How Brendan Rodgers solved riddle for one key player - and missed Celtic penalty award against Kilmarnock
Brendan Rodgers hailed a reinvigorated Reo Hatate following the opening day 4-0 win over Kilmarnock and believes he is only now getting the best out of the midfielder after an underwhelming first campaign under his management.
Hatate was benched by Rodgers for the opening matches of last season with David Turnbull the preferred option and the Japan internationalist’s campaign subsequently unravelled with a series of injuries restricting his appearances and form. Rodgers admitted that Hatate initially failed to live up to expectations last season, but he looked back to his Ange Postecoglou-era best as he kickstarted the new campaign with the opening goal and a man of the match display against the Rugby Park side.
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Hide Ad"I didn’t see the player that I hoped to see at the beginning of last season, for whatever reason,” Rodgers said. “I was aware of him and I'd seen him play and I liked what I'd seen. But he never really got going through pre-season last year. And not to what I was wanting. He got injured and then it was really broken for him.


“He had little spells where he came into the team, but not consistently. But he's come back pre-season now. And obviously, how the season ended, again, there’s that confidence. He knows I like him as a player. And he knows what I want from him as a player. And I think that what I've seen over the course of pre-season, he's top class. I'd hoped I could see that last season, but it doesn't matter.
“He's here now and he's been absolutely brilliant since his comeback. So I’m really pleased for him. I just think it's just probably him maybe gaining a bit more clarity around what I want from a central midfield player. I want all the players to do their very best for Celtic. And then that ambition to do well for Celtic will help them in their individual careers. So, for me, it was always about balance. There was always a wonderful, gifted player in how he takes the ball and how he operates in space.
“For me, it was about keeping the risk in the game. Because I don't like midfield players that keep the ball 10 times out of 10. It's no good. But there are areas of the pitch in which to risk it. I think now he really sees the balance in the game between keeping the ball, keeping good concentration, linking the game, but still having the threat. You would have seen that in pre-season, you would have seen it at times in the second half of last season. But now I see a much more complete player.”
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Hide AdHatate’s 17th-minute opener got Celtic up and running and further goals from Liam Scales, Nicolas Kuhn and Anthony Ralston completed a comfortable opening day victory as the Parkhead side carried on their impressive pre-season form. Rodgers insisted, however, Celtic should have had a penalty late in the second half after Kyogo Furuhashi was clattered by goalkeeper Robbie McCrorie following a cleverly-worked free-kick routine that saw Matt O’Riley chip the ball into goalmouth.
It was a heart-in-mouth moment for Celtic fans as their only recognised first-team striker lay in a heap on the ground – Rodgers confirming afterwards that work is ongoing to sign another striker – but the Celtic boss insisted that Kyogo was fine and that he was more concerned over the lack of a spot-kick award.
“I thought it should have been a penalty,” he stressed. “I think if you watch it again, he's onside. It's a clever movement. Gavin [Strachan, coach] has gone through that with the guys the last couple of days in terms of looking at inventive ways to be creative. So he's absolutely perfect, he plays onside. He plays it perfectly, makes his run, times it well. He has a touch past the keeper and the keeper clatters him.
“You can't say he's not going to get it because the Kilmarnock guy was behind him. He actually got to the ball. So you can never say he wasn't going to get it. So it should have been a penalty. I didn't think he was overly hurt, I just thought it was a penalty.”
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