Tomoki Iwata has found starting minutes hard to come by since his arrival at Parkhead back in January.
Iwata was one of the top players at Yokohama F Marinos, even winning the J-League’s MVP award before eventually moving on to join Celtic, an accolade that none of the current crop of Japanese players at the club can boast.
After making an appearance in every pre-season game, Iwata was tipped by many to be a regular fixture in Rodgers’ starting XI, but the utility player has struggled to get much game time this season, only playing 76 minutes so far.
His only appearances for Celtic this season prior to Tynecastle at the weekend came when the club were a man down, getting half-an-hour against Livingston after Joe Hart was sent off; then being brought on for 23 minutes in Rotterdam against Feyenoord in the Champions League following the dismissals of Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm.
His cameo against Hearts was one that caught the eye of many within the Celtic support, as the midfielder made the most of his 25 minutes on the park by scoring Celtic’s fourth in the 4-1 demolition job of the Jambos, his first goal in the green and white hoops.
Has Iwata re-emerged as an option following his Tynecastle strike, or will he continue to be a squad player at Parkhead?
What is his strongest position?
One of the key aspects of the 26-year-old’s game has to be his versatility, having deputised in a number of different roles so far at Celtic.
His initial appearances at Celtic were in midfield, making a number of cameos from the bench with a display against Rangers at Hampden in particular catching the eye.
Towards the end of the season, an injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers and the poor form of Yuki Kobayashi resulted in Tomoki Iwata being thrust into the fold at centre-back, but that position isn’t unfamiliar to him, having played most of the games in his career in that exact position.
He performed to a decent standard at centre-back, and in pre-season he was shifted out to right-back to accommodate for injuries to Anthony Ralston and Alistair Johnston. It was evidently not his strongest place on the park but, as always, he put in a stream of steady performances.
His strongest position would be as a midfielder, though, as his most impressive displays in a Celtic jersey have come when playing in the middle of the park.
Added steel to the midfield
Whenever Iwata has been called upon to play in the middle of the park, it has always been with the intention of shoring up the midfield and adding some strength and steel to help close out a tight game.
Celtic’s midfield is absolutely stacked with quality at the moment and is arguably the toughest position for anyone to breach, with Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor all being some of the club’s top performers.
Whilst game-time may be hard to come, if Iwata can continue to impress as a second-half substitute then opportunities should present themselves in the future.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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