Celtic reaction: Rodgers one short of completing set, Hatate hiccups, double-figures by Christmas?

Celtic’s commanding 3-0 victory over Livingston, earned with 10-men following keeper Joe Hart’s 30th-minute red card, produced all manner of talking points. Among them the three picked out below.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is making it a mission to improve Matt O'Riley efficiency in the final third after the midfielder's goal in the 3-0 win over Livingston marked his fourth in eight outings this season. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Andrew Smith picks out three of them in our reaction piece below from The Tony Macaroni Arena:

Rodgers one short of completing set

A box was ticked off for Brendan Rodgers in West Lothian on Saturday. The Tony Macaroni stadium was one of only two Scottish grounds that the Irishman had visited in his first spell as Celtic manager between 2016 and 2019 that he hadn’t tasted victory in. A 0-0 draw in November 2018 marked the only previous occasion the Irishman had helmed a Celtic team at the ground. This scoreless draw came two months after the same outcome at St Mirren’s home … which represents the only time Rodgers has taken a Celtic side to that arena. The next time he does so won’t come until January 2 next year, when he will have the opportunity to complete a notable set.

Hatate hiccups

It is understandable for Reo Hatate to be searching for his rhythm, with his Livingston appearance only his second following a month out with a thigh injury. This does not entirely explain the Japanese playmaker’s flawed passing, both in selection and precision. He was giving up possession in such fashion towards the end of last season, when he developed an unhappy habit of seeking to find team-mates with balls that were lax in their application, or too Hollywood.

Hatate, in truth, has been unsettled for much of this year, with the general belief – and certainly his, privately, it would seem – that he would attract a lucrative offer from a club in England in Germany that would provide the ambitious 25-year-old to play his domestic football at a higher level. And Rodgers is well aware of the defect being witnessed in his game, even as the Celtic manager emphasises what his quicksilver midfield movement brings to his team.

“He still has a bit to go, both in terms of fitness and his game,” Rodgers said. “I think he can be a really top player if he looks after the ball better. In the final third of the pitch he has his magic and he’s creative but you can’t lose that many balls when you have that quality. But there’s no doubt he’s getting there and his dynamism really helps us. It’s just about getting him up to the level.”

Double figures by Christmas?

There is little doubt that Matt O’Riley has been Celtic’s stand-out performer in the early months of this season, underpinned by an instinct for finding the net as seemed to elude him for long spells last season. The Danish under-21 international’s goal at Livingston – another one touch finish that came from being perfectly positioned in the penalty area to pounce – marked his fourth in only eight outings. And as Rodgers is right to say, he could have netted in practically every game he has played this season.

At his current rate, though, eclipsing his best for a season of seven, which came with MK Dons in 2021-22, should not present any great difficulty. He could easily hit double figures before the tinsel is adorning trees. Indeed, already his four-goal haul equals his total from his first two campaigns with Celtic. Rodgers is a renowned improver of young players, especially the output of attackers in the final third, and the intelligent O’Riley appears on course to follow such as James Forrest, Stuart Armstrong and James Maddison as performers who have had their game horizons expanded by the Irishman.

“I thought he was brilliant at Livingston,” he said of the 22-year-old. ”He’s a player who maybe goes under the radar a little bit but he’s one of the ones I’d like to develop to become a more efficient player. He’s a really bright footballer who wants to learn. It’s just about little details like when to arrive in the box, when to get into areas that are going to allow you to score goals. If you’re going to be a number eight at the highest level you have to contribute, you have to create and score goals. Don’t worry about the build-up, get in the box – that’s where the top midfield players will get goals, in that six-yard box.”