Opinion: 11-goal duo have made the difference in Celtic title race

Celtic stand on the verge of winning the Premiership title. Four points are needed, but really one win from Celtic’s last three games should be good enough, as the Hoops have a healthy goal difference advantage over second placed Rangers.

Celtic went top of the table after defeating Rangers 3-0 in February, and since then the team haven’t looked back. It has to be said that two of Celtic’s January signings have made a big difference to the Hoops, the Japanese pair of Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda.

The duo have scored 11 goals between them, which have meant a lot for the Bhoys in the title race.

If Celtic hadn’t signed Hatate and Maeda, the team might not be in position to clinch the title, and credit has to be given to Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou for signing players that he was familiar with and who he must have known would have done a good for in Scotland.

It is fair to say that the duo have not played well in every game that they have played as they get used to Scottish football and after playing a lot of football in Japan in 2021.

You wouldn’t know that Maeda has played a lot of football though, when you consider how he is able to put so much pressure on Celtic’s opponents. Hatate looks to be suffering the effects of playing too much football after a great start to his Hoops career, but he has contributed a lot, especially his two goals against Rangers.

You might not see the best of both players until next season, which is very promising for the Hoops, when you consider that both players have made an impact this season.

Celtic have had a very good season for the most part, the team only struggled at the start of the campaign, as Ange Postecoglou got to grips with the job. If he had players like Hatate and Maeda