I know a lot of people yesterday blamed Liam Scales for that performance, but there was a much more obvious candidate for criticism. I don’t like to pile on to a Celtic player, but it’s been evident for a while now that Reo Hatate is becoming a weak link in this team.
Yes, he’s capable of moments of magic. The question we now have to ask is whether those individual flashes of brilliance are worth the price we pay to have him in the team.
Reo is one of the most talented players in the Scottish Premier League. He’s one of the most gifted players in this extremely talented Celtic squad.
But he’s also careless, and he doesn’t always take that extra second to make the right decision before passing the ball. His long-range passing is the best in the country, but it’s those short, simple passes—the building blocks of our moves—that he often gets wrong, and that’s where the issues start to show.
When he’s on his game, he’s unplayable. But we can’t afford to carry a player who only turns in a good performance once every five or six games. It’s indefensible. Those little individual moments of brilliance can’t be allowed to drag down the rest of the team. How many moves break down because he can’t do the basics? How many chances does he gift the opposition?
I looked at our passing stats recently. Rodgers’ team had, until yesterday, a passing completion ratio of over 85%. How much of the remaining 15%—the incomplete passes—can be attributed to one player? It’s not an unfair question, given how often Hatate has given away possession in recent weeks and months. While I don’t want to be too harsh on him, he could have cost us big in major games like the Cup final and in Europe with this tendency to lose the ball.
My issue is that if we persist in playing a guy who isn’t getting it done, it raises questions not only about Hatate but also about the manager. Why does he persist with this peculiar fascination for playing someone who is so obviously off form?
Don’t get me wrong—Reo isn’t solely to blame for yesterday. But when I listened to the manager talk about how Engels would have started if he hadn’t been ill, I couldn’t help but think it would have been Bernardo, not Hatate, who was dropped to make way for him. And that would have been just another version of the same mistake. It’s Hatate who needs to bow out of this midfield for a while, giving him and the coaches time to work on the flaws in his game.
If we’re going to continue playing a short-passing game—a style he doesn’t seem cut out for right now—then starting him is as good as playing a man short every match. Like I said, we can either keep making the same mistakes, or we can start learning from them. The decision to play him for 70 minutes yesterday was a glaring and obvious error that should never have been made.
We cannot continue like this. It’s not fair on the team, the fans … and it’s not fair on the player either.
Every mistake he makes gets highlighted constantly now.
Fans are frustrated watching him. He needs dropped, for his good and for the good of the club.
I agree. On his game Reo is a joy to watch but his game hasn’t been on display for a while. Our midfield needs to get back to basics. And by that we need to become more functional and dynamic. Winning challenges, keeping the ball, simple passing and controlling games. Reo is not able to do this. When we are on fire there is no better player in there, but we are in bit of a downturn and need to build up our confidence and momentum.
Hatate sure does need to “bow out” for a good while James….. he was a passenger again yesterday, not the only one and how he stayed on for 70mins I will never know….. BR must take share of blame too for playing him so long when he was clearly not just off form but woeful…
Scales is an absolute bomb scare and simply isn’t good enough to be a Celtic starter, it baffles me how we signed a guy for 6m in the summer didn’t play ahead of him yesterday who ultimately is the far better defender. He’s a back up at best.
Hatate for me, him and Bernardo cost us that game yesterday, they isolated calmac in midfield along with scales, it was an absolute stinking performance from them and it’s not the first time this season. I’m not being biased to players from other cultures but a lot of them don’t fully understand what’s required here and reo is at the top of the list. Yes he’s talented and on his day can be unplayable but this season I’ve watched him closely on and off the ball and he’s miles off it, he’s constantly giving the ball away and costing the team. He’s got it in his head he wants to play in a better league which is fine, get a decent offer for him and let him go. I’m not one for over reacting I fully understand we’re well ahead in the league and played well this season but you can’t deny we’ve now dropped off the last 6 weeks, conceded 6 goals in 2 games to that lot and they’ve been the better team in both games, that’s the worry that needs addressing.
Scales and Taylor need dropped, that’s a given, Trusty and either Valle or tierney replaces him if he does sign.
