A lot of the chat surrounding Celtic at the moment has been about the teams strength in depth.
When you look at our bench now compared to what we had to suffer last season in the early stages of Ange Postecoglou’s reign, it is is night and day.
We have so many options off the bench that whenever a substitute is made, not one of the players coming on weakens the team.
They all improve it in their own way.
And it was Ange Postecoglou’s subs last night that really turned the screw on Hearts.
A 3-1 win was highlighted by Sead Haksabanovic’s wonderful strike in the dying minutes of the game. But it was another substitute that caught the eye of former Celtic legend Pat Bonner.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound matchday commentary, Bonner said, “But I’ve got to say since Iwata has come on the pitch also, he’s kind of almost helped Celtic control the game a bit better.
“He’s found, alongside McGregor, the ability to get on the ball, to produce good passing and keep the ball flowing.”
Iwata has shown in the limited amount of game time he has received that he has the potential to be a very good player at the club.
Barring a misplaced pass last night, the Japanese midfielder was full of energy, closed down threats and kept cool in the middle of the park allowing Celtic to press further up the pitch to get that elusive third goal.
Hopefully we will see more of him as the season goes on but it does seem that Ange has unearthed yet another gem from the J League.