Celtic have endured a fairly disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign across all competitions so far, in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe.
The Hoops sit second in the league table, behind Hearts, with five wins and two draws, whilst they are still looking for their first win on the European stage.
Brendan Rodgers has overseen one point from two Europa League matches after his team were beaten by Kairat in their Champions League play-off clash.
There have been several players in the squad who have not performed to the best of their ability this season, including central midfielder Reo Hatate.
Why Reo Hatate's form is a concern
The Japan international has gone eight matches without a goal or an assist to show for his contributions on the pitch, which is concerning for a player who typically provides creativity and quality on the ball in midfield.
Hatate delivered ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 37 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, but he has failed to provide the same kind of quality at the top end of the pitch in the current campaign.
Appearances
37
5
Goals
10
1
Minutes per goal
241
373
Key passes per game
1.2
0.6
Big chances created
14
0
Assists
4
0
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese star’s output as both a scorer and as a creator of goals has decreased for the Hoops in the Premiership.
This is concerning because it shows that Hatate is not as influential or effective as he once was for the Scottish giants, but it has also provided other players with a chance to step up and shine.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
One star who has stepped up and is now looking like a Reo Hatate-type player is summer signing Benjamin Nygren in the middle of the park for Celtic.
Why Benjamin Nygren looks like Celtic's new Reo Hatate
The left-footed star was signed from Nordsjaelland for £1.3m in the summer and may have been expected by some to play on the right wing, as that was where he played the majority of his football last season and Nicolas Kuhn left to sign for Como.
Despite that, Rodgers has played Nygren as part of his midfield three more often than not, essentially taking Arne Engels’ spot in the starting line-up from the 2024/25 campaign.
The Sweden international, who was described as “fearless” by Alexander Isak, has started five of the club’s seven matches in the Premiership, which shows that the manager already trusts him to start consistently.
Nygren has also shown that he can be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position with four goals in five league starts, whilst no other Celtic player has scored more than two league goals for the club.
As well as being an impressive goalscorer, the summer signing ranks second in the squad for ‘big chances’ created (two) and first for key passes per game (2.6) in the Premiership.
These statistics show that Nygren has hit the ground running at Parkhead as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position, taking on the role that Hatate played last season with his ten goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created.
The Japan international has not been at his best in the current campaign, as evidenced by his aforementioned form, but the Swedish star has stepped up to carry the team on his back at times.
There is still plenty of football left to be played this season, but the left-footed star’s form for Celtic suggests that he can be the new midfield star in the final third moving forward.