Bernardo and hatate need dropped for Engels and McCowan, and a winger needs brought in to push Kuhn and maeda, complacency is the worst thing a team can have
He should have been hooked after 30 mins, only BR knows why he wasn’t. A similar summation could be made about Kyogo, he needs service but his overall game is a shadow of what it was
I said the exact same thing yesterday Dan to friends in the pub while watching but after 20min. I said Reo and Scales were going to cost us this game and should have been removed. Certainly at half time. Rodgers to hold to account for that one I’m afraid.
As someone already said yesterday james hatate should have been hooked after 15 minutes, and I totally agree,so imo that’s BR,s fault and he’s done it all season when players are playing that bad get them off ,the game only lasts 90 minutes. Sorry nearly 2hrs now we have VAR,and what a complete joke that’s turned out to be.
Gents.
Are we all guilty of overreacting following yesterday’s woeful result? It’s so easy to look for a scapegoat. Hatate was not the only ‘no show’ player yesterday, I doubt if anyone including the manager would merit a pass mark. Personally, I thought Callum McGregor was just as wayward with his passing in the first half and was also poor in the League Cup final. We need a midfield enforcer who can mix it when the going gets tough, I think we are a bit lightweight in midfield, no matter who we play there. Maybe we all need to recall the last bad result this season in Dortmund which was followed by an 18-game unbeaten run.
We have an elite manager, and we should trust him.
Agree on that enforcer point. Looks like Holm is not fancied by BR, who obviously sees him daily in training. Over to our new(ish) director of football (or whatever title he has) to find that player for us.
Hatate has gone off the boil for sure, although it was only a year or so ago that BR was getting pellets for not playing him… On form he needs rested. More fundamentally we need to look at our approach to the man-marking high press. With our defenders that tells me we need to get the ball up the park more quickly. Looking at the goals scored by St Mirren and Motherwell, they got to their back line more directly, sowing uncertainty. Not suggesting we revert hoof ball but we need to mix things up to put the uncertainty into their game.
pelters not pellets obviously…
We certainly do need a more physical presence about the team, we’re far too lightweight imo. I don’t rate diomande and raskin that much but what I will say the last 2 games now they’ve got stuck in the midfield battle and won it, and both times hatate and Bernardo have had there pants pulled down.
A solid back 4 of Johnston, CCV, trusty and tierney, and a solid midfield of calmac, Engels and a more solid number 8 to do the dirty work would take us to the next level. Obviusly BR knows best when he sees the players day in day out but us supporters can see it a mile away we’re too lightweight and when it comes to games against rangers that doesn’t cut it
I have made known my issues with hatate a few times on these blogs. His passing accuracy can be poor and he weakens the midfield when he is having an off day, which are getting more frequent imo.
Fab player but very inconsistent.
They have found out that physicality wins the war in The Glasgow Derby Games…
Tippy Tappy pish won’t cut it there in that one –
C’mon Brendan – Find the guys that’ll fight Sevco Brick for Brick, Boot for Boot, Blade for Blade and Bottle for Bottle…
If you’re not too pig headed to think it’s ok as it is – Because it fuckin well isn’t…
We know Sevco are truly fuckin sick…
We are just lucky they are fuckin travel sick over short distances to Paisley, Kilmarnock and Motherwell !
My son said to me about a year ago every time Hatate starts a game poorly he just gets worse,i wouldn’t have waited until half time he would have been off after half an hour and must not feature in the foreseeable .
Hatate is a wonderful player and talent but unfortunately he’s also very inconsistent.
With the system we play, it only takes one player to be off the boil and it lessens our effectiveness!
I think Hatate is definitely a confidence player, and it was obvious against them that he is either shorn of confidence or couldn’t be bothered !
A spell on the sidelines wouldn’t do him any harm and if he believes he’s better or bigger than the club, then accept the first decent offer that comes in.
I really like Hatate but I know he splits opinion in our fanbase, and for me, his form has been far too variable this season !
The team always comes first and it’s important we get that midfield mix, absolutely spot on!
Who would you prefer Hatate or Tom Logic?
Would like to see Hatate sold and a proper number 10 signed to replace him.