Celtic will look to bounce back against St Mirren on Sunday after the Ibrox showing.
It’s not the norm for Brendan Rodgers to watch his players produce such a nightmare performance, but that was the case during Celtic’s defeat at Rangers on Thursday.
One man who started the game and didn’t look himself was Reo Hatate – he was subbed off after 75 minutes for Arne Engels and he was probably lucky to be on the pitch for so long.
You could argue that the all-action midfielder’s reputation kept home on the field for so long because he was one of many players who Rodgers should have probably hooked off at half-time.
When Hatate is on it, he is one of the best to watch and that was proven during Celtic’s Champions League win over RB Leipzig in November.
But, when it’s not going right, then he can look seriously off colour and fans have started to question his place in the Celtic XI.
Reo Hatate’s form for Celtic after Rangers defeat
Rodgers rotated his squad over the festive period to keep things fresh and you wonder if he will do the same for Celtic’s home clash against St Mirren.
If he does that, then Hatate might be one of the players in the firing line, but Scott Allan isn’t concerned by the Japan star’s ‘slight dip’ in form, as he told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.
Allan stated that he would have started Luke McCowan, alongside Hatate and Callum McGregor at Ibrox, as he cited the player being a boyhood Celtic fan as a reason for that.
“It wouldn’t concern me,” said Allan about Hatate’s form. “He has had a slight dip. He has enough quality and we have all seen it that he will come out at the other end and in a good position.
“What Celtic do have is good players who can come in and step up. Engels will be looking to come in and make a big difference. Luke McCowan, for me, would have probably been the one I would have gone with (at Ibrox) just because he is a massive Celtic fan and, for me, coming off the bench and being patient by actually showing good quality.
“I think it would have been a good game to let him go and feel that experience and showcase his qualities.
Celtic players being picked based on transfer fees
Matt O’Riley’s exit in the summer was a big blow to the club, but understandable given that he was going to showcase his talents on the Premier League stage.
That saw a few players come in for big fees, including Adam Idah, Engels and Auston Trusty – all three players were on the bench against Rangers.
But amid suggestions that Rodgers needs to start these players because Celtic paid so much money for them, Allan shut it down and stated it would be a ‘real problem’ if he based his selections off that.
“For me, if you are the manager, once you start making decisions based on how much the club spent and not the performance, then you have a real problem,” added Allan.
“I think the fans would accept that as well. I think it’s easy to say that we have paid so-an-so for this player, they need to play and have a run of games. All the players, out with Luke McCowan and maybe Adam Idah, have had a run of games.
“I think when it comes down to a Rangers-Celtic game, then Brendan Rodgers is picking his best team, in terms of how they have trained that week and performances over recent games.
