Reo Hatate's game of 2 halves: How he burst to life to ignite Celtic

Kyogo made the breakthrough when he forced in a Reo Hatate cross midway through the second half before substitute Oh steered home in the last ten minutes to confirm the Hoops’ 11th title in 12 years. 

Postecoglou’s side struggled to get into their rhythm in an edgy first half which ended with Hearts defender Alex Cochrane’s red card, after a VAR check, for a foul on Daizen Maeda. 

With the extra man for the second period, the Celts eventually wore down their stubborn hosts to confirm a title that has been a formality for several weeks now. 

Yuki Kobayashi and Anthony Ralston came into the Celtic defence for injured duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston in the only changes from the Scottish Cup semi-final win against Rangers. 

Despite a somewhat under-par display on his return from injury in the triumph at Hampden, Hatate retained his place in the starting eleven.

The Japanese playmaker again looked off the pace for spells at the venue where he opened his Hoops account in style in January 2022. 

However, the former Kawasaki Frontale man still played a key role in the win that secured back-to-back Premiership titles, especially in the move for Kyogo’s opener. 

Here, we highlight Hatate’s pivotal role in the goal that got the party started, as well as the data that showcases his overall influence on the game in Gorgie.

With the hosts reduced to ten men, Steven Naismith’s side was unable to replicate their aggressive, high-pressing approach from the first 45 minutes. 

This allowed Celtic much more control in the second half with Hatate’s influence on the game subsequently growing. 

Although this gave the midfielder more opportunities to get on the ball, it was his movement off-the-ball that would be key in the breakthrough goal. 

His running without the ball caused the home side, adopting a low block following the red card for Cochrane, issues even before the opening goal though. 

Shot (48 mins)

Less than five minutes into the second half, as Matt O’Riley picked up possession wide on the right, Hatate, who had moved across to help overload that side, ran off the back of Hearts’ midfielder Peter Haring to attack the right half-space down the side of centre-back Kye Rowles. 

O’Riley’s clipped ball over the top found Hatate inside the box. On this first occasion, Hatate went for goal with a controlled first-time lob that landed just the other side of Zander Clark’s back post. 

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It acted as a warning to the Hearts to defence, but one that would go unheeded. 

Assist (67mins) 

Hatate made the exact same movement to break Hearts’ defensive line again later in the half, this time leading to the all-important opening goal. 

Again, running off the back of Haring, who this time attempted to pass on the Hoops midfielder, Hatate timed his run to attack the same space to perfection once more. 

This time coming from a higher starting position, Hatate had more space to exploit after being brilliantly found by skipper Callum McGregor, 

Although in more space, the ball from McGregor did hold up slightly, meaning Hatate had to readjust to get a good enough connection to deliver into the middle of the goal.

He did so brilliantly, making the right decision in rolling the ball across for Kyogo to finish at the front post, who had produced his own usual excellent bit of movement to get in front of his marker, James Hill.

A move that involved three of Celtic’s biggest performers this season, it was a fitting goal to start the title celebrations. 

The well-timed run, vital in breaking down a low block, from Hatate was particularly key though. 

StatsBomb Data

Data from StatsBomb further highlights Hatate’s influence on the second half at Tynecastle on Sunday.

His impact after the interval in possession is shown in the data provider’s on-ball value metric, referred to as OBV (a breakdown of the metric can be read here).

In the first half, like most of his teammates, Hatate was subdued, registering a negative OBV value of -0.05 from 22 passes. 

In the second period, with the man advantage, Celtic were unsurprisingly more productive on the ball. 

Here, Hatate’s influence in possession after the break can be seen with an OBV of 0.27 from 23 passes, the second-highest value, behind substitute Aaron Mooy who registered 0.28 OBV from 13 passes. 

READ MORE: Postecoglou leaving Celtic? He still has much to achieve - McKenna

Hatate’s third-highest xGChain value, StatsBomb’s metric that assigns an xG value to a player who took part in a possession, of 0.94 from 143 touches again highlights his productivity on the ball at the weekend. 

In other metrics, Hatate topped xG Assisted with 0.36, mostly made up of his cross for Kyogo’s goal. He also produced two key passes, joint second most in the Celtic team with McGregor, and one behind Matt O’Riley who made the joint most in the game (three) with Hearts’ Barrie McKay. 

In terms of defensive metrics, Hatate registered three interceptions, won two of his four aerial duels (50 per cent) and made one clearance. 

Conclusion

Despite still working his way back to full fitness, Hatate was again, as he has been so often this season, at the heart of Celtic’s best moments on Sunday. 

His intelligent movement off the ball and excellent decision-making, which allowed Kyogo to open the scoring, showcased the Japanese midfielder at his very best. 

With four league matches and a Scottish Cup final still to come, you wouldn’t bet against the dynamic playmaker producing a few more moments of magic this season as Celtic set their sights on turning an already excellent season into a truly special one.