rodgers starting lineup test on Sunday remains to be seen, but Celtic’s middle of the park will need to be on it this weekend in order to deliver trophy number 119 in the club’s unbroken history.

Celtic v Hibernian – Scottish Premiership – Celtic Park – Reo Hatate and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel celebrate following the match at Celtic Park on Saturday December 7, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

That’s not a criticism

Analysing Reo Hatate’s performance on commentary with TNT Sport, former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart said, “I think he could be even more hit-and-miss and that’s not a criticism. That’s because he’s got Paulo Bernardo, he’s got Callum McGregor behind him.”

“He’s not really having to think about going back. He’s a player who will try things, they might not come off, but when they do, he slices through defences.”

4th December 2024; Pittodrie, Aberdeen, ; Scottish Premiership , Aberdeen versus Celtic; Reo Hatate of Celtic shoots and scores in the 78th minute to make it 1-0 to Celtic .Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Rotation in the central area has been prevalent for Celtic across all competitions this season, but with the emergence of Luke McCowan, Hatate’s position as a regular starter must surely be under threat.

A big performance is much-needed on Sunday. But as always, only Reo knows what type of Reo performance we will get. Hopefully it’s more like the Leipzig one rather than the Zagreb outing.

Conor Spence

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