An eyebrow or two might have been raised when Yuki Kobayashi was thrown in from the start against St Mirren on Wednesday night.
Ange Postecoglou had hinted the new January signing would be in for some minutes over the next few weeks but with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers an established pairing at the heart of defence, the expectation was there would be a couple of substitute cameos before a full debut for the big Japanese defender. Within minutes though it was abundantly clear why the Celtic boss decided he was ready.
He didn't look out of his depth for a second, putting himself about and even rattling the post as he made an instant impression on the home fans. In possession and out of it, he looked like he'd been playing under Postecoglou all his life and he'll be a hard man to drop once Carter-Vickers is back fit. Here's what Record Sport made of his debut to remember, and how his inclusion could take Angeball to the next level.
Imposing from the start
With some new signings, especially those coming from the other side of the world, it can take a while to settle in. It's different for everyone. Kyogo for example was an instant hit on the pitch but it took him a while to look truly comfortable getting in among the celebrations while for Yosuke Ideguchi, it just doesn't seem to have happened at all.
Nothing about it for Kobayashi though. He charged right in there, rattling the post before Liel Abada's opener and he was the first player over to celebrate in front of his new fans.
He's still very young at 22 so has developing left to do, but personality-wise, he already looked like one of the leaders on the pitch. Communication can sometimes be an issue with brand new arrivals from Japan but that didn't seem to be the case here and if he's able to strike up an established partnership with the likes of Starfelt or Carter-Vickers, that Celtic defence will be a force to be reckoned with.
New string to the Angeball bow
Nothing beats a ball-playing centre-back and Kobayashi might just be the ball-playing centre-back's ball playing centre-back. He barely played a stray pass all night, with his 94 per cent success rate head and shoulders above anyone on the pitch - Callum McGregor was second (89 per cent) and his central defensive partner Starfelt was third (84).
It's not as if it was just a high return from a small sample size of safe passes either. He saw more of the ball than just about any other player and played the most passes (94) in the game - many of which were over a decent range.
Even more than that though, he offers something brand new to Postecoglou's arsenal. The impact of having a naturally left-sided centre-back can be overlooked, but it makes such a difference to the build-up play and his out-balls to Reo Hatate in the middle were central to building attacks.
While Starfelt, normally the left-sided centre-back when Carter-Vickers players, often favours a ball to the full-back, Kobayashi's instinct is to play forward and he often cut through St Mirren like a hot knife through butter. His composure on the ball had airs of Kris Ajer and Virgil van Dijk and you expect he'll be off on a few mazy dribbles to break through tricky low blocks. As calm and assured a debut as you'll see from a centre-back.
Physically capable
Having just spent three paragraphs raving about his composure on the ball and his passing ability, I'd be remiss to use the term "old fashioned centre-back" in the same sentence as Kobayashi's name, but when St Mirren had the ball, that's exactly what he looked like.
Celtic fans will remember with a wince the nightmare Jonah Ayunga and Curtis Main gave their makeshift pairing of Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz back in September, bullying the second-string pairing as they inflicted Celtic's only league defeat of the season so far. That duo might have been rubbing their hands at the prospect of giving Kobayashi an SPFL baptism of fire, but they got back every inch of what they gave out from the Japan star - and then some.
He won his individual battle with Ayunga hands down, physically imposing himself on the game and not giving him a whiff at goal. Simon Donnelly said after the game: "There was a nice balance there with him being a left-footer (Kobayashi). He had a one-versus-one with Ayunga where he blocked him so that was some decent defending. He dealt with it very well and he looks decent on the ball.
"Defenders need to defend first and foremost but he looks as if he has slotted in comfortably. Another success hopefully from the Japanese league."
Still finding his feet
He might not have looked it given how imposing and assured he looked but it is worth remembering Kobayashi is just 22 years old. And, as Postecoglou was quick to remind fans after a mightily impressive debut, he's not even fully up to speed just yet. He said after the game: “He was good. It's not easy, he is still adjusting to the football here and life here.
“They are a big, strong physical team, very direct, and they launched some balls into the box. He had to deal with that side of the game, which I thought he did quite well.
“I thought he was really good on the ball, really composed. He will get better at that but I thought as an introduction he was good.”
Postecoglou's typically measured assessment downplays things slightly but that is probably the idea. He won't want to get carried away over a 22-year-old who landed from the other side of the planet barely a month ago and there will be ups and downs to come for Kobayashi as he gets fully bedded in.
If he was starting as he means to go on, though, he looks like another gem from the J-League. And given he still has virtually his whole career in front of him, possibly the most valuable one yet.
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