Celtic Player Ratings v Hibs
Upon the return of fans to Scottish football, Celtic secured a vital win in the Premiership title race. New signings Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate were on song as the Hoops won 2-0 against Hibs. Here’s my player ratings from the match.
Joe Hart - 8/10
The Englishman was ample when called upon and controlled a rather awkward pass beautifully with his chest. It was yet another clean sheet for Hart and Celtic to maintain their record as the best defence in the league.
Josip Juranovic - 8/10
Juranovic got forward well down the right hand side and heeded the call to step up and double Celtic’s lead through a penalty. We’re finally getting to see what the Croatian can conjure up at right back and it certainly looks promising.
Cameron Carter-Vickers - 8/10
Yet another 8/10 is Cameron Carter-Vickers. Himself and Carl Starfelt were utterly solid in the Hoops’ backline. Carter-Vickers won duels, was comfortable on the ball and stepped up when required. The case for Celtic to purchase the defender permanently remains strong.
Carl Starfelt - 8/10
After some recent undue criticism, Carl Starfelt put in a performance he can be proud of this evening. The Swede read the game superbly and almost assisted his centre half partner were it not for a foul in the build up.
Greg Taylor - 6/10
Left back has been a debated position in the Celtic team of late. It was Greg Taylor who was given the opportunity tonight and it is fair to say the 24 year old was slightly underwhelming.
Callum McGregor - 6/10
The Celtic captain played in the holding role for the majority of the match and slotted in nicely. A passable performance from McGregor.
Reo Hatate - 9/10
On his Celtic debut, Reo Hatate brought vibrancy to the midfield and caught the eye of many. So much so, I have given the Japanese man of the match. He made some delightful cross field passes and managed to create the most chances in the match as of FotMob. He was subbed off on the 75th minute after a virtuous display.
Tom Rogic - 8/10
Rogic set up Daizen Maeda for Celtic’s opener with a neat pass. The Australian also could’ve had a few himself, having numerous shots on goal, albeit off target. There will be significant onus on Tom Rogic in the coming weeks to help be the creative force for Celtic in midfield however some of this may be alleviated after Reo Hatate’s emergence.
Liel Abada - 7/10
It was a relatively quiet night for Celtic’s wingers. Liel Abada however was extremely unfortunate not to net, his scuffed effort coming off the post, followed by his body. Apart from that, there was no real notable involvements for Abada.
Daizen Maeda - 8/10
Daizen Maeda got off the mark for Celtic just four minutes into his debut for the club. The Japanese finished sublimely into the bottom right hand corner after some great team pressing. Overall, Maeda was tidy in his link up play and the J. League’s top scorer for 2021 brings more firepower to Celtic’s attacking arsenal.
James Forrest - 6/10
It was James Forrest’s maiden start for Celtic since the 12th of December, when he hobbled of injured eighteen minutes in against Motherwell. The thirty year old ceased to captivate tonight though and undoubtedly hasn’t been up to his usual standard since prior to his injury problems.
Substitutes
It was announced recently that football clubs in Scotland were going to be allowed to make up to five substitutes in a league match. This was the case tonight however Ange Postecoglou made just four changes in the match. Giorgos Giakoumakis, Yosuke Ideguchi and Mikey Johnston each got fifteen minutes along with Jota, who played eight. There’s not much to report on these players in fact, due to their limited amount of time on the pitch. One thing is certain though, the increase in the number of substitutes permitted will definitely benefit Celtic, especially with the injury problems experienced in the first half of the season.
It is Scottish Cup action for Celtic next as they take on Alloa on Saturday evening. The Hoops will look to progress to the fifth round of the competition as they take on the League One side.
Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog for more Celtic and Scottish football content.
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