Tomoki Iwata lifts lid on last day J-League title win and why Celtic move has been 'below my expectations'

Celtic and Rangers both return to the small matter of battling for a championship on Sunday afternoon, with Brendan Rodgers’ side kicking off at Dundee barely 30 minutes after their rivals have concluded their own match at St Mirren.

Form and pedigree suggests it is now Celtic’s championship to lose as they preside over a three-point advantage but there could yet be twists and turns to draw out matters until the final fixtures on May 18.

Iwata won’t be drawn into making brash predictions about what may lie ahead but knows what it takes to win a title right at the death. That was the scenario two years ago when his former club Yokohama F Marinos needed to win on the last day of the J1 League season to be sure of holding off champions Kawasaki Frontale and duly did so.

“That season I felt a different type of pressure to what I was used to because we were going for the title,” recalls the 27-year-old. “As the games got less and less in the season - and the pressure built - we couldn’t play the way we wanted to. We felt that with maybe five games remaining. So we really started to feel how difficult it was going to be to win it.

“On the last day, both ourselves and Frontale won the games and we got the title by two points. We were ahead going into the final day against Vissel Kobe and had to make sure we didn't lose. It was a lot of pressure but I don’t fear pressure. We had confidence that we could win the league and we managed to achieve it. It was the first title of my career so it was a fantastic moment to be there celebrating with my team-mates.”

Along the way lessons were learned that should stand the midfielder in good stead in the weeks ahead. “Experiencing that pressure with Yokohama in 2022 is definitely helping me here at Celtic because it’s similar,” he adds. “We still have some games left here this season but I don’t feel nervous or not confident enough going into it.

“We have our own style of play at Celtic and as long as we prepare properly to play our own way, we’ll be ready to get the results we want in the title race. You never know what’s going to happen in the future so I can’t comment on whether it will come down to the last day here. But we’ll be ready for it.”

Iwata is yet to make the impact expected of him after arriving at Celtic but has no regrets about his decision.

“I haven’t played as much at Celtic as I expected so, until now, it has been below my expectations. However, I certainly wouldn’t say it’s been a failure. This is still a great experience for me to learn from. It’s part of my career and my journey as a footballer.

“I only take the positives from it and I want to make more progress now. I don’t have any regrets about signing for Celtic. I’m so happy to play for this club and I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve been on the pitch.”