STAR SHOWING FROM HATATE
Reo Hatate continued his fine pre-season form with a man-of-the-match display against Legia Warsaw. The Japanese midfielder was a constant threat to Celtic’s Polish opponents, and he kicked off his performance with a stunning finish to open the scoring. Hatate latched onto a beautifully clipped through ball by Callum McGregor to hook over Artur Boruc into the top corner. An assist then followed for Daizen Maeda and again Hatate showed real quality with his passing. He tailed off at the end of last season, but Postecoglou really has a player on his hands, and he is certain to play a huge role in the campaign ahead.
WHAT NOW FOR JULLIEN?
Christopher Jullien once again featured for Celtic in Poland, but questions remain over his future. The Frenchman looked destined for a move to Germany earlier this window but the transfer to Schalke fell through. He has looked sharp during pre-season and with minutes under his belt, you wonder if Postecoglou will be keen to keep him around. The signing of Moritz Jenz may be an issue for Jullien, with the centre-back expected to become a regular. Only time will tell for Jullien, but he has certainly done himself no harm with his displays in pre-season.
INTENSITY ISSUES
Celtic fired out the blocks well in Warsaw and looked sharp from the off. They raced into a two-goal lead with goals coming from Hatate and Maeda and in all honesty, the Scottish champions were in cruise control. Changes at the interval meant Postecoglou’s team stuttered into the second period, and they found themselves back on level terms as Legia struck twice. Despite the match only being a friendly, this will be worrying for Postecoglou with the season getting underway in just a week’s time. The positive for the Hoops boss is that his squad have all had minutes so should be fit and raring to go for Aberdeen on the opening day.
ENDS
