Daizen Maeda’s display against Livingston earned rave reviews from fans, pundits and the manager with him being unlucky not to come away from the game as the man-of-the-match.
It was one of his strongest displays in a Celtic shirt so far in a game that completely epitomised Daizen Maeda as a footballer. His running was there for all to see, he missed two guilt-edged chances and then, in the dying embers of the game, he pulled the rabbit out of the hat and rifled home a screamer from outside the area.
Despite many fans having their doubts over whether his style of play would work under the former Leicester City boss, how has Daizen Maeda become indispensable under Brendan Rodgers?
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Early concerns
Fans feared that Maeda may not have had the same effect on the Celtic squad that he did under Ange Postecoglou, with the Japanese international being the epitome of the rock & roll style of football that the Aussie had his Celtic side playing.
His physical attributes and his lack of solid technical ability had fans thinking he wasn’t going to suit Rodgers’ style of play at all. What we have witnessed, however, is the exact opposite as he has started to excel under the new manager.
Early season form
Maeda had a positive start to the season, notching an assist away to Aberdeen in a game where he was one of the standout performers. He has started every single game for Celtic this season and, whilst sometimes his finishing might not have been the strongest, his ball-carrying and defensive output has made up for that.
These attributes swiftly made Maeda one of Rodgers’ preferred men in his Celtic side.
His displays in the last week, however, have taken him to a new level, making him invaluable to his new gaffer.
Praise from the manager
As previously mentioned, Maeda had put in his usual solid performances this season, but it has been his recent form that has reaffirmed his value to this Celtic team. Celtic’s backs have been against the wall with tough opponents and red cards being a running theme. It was during these games, when the gameplan could have been affected due to the numerical disadvantage, that Maeda has stepped up.
Things did go wrong in Rotterdam against Feyenoord in the Champions League, however, Maeda played an important role in the damage limitation on the night as the floodgates could easily have opened as Celtic went down to nine men.
At the Tony Macaroni Arena, everything came together for the Japanese workhorse following another red card for Celtic. Maeda’s relentless pressing helped nullify any potential Livingston attack, and he capped off a top-drawer display with a phenomenal finish.
He earned rave reviews for that performance and Brendan Rodgers acknowledged his talents post match, saying: “He does the running of two men, he is absolutely incredible and I was so happy for him that he got his goal. He was so good on the day for us.
“When we were down to ten, he was playing up front and that is his best position. I have said that before.”
It is interesting to note that Brendan Rodgers thinks Maeda is more effective upfront. We were treated to a glimpse of what he is capable of when he scored a sensational first-half hat-trick in the pre-season game against his former club, Yokohama F Marinos, so it shouldn’t be a surprise if Maeda lines up in a slightly different role at times this season.
Could a Maeda & Kyogo partnership be an option up top for Lazio’s visit to Glasgow next week? It could well be the masterstroke we’ll need to take all three points from the Italians.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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