Chris Sutton has praised Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate for carrying the burden at Celtic this season. Boss Ange Postecoglou has had to deal with an array of injuries for his midfielders.
The Hoops have produced a dominant start to their Premiership title defence this season. At the start of the weekend, the Parkhead natives held a seven-point advantage over their Glasgow rivals, Rangers. Celtic won 13 and lost one of their opening 14 matches this term.
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O’Riley has started 13 and featured off the bench in one of Celtic’s top-flight matches. The only fixture he did not open was the Bhoys’ 2-0 defeat at St Mirren in September. Hatate, meanwhile, has started 10 matches and came off the bench twice – including at St Mirren.
Only Joe Hart and Cameron Carter-Vickers have played more league minutes than O’Riley, as well. The goalkeeper and defender have amassed 1,260 and 1,080 minutes respectively to O’Riley’s 1,020. Hatate ranks sixth with 837 with Greg Taylor (953) and Jota (849) ahead.
The knee injury that has kept Callum McGregor out since October 5 will also keep the 29-year-old on the sidelines until after the World Cup. While James McCarthy has only played 22 minutes over two games, Aaron Mooy has 517 in 13 and David Turnbull is on 478 in 11.
O’Riley and Hatate have ‘carried the burden’ at Celtic for Sutton
O’Riley and Hatate have impressed Sutton with how they have stepped up to the challenge amid Celtic’s midfield injury crisis. But the four-time Premiership champion with the Hoops has noted in his Daily Record column that Hatate has looked to be running on near-empty.
“Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate have carried the burden and stayed healthy,” Sutton wrote. “It has to be said, the Japanese kid looked off it at Fir Park in midweek starting his 12th successive game and that’s understandable. Yet O’Riley delivered again.”
Stephen O’Donnell punished Hatate’s early moment of slight hesitation at Motherwell on Wednesday night. It set the tone for his performance as the midfielder struggled to find a groove. But O’Riley was there to shine in a deeper-lying position in Postecoglou’s system.
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