Matt O'Riley and Reo Hatate both have a World Cup to aim at. If they show the form to get to Qatar, I’m sure it’ll help Celtic get over the line in a tight title race. The real stuff gets going this week and it’s back to square one for the champions.
Last season has gone and there is now an expectation around Ange Postecoglou and his team that wasn’t there 12 months ago. Last year, Celtic were underdogs going into the Premiership fight. This time they are the favourites and the defenders of the trophy. That’s a whole new type of challenge and pressure.
I expect they will be capable of handling it and I have them as slight favourites, even though Rangers, as last season, will be strong and tough challengers. Postecoglou’s team really kicked on after the winter break last season to get their hands on the main prize and the January arrivals of O’Riley and Hatate were a big part of that.
I see the pair of them as vital to the manager’s ambitions for this term. Callum McGregor is the fulcrum. The captain is central not just to the midfield but to the whole set-up. Unless someone is bought or Aaron Mooy is seen as a potential stand-in, Celtic are going to have to hope their skipper stays sound and in form for the majority of the season because he is the one guy in the set-up just now who they really can’t do without.
O’Riley and Hatate, to my eye, look the first choices beside McGregor and they are going to have to back him up. From what I’ve seen, they are capable. More than capable.
O’Riley will, of course, have to step up again to fill the void left by Tom Rogic. The Aussie is irreplaceable in the sense you won’t get anyone who can replicate what he had in terms of touch and talent.
But O’Riley showed plenty in that second half of last season he can produce in his own style. To say he hit the ground running is an understatement. He slotted immediately into the system and the side and his performances were high level.
O’Riley has good vision, good passing, the eye for a goal and he can make things happen in the final third as well as doing some defensive duties. Having forced his way into the Denmark Under-21 squad, the door is open for him to try and burst through to the senior side in time for Qatar.
The Champions League could be a big assist on that front. Do well there and that door might just fly off the hinges. Hatate is in the same boat and I’m excited by what he can potentially deliver.
Like O’Riley, he wasted no time in showing his ability with two goals on your debut against Rangers an ideal way to win over a support. No one can deny he flagged due to fatigue towards the finish, but after a summer rest and a good pre-season, it’s there for him because he has the lot.
Hatate has running power, he can finish, he can get into dangerous areas, he can move past people and he can pass it. His goal against Legia Warsaw 10 days ago was superb and I thought his performance against Norwich last Saturday was, at times, breathtaking.
You can’t take your eyes off him in full cry and, if he pushes on, Celtic have a genuine star on their hands. Hatate must be motivated by the World Cup. He knows his team-mates Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda are getting onto the Japan team flight and that’ll be inspiration in itself.
He’ll want to be with them. Same as O’Riley will want that Denmark slot. That can only be of benefit to Celtic. I expect them both to start against Aberdeen tomorrow. My gut feeling is that Postecoglou will start the same side as he did against Norwich.
That would mean seats on the bench again for Giorgos Giakoumakis and Liel Abada and I’m going to be fascinated how the manager rotates things in the weeks ahead. Of course, injuries will play a part. It’s rare everyone is fit when the season gets into full swing, but Postecoglou has got choices.
Kyogo will also be up front against the Dons, but it wouldn’t shock me if Postecoglou considered dropping him into a position just behind the main striker and playing Giakoumakis as a No.9 in other matches. The Japanese played that deeper role at times in the J-League.
I prefer Jota off the left as opposed to the right, but the boss always seems to find a spot for Maeda and I get that. His workrate and running unsettles teams, he also adds goals and assists to defensive graft.
Alexandro Bernabei has been signed to challenge at left-back, but it’s early days and he’s looked a little unsure so far. That’s perfectly understandable. The Argentine is settling into a new system in new surroundings and it’ll take time, so I feel Greg Taylor will start.
Celtic also won’t want to be playing catch-up again as they had to after losing three of their first six league matches last season. The demands are on from day one at Celtic. There is no resting on laurels. Postecoglou knows all of this and I fancy he’ll deliver again with O’Riley and Hatate having a huge say.
