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"Tomoki Iwata is a tank," Celtic midfielder Matt O'RileyΒ said recently. "He's always in the gym doing upper body work and you should see the size of his arms which are probably bigger than most of our legs."

O'Riley's words came after he was asked about team-mate Iwata's performance in the 4-1 Scottish Premiership demolition of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday.

It was only Iwata's second league start for Celtic, having also played 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall at the beginning of April.

The 26-year-old showed exactly why he is the J1 League MVP. He also demonstrated why Ange Postecoglou hasΒ signed him not once but twice in his managerial career to date.

Calmness personified with an unflinching belief and trust in his own ability, if Celtic didn't already have a formidable team then Iwata is the kind of player you could conceivably build a side around.

He is already beginning to show the kind of promise that will soon make it hard for his manager to justify any reason as to why he is not a regular starter.

At Rugby Park Iwata brought the same type of tempo, energy, rhythm and passing to the match that compatriot Reo Hatate has been producing on a consistent basis this season which has made him a strong candidate for Scotland’s player of the year.

One sublime pass in particular from the middle to the front was camel through the eye of the needle stuff and caught even Kyogo Furuhashi, for once, by surprise and on his heels. It would have certainly been the assist of the season had the striker controlled the ball and scored.

Iwata's passing performance was crisp and accurate as he sported a pass completion rate of 91 per cent. He was third for pressing and top of the list for counter-pressing too. In short, Iwata strolled it.

He has now made 10 appearances since he signed but what has become most evident in them is his willingness to move and show for a pass. Like Hatate, Iwata is never static. They are both exponents of the give-and-go style of football; Postecoglou's preferred way of playing football.

Celtic Way:

That is crucial to being a key component in this Celtic team. The players are always involved in the game. Just remember Postecoglou’s famous mic'd up session.

"Read the timing of the pass, look at your movement, you are always involved. Always involved,” he said. β€œBall’s on the far side, you are not standing there thinking β€˜I am not involved’. If the ball comes across then you are seeing the next pass and you're going. Always going, ready to go at the right time.

"If our movement is good, then our passing is good then the ball doesn't stop. That is super important and, as I said, reaction if the move’s dead. Just get into your heads: we never stop, we never stop. We stop at half-time and we stop at the end of the game when we celebrate."

Celtic will be doing a whole lot of celebrating under Postecoglou, especially with players like Hatate and Iwata in the team.

In terms of curve balls ahead of the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday April 30 – Iwata may well have thrown his manager one hell of a googly. It is the ideal headache for any manager to possess though, isn't it?

READ MORE:Β How classy Kobayashi showcased skills even Carter-Vickers doesn't have

On the basis of this evidence, would you rule out Iwata being named in the starting 11 to face Rangers at the national stadium?

With Japan international boss Hajime Moriyasu getting set to pitch up in Scotland to run the rule over the potential Samurai Blue players stationed here, the midfielder may well have timed his run to club form to perfection.

By definition, a tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in frontline ground combat. It is a balance of heavy firepower and possesses good battlefield mobility as well as a powerful engine.

Sounds a lot like Iwata's qualities as a footballer, doesn't it?

Bearing in mind that Celtic's semi-final at the end of the month is shaping up to be some sort ofΒ war of attrition then Iwata's mission, should he choose to accept it and should Postecoglou choose to unleash him on the hallowed sod, will be to turn up at Hampden and steamroller Rangers.

That would surely knock Moriyasu bandy in the process too. You get the feeling that Celtic's very ownΒ Tank is on a roll.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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