HAJIME MORIYASU ON DAIZEN MAEDA: “HE GIVES US THE OPTIONS WE NEED"
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
It’s been a good week for Daizen Maeda. First Japan qualify for their 8th World Cup in a row, then talk begins of a new deal at Celtic. Now Japan National Team Manager Hajime Moriyasu has joined the long line of people praising Maeda’s contribution and his growth as a player this season.
Hajime Moriyasu on Daizen Maeda: He’s Direct, Powerful and Dynamic
Moriyasu isn’t normally overly enthusiastic about anything, least of all Celtic players. The very direct role he played in persuading Kyogo to leave because of his personal distain for Celtic and Scottish football is well-documented.
However, he seems to have changed his tune, about one of our players at least.
Moriyasu: “Maeda is a Great Option for Us”
Speaking to the Japanese website Soccer King, Moriyasu was full of praise and positivity about Maeda’s performance, despite him failing to find the next in Japan’s goalless draw with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
Moriyasu said of Maeda: “His ability to press from the front and launch quick and direct attacks created chances for us today.”
Here’s a Rarity, I Agree with Moriyasu
Indeed, in a game were Japan lacked much attacking fluency for extended periods, Maeda was, in my admittedly biased opinion, one of the few players who looked likely to get a goal.
It’s kind of ironic that he was replaced by Kyogo midway through the second half.
Yet More Positivity
A further comment from Hajime Moriyasu on Daizen Maeda, went as follows: “Considering how he is used individually and how he works with others, he could be a good option, especially as the level of opposition we face goes up.”
That last part of Moriyasu’s comments seemed to be a clear reference to next year’s World Cup, which bodes well for Maeda’s chances, not just of making the squad, but perhaps also gaining a starting place.
Takai Impresses on Debut at Centre Back
Another player that Moriyasu singled out for praise was 20 year old central defender Kota Takai. The 6 foot 4 Kawasaki Frontale defender made his full international debut against the Saudis, and Moriyasu seems to share my view that he is one to watch for the future.
Regular readers will recall that I picked out Takai, which funnily enough means “tall” in Japanese, as one of 5 J-League up and coming stars that Celtic should look at this summer.
Indeed, based on his performance this week, I’d say quite a few clubs in Europe would have had their interest piqued by the young center half.
What Next For Maeda and Japan?
Maeda is almost certainly going to be included in Moriyasu’s squad for two upcoming internationals in June. The Samurai Blues travel down to Australia to play the Socceroos on June 5th, before facing off against Indonesia at home five days later.
Hopefully by then, Daizen will head Down Under as a treble winner with Celtic and probably with a least a couple of player of the year awards in his cabinet too.
In the meantime, the player himself remains focused firmly on the next crucial few weeks with Celtic.
How About Hatate?
Moriyasu didn’t make any comment on the substitute appearance of Reo Hatate, however, the consensus seems to be that he did well with the game time he had. Hatate himself expressed his frustration though and his desire to work harder to force his way into Moriyasu’s eleven.
Unfortunately though, with the likes of Mitoma, Kubo and Kamada ahead of him, Hatate has his work cut out to get into that starting lineup.