Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers will have some difficult selection decisions to make today as his side return to Scottish Premiership action this afternoon.
The Hoops travel away from Parkhead to face Livingston and will be hoping to maintain, and possibly extend, their lead at the top of the table.
They are, however, heading into the match off the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Feyenoord in their opening Champions League group stage match during the week.
One player who must be unleashed from the start today after being on the bench in midweek is Scotland international David Turnbull, who should be brought in to replace Reo Hatate in the starting XI.
How did Reo Hatate perform against Feyenoord?
The Japan international played 58 minutes against the Dutch side and struggled to impose himself on the game in the middle of the park.
Celtic endured a rough evening as they were beaten fairly easily by Feyenoord and Hatate's performance played a role in that, particularly with his lack of quality out of possession.
Although, it was Joe Hart at fault for the first goal as Calvin Stengs' free-kick from distance bounced up in front of the former England international, which resulted in the ball squeezing through his fingers and into the back of the net.
Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm were also both sent off as the central defender was shown two yellow cards and the Norwegian talent received a straight red for a late studs-up challenge.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh then sealed all three points for the home side on the night as the ball broke free for him in the box and the ex-Brighton ace smashed it into the top corner to make it 2-0.
Hatate, meanwhile, lost two of his three duels (66.6%) and failed to make a single tackle, interception, clearance, or block throughout his time on the pitch, as per Sofascore.
This shows that the Japanese lightweight, who was also dribbled past once, struggled to deal with the physicality of the game as he did virtually nothing to put a stop to Feyenoord's attacks, which allowed them to continually pile on Hart's goal.
He did not make up for his lack of defensive nous with quality in possession as the 25-year-old maestro only completed 71% of his attempted passes and did not create a single 'big chance' for his teammates, along with his failure to find the back of the net himself.
How many goals has Hatate scored this season?
The Hoops midfielder is yet to get his name on the scoresheet this term as the talented ace had failed to score in three Premiership outings prior to his struggles against Feyenoord.
Hatate has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.77 across three league matches so far this season and failed to score a single goal or create a 'big chance' at the top end of the pitch. He also has been dominated by opposition players with a duel success rate of just 33% in the Scottish top-flight.
This comes after the Japanese whiz scored six goals and created ten 'big chances' in 32 league games for Celtic throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
He showcased his creativity on a regular basis with 1.3 key passes per game for the Bhoys, which was only bettered by five other players, and ended the season as the club's top-scoring central midfield ace.
However, Hatate is yet to get back to those levels this time around and that is why Rodgers must unleash Turnbull from the start today, after the Scottish gem's excellent start to the campaign.
How many goals has David Turnbull scored this season?
The former Motherwell midfielder has produced three goals in five Premiership matches since the start of the 2023/24 season as Rodgers has placed his faith in the talented wizard.
Turnbull only started six league games under Ange Postecoglou last term and, as a result, only contributed with four goals and four 'big chances' created for the team across 28 appearances in total.
The Northern Irish head coach returned to Parkhead this summer and has been able to get the creative gem firing with an average Sofascore rating of 7.28 across five starts, which is the sixth-best score within the squad and significantly better than Hatate's 6.77.
Turnbull, who was hailed as a "terrific" player by ex-Hoops ace Peter Grant, has provided a goal threat from midfield and created 1.4 chances per match for the side, which shows that he is currently offering more than the Japan international in the final third.
Will Turnbull start against Livingston?
Therefore, Rodgers should bring the 24-year-old talent back into the starting XI ahead of Hatate for this clash today as, based on the evidence of this season so far, he is more likely to make a telling contribution at the top end of the pitch.
The £16k-per-week creator has also won 39% of his individual duels this term and, whilst that is still not an impressive statistic, that suggests that he could provide a bit more strength in midfield.
Hopefully, the Scottish dynamo can go on to replicate his outstanding form for the club under Neil Lennon's management during the 2020/21 campaign.
He averaged a phenomenal Sofascore rating of 7.47 across 36 Premiership starts that term as the ex-Motherwell prospect chipped in with nine goal and 12 'big chances' created to go along with 2.9 key passes per match.
No Celtic player averaged a higher Sofascore rating for the club that season and none of his teammates produced more than 1.9 key passes per clash in the top-flight.
This shows that the potential is there for Turnbull to be an outstanding performer for the Hoops over the course of the campaign if Rodgers continues to select him week-in-week-out in order to boost his confidence and match sharpness.
Hatate's difficult start to the season has opened up the door for the Scotland international to nail down a place in the starting XI for the foreseeable future and his performances so far suggest that the shirt is his to lose for now.
Therefore, he should return to the team for the clash with Livingston today and will be given the opportunity to add to his goal tally in order to keep the Japanese whiz out of the side for even longer.
