Celtic kicked off their tour of Japan with a chaotic defeat to J1 League side Yokohama F. Marinos.
Brendan Rodgers’ side, up against an opponent in the middle of their domestic campaign, produced some exciting attacking play – including a Daizen Maeda hat-trick – but shipped six goals during an energy-sapping workout at the Nissan Stadium. A raft of second half-changes saw the friendly encounter lose much of its shape and rhythm, which stood at 3-2 to Celtic at half-time after Maeda’s treble cancelled out goals from Anderson Lopes and Kota Mizunuma.
The hosts’ superior sharpness prevailed after the interval, though, as Lopes bagged his second, Yuki Saneto struck and Miyaichi socred a quick-fire double. Celtic reduced the deficit in the dying moments via a thunderbolt from sub David Turnbull.
Here are five talking points from Yokohama.
Gruelling workout
In terms of building sharpness, there can be few exercises more efficient than taking on a side who are already in a mid-season rhythm, and Yokohama’s sharpness ensured Celtic went through an intense and immensely useful workout. It was clear Rodgers’s side are still moving through the gears and adjusting to any tactical tweaks the new manager may be looking to implement - as well as acclimatising to the searing Yokohama heat.
A 4-2-3-1 has been Rodgers’ go-to formation for much of his career and that was how he positioned his Celtic side here. Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate were the two deeper midfielders with Matt O’Riley more advanced, albeit there was a fluidity at times with Hatate and O’Riley interchanging occasionally.
Tomoki Iwata filled in at right-back and looked to dovetail with Liel Abada on the right flank. Opposite those two, Greg Taylor played behind Sead Haksabanovic, given a chance to show what he can do in what is his preferred role on the left, something he didn’t get too many opportunities to do under Ange Postecoglou. The inverted full-back tactic favoured by the former manager was not as prominent in this new-look setup, although there were occasions Iwata made penetrating runs inwards to create space on the left for Abada.
Early days, of course, but it does not appear there will be wholesale changes in approach, yet there were enough tweaks to watch with intrigue as pre-season progresses.
Maeda’s homecoming
This was the perfect return to his old stomping ground for the forward, one he clearly relished. Maeda was brought to Celtic from Yokohama and Rodgers gave him the nod to start ahead of Kyogo on what will have been a special occasion for him.
He helped himself to a first-half hat-trick in one of the more eventful pre-season encounters we’ll see this summer. Ange Postecoglou almost exclusively played Maeda on the flank during his spell in Glasgow, but when they worked together in Japan he was more often utilised as a central striker.
That was the role Rodgers entrusted him with here and, with the usual pre-season caveats, he made a convincing case that he can be an effective option through the middle for Celtic. Blistering pace ensures a similar threat to Kyogo in behind opposition defences, but Maeda was noticeably more inclined to drop short and link up on occasion. He may not possess the finishing prowess of his countryman, but nonetheless his third goal was particularly well-taken.
Hatate a cut above
There was some pre-match speculation that Reo Hatate could be deployed as an emergency right-back in the absence of both Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston. But Rodgers was seemingly keen to get a look at what is likely to be his go-to midfield trio in Callum McGregor, Matt O’Riley and Hatate.
The Japan international clearly means business as the new season approaches, excelling in Celtic’s first public outing of pre-season in a display brimming with invention and class. There’s very little, if anything, the 24-year-old does not have in his locker. Deployed in a slightly altered role in Rodgers’ shape, Hatate produced the outstanding moment of the first-half as he tigerishly halted a Yokohama attack before immediately turning the tables to set Liel Abada in behind to then tee up Maeda’s equaliser.
He was again pivotal for his side’s third, a remarkably deft first touch with his back to goal wrong-footing Yokohama’s onrushing press and allowing Celtic to bear down on goal as Maeda again applied the finish from Abada’s low cross. Provided there are no unrefusable offers between now and the conclusion of the transfer window, Hatate looks primed to enjoy another outstanding season.
Costly errors
Perhaps a sign of where both teams are at – Celtic in the early stages of preparation and Yokohama in the middle of a league season – it was mostly errors of Rodgers’ team’s own making that saw them concede three times. The most glaring came as Joe Hart was caught cold in the opening minutes, failing to gather a clipped ball over the top and that allowed Lopes to apply the simplest of finishes.
After Celtic had taken the lead, it was a simple ball to the back post which found Celtic’s offside line lacking some cohesion, with Greg Taylor playing Mizunuma on to score at the back post. Yokohama’s third was a gift from Carl Starfelt, the centre-back caught dawdling in a dangerous area and it allowed the hosts to pinch the ball and Lopes to help himself to another finish. For the fourth, Celtic’s defensive line was again decidedly wonky as Starfelt stepped up and Saneto darted into the empty space to prod beyond sub goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist.
It would be harsh, at this stage, to put these errors down to anything other than a lack of match rhythm, but it may prompt some increased focus on defensive cohesion in the coming days.
Chances to impress
Rodgers has admitted there will be changes to his squad composition as the summer rolls on, with some degree of trimming likely as numbers in and around the first time creeps above 30. There are some who look certain to leave, and thus have not even been included in the travelling contingent, but it stands to reason that if the manager has included you in the touring party then you have a chance to convince him either way.
On that front, there were opportunities for the likes of Stephen Welsh, Liam Scales and David Turnbull to come into the fray and stake a claim. Perhaps more intriguingly was the inclusion of rising academy stars Daniel Kelly, Ben McPherson and Ben Summers to get involved. It has been some time since a player made the jump from youth setup to first-team regular, with chances to play under Postecoglou particularly hard to come by. These tours can be pivotal moments in a young player’s career, and it seems there will be more opportunities to come for them.
