Celtic have continued their march in the Scottish Premiership, with a 4-0 win over St Mirren. The opener came from Liel Abada, was followed by a Kyogo Furuhashi brace and David Turnbull got himself on the scoresheet late on as well. Three more points and a job well done for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
One thing that all fans would have had their eyes on the night was the debut of Yuki Kobayashi. The Japanese centre-back started the game alongside Carl Starfelt, with Cameron Carter-Vickers believed to be out with a slight fitness problem.
Kobayashi was signed in the ongoing January transfer window, although the deal had been over the line for a while and the defender had been training with the squad for a while now. That showed in his performance as well, as he seemed to have a good understanding with his teammates already.
Kobayashi was involved at the back, made his presence felt going forward, and kept a clean sheet on his debut for Celtic. Not much more anybody could have asked of him, as the Hoops appear to have pulled off another transfer masterstroke.
Why Kobayashi could be a big contributor for Celtic going forward
What makes Kobayashi very important is the fact that he is left-footed. That is a profile that Celtic have been missing in the heart of their defence.
And in the game against St Mirren, we saw how the presence of a left-footed centre-back helps open up the passing lanes from the back.
On the other hand, his presence also made sure that Starfelt could move to the other side of the defensive duo, and show what he is capable of in that role. And Kobayashi’s presence opens up all sorts of defensive combinations that Celtic could rely on moving forward, with the tight schedule making sure that they will have to rotate.