Celtic’s domination of major domestic Scottish silverware continued on Sunday, defeating fierce rivals Rangers in the League Cup Final.
Greg Taylor, Daizen Maeda and then Nicolas Kühn were all on target during a breathless, end-to-end 90 minutes, that finished 3-3 at Hampden, meaning, for just the second time in Old Firm history, a penalty shootout would be required.
Adam Idah, Callum McGregor, Arne Engles and Reo Hatate all held their nerve from 12 yards, before Kasper Schmeichel pulled off the sole save of the shootout, meaning when Maeda converted, it was time for those bedecked in green and white to celebrate.
The Hoops have therefore now won 20 of the last 25 trophies up for grabs in Scotland and, given that they’re already nine points clear at the top of the Premiership, that ratio is only likely to rise in 2025.
Their ambitions have no doubt been boosted by a club-record signing too…
Arne Engles: settling into life at Celtic
Celtic broke their transfer record over the summer summer, paying £11m to Augsburg for Arne Engles’ signature on deadline day.
In fairness, the Belgian was signed to replace Matt O’Riley, who’d been sold to Brighton just a few days earlier for £25m, the joint-biggest sale in Scottish football history.
So far, Engles has made 21 appearances for the Hoops scoring four goals, converting a penalty during the 5-1 Champions League demolition of Slovan Bratislava, most recently on target when Hibernian were swatted aside at Parkhead earlier this month.
However, the Belgium international began on the bench against Dinamo Zagreb last mid-week and then again for the League Cup Final at Hampden, unable to nail down a guaranteed starting spot due to the form of one of Celtic’s best-ever bargain buys.
Celtic's bargain magician
Ange Postecoglou’s two-year stint in Glasgow will forever be remembered for bringing the joy and glory back to Celtic, capturing five trophies in two seasons, regaining the title after Rangers had broken the streak of nine-in-a-row during Covid.
The primary reason for Postecoglou’s success was his outstanding recruitment.
The vast majority of his signings were massive successes: Kyōgo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Josip Juranović, Carl Starfelt, Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley, Aaron Mooy and Alistair Johnston, to name but a few, all played huge roles.
Seven of the 11 players mentioned have departed for pastures new, but it’s one, not yet named, who remains and might just be Postecoglou’s best value-for-money arrival.
After Kyōgo had taken Scottish football by storm, Postecoglou returned to the Japanese market, one that he knew well, having come from Yokohama F. Marinos, six months into his first season in Glasgow.
In a double-swoop, Maeda joined from his former club Yokohama, while Reo Hatate, a diminutive midfielder, arrived from Kawasaki Frontale, costing £1.4m.
Well, fair to say Hatate settled in quickly, staring during his debut against Hibs, substituted to a standing ovation before this hilariously humble reaction to being named man of the match, asking James Forrest to clarify why his name had just been bellowed out over the public address system.
He then scored an absolute thunderbolt at Tynecastle against Hearts a week later before, in only his fourth-ever Premiership appearance, scoring twice and setting up the third during one of the most famous Glasgow derbies of modern times.
Celtic smashed Rangers 3-0 that night, with Hatate putting in one of the best individual displays ever seen in an Old Firm, a victory that saw the Hoops claim top spot for the first time all season, a position they would not relinquish.
It’s not just Postecoglou who appreciates Hatate’s talents; following the 4-0 demolition of Kilmarnock on the opening day of this season, Brendan Rodgers labelled the Japanese midfielder as “top-class”, describing him as a “wonderful gifted player”.
For Sunday’s most recent derby, Hatate and Paulo Bernardo got the nod in midfield, with Engles introduced as a substitute, so how do the trio compare?
Appearances
25
21
24
Minutes
1,748
1,200
1,085
Goals
5
4
3
Assists
1
7
2
Progressive carries
14
4
3
Progressive passes
24
13
15
Shots
44
30
13
Passes attempted
254
219
115
Pass completion %
77.2%
72.6%
73%
Shot-creating actions
10
15
6
Tackles
10
7
5
Interceptions
7
5
4
Touches
306
135
260
What is clear is that Celtic have plenty of quality in midfield, with these statistics underlining Hatate’s unquestionable class, outperforming his teammates in, pretty much, every metric.
According to Transfermarkt, he and Engles have the same transfer value (£9m), with Kyōgo and Carter-Vickers the only squad members valued higher, emphasising that the £1.4m paid for Hatate’s services was an absolute bargain.
In the past, Brighton and Leicester, as well as many other clubs, have reportedly been interested in taking Hatate’s talents to the Premier League, but Celtic supporters will hope their Japanese midfield maestro remains in Scotland for another few years yet.
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