Yuki Kobayashi!

Every bit as bad as Du wei

 

Carl Starfelt defends team-mate amidst criticism and reveals why it is 'not very easy at a club like Celtic'
Celtic defender Carl Starfelt believes it is “not fair” to judge team-mate Yuki Kobayashi after just a handful of games.




The Swedish centre-back is empathetic to the Japanese star’s situation where he has been questioned for some of his performances in the green and white hoops. Starfelt was written off early into his Celtic career but has since become a key player for Ange Postecoglou, while forming a formidable relationship with Cameron Carter-Vickers.

With the American out injured, Starfelt has become the leader at the back, playing alongside both Kobayashi and countryman Tomoki Iwata in recent weeks. The former played in the 3-0 ad 4-2 defeats to Rangers and Hibs respectively.




I think he is really tidy on the ball and he is a good defender as well,” Starfelt said. “It is not fair to only judge someone based on three games where the team haven’t been playing good. You can’t look only at these three games and judge someone because then all of the 11 players on the pitch would be bad players. It is not as easy as that. Also, the games he has played before he has shown himself to be really good on the ball and a good defender as well. I have to keep on building a relationship with him because he has good qualities that hopefully he will show more of in the future.”

 

Yuki Kobayashi is chomping at the bit for a crack at the Champions League with Celtic - after hearing all about it from Shunsuke Nakamura.

The Japan defender joined the Hoops in January and took his time to get used to life in the Scottish Premiership with just five appearances for Ange Postecoglou last season. But he says he's ready to go under Brendan Rodgers now he's up to speed with the Scottish game.


And the 22-year-old is determined to make a success of his time in Glasgow having heard all about the Champions League nights from Nakamura. He played alongside the Parkhead legend for a season while on loan at Yokohama and Nakamura, then 42 but still going strong, had plenty to say about his experiences of European nights at Celtic Park


Kobayashi said: "I've been at Celtic for around six months now and I have got used to it. Before I came to Celtic I had heard all the stories about Shunsuke Nakamura and the Champions League and I got the chance to ask him about it when I was on loan at Yokohama and he was still playing.


So I can't wait to play in the Champions League for Celtic. I've heard the supporters are extremely passionate for these games and I can't wait to experience it. It has taken me some time to adapt here. For example, when I first signed it was winter and even little things like the grass was very different from Japan. The soil was loose and I kept slipping. So it took me time to get up to speed.

"I feel the Celtic players are loved by the fans here. The number of times I get people talking to me while I'm walking down the street is much more than in Japan. So it didn't take me long to understand that football here is very different from Japan."

 

Only here and needs to be given more time, not always do players settle quickly.

Sure we'll get a better idea to what we got at the end of the season.

 

Mince

 

Shouldn't be anywhere near our champions league squad if he's still here.

Given our potential lack of home grown players our squad numbers will need to be cut for champions league so he should be 1 of the 1st names cut

 

Honestly think he is rotten.

Don’t see him ever making it here at all.

 

Reckon Brendan don't rate him at all.

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

 

Starfelt took ages to iron out the mistakes. So can Yuki.

 

Not being physically able to play in our league isn't a "mistake".

 

Haven't been impressed either by him but needs a wee bit of time.

 

The next 3 weeks should be enough time for manager to suss him out.

Would be hugely suprised if he makes the flight home from Japan

 

You could see a player in Starfelt though, this lad is lightweight and just not good enough or showed anything he will be either for me.

Hope I’m wrong, don’t like it when players fail at the club but can’t see him making it here.

 

If you looked in this forum during Starfelts worst times you wouldn’t think there’s a player there. The majority of the forum ate their words.

Yuki deserves a chance under rodgers. He’s 6”1 and 22 years old. Get him in the gym and get his confidence up and he’ll be fine.

 

Rag dolled against sevco and the way sevco are buying big black physical players we need some physicality in our side or set pieces against them they will have a big advantage over us at corners and free kicks and kobi is not the answer when we come up against them .

 

Yeah he had a mistake in him, but I honestly can’t see this lad having the quality to come into the side and keep either CCV or Starfelt out.

Also just to add, he’s 6’1 and * in the air, CCV and Starfelt are smaller and better in the air.

 

Starfelt had been thrown into a team that was just chucked together. Pretty sure he had only trained once if at all with the squad before being played at Tynecastle. Kobayashi has been for a few months before being given game time at the end of the season. The two situations aren’t comparable. Kobayashi looks weak, which isn’t good for any centre half, but in Scotland, it’s especially bad.

 

If there’s a manager who can get the best out of him it’s Rodgers. So lets just see what happens.

 

I'd trust Rodgers in an attacking sense not so much making a defender good.