New Celtic signing Yuki Kobayashi touched down in Glasgow today. I was in attendance at the fan media press conference. I was impressed with what I heard. He sounded up to the test and has a great idea of what he has to do to make a name for himself at the club.
When asked what he plans to do to make an impact on the team he said: “As a centre back I need to be very strong. We always have a high line so I need to contribute with that in terms of attacking. The manager wants me to help with passing.”
Seemingly Ange has given him the rundown already of what is expected of him. The question is will he be up to the test, as the centre back position is already very competitive with three first team caliber players already in the pecking order.
When asked about how much the history of the club and his history with Ange means to him he said: “I feel proud to have this important top.
“In terms of the manager I have played against him with Yokohama Marinos and he created a great team.
“He has good football tactics and I’m excited to play with him.”
Seemingly chemistry won’t be a problem between Yuki and Ange as they are already familiar with each others games.
When asked about the fatigue of playing a season in Japan before playing the rest of the season in Scotland he said: “Reo directly told me the importance of having enough rest, so I took that advice and had enough rest so I feel fresh.”
This is very promising as Reo Hatate was vocal about his fatigue last season. Clearly Yuki has learned from this and has done all he can to ensure he doesn’t burn out later on in the year.
When I asked him about how much the chance of Champions League football skewed him into signing for Celtic he said: “Having opportunities to play in the Champions League is wonderful, so I’d just like to do my best to contribute.”
All of the pieces have seemingly fallen into place for Yuki Kobayashi, only time will tell if he has what it takes to break into the team and impress. From what I heard from him he believes he has it in him.
@Robbiegray
