Celtic winger Daizen Maeda made his first start for the Hoops since the beginning of November in Madrid yesterday. Although he didn’t quite live up to the expectations of those in the stands, his inclusion in the lineup was a considerable plus-point.
It seems he is not fully in the flow of things yet regarding match sharpness and fitness, but he still offers attributes few at the club can.
After his side’s 2-0 win over Livingston at the weekend, the Japan internationalist spoke out and revealed what he is aiming to bring to the team in the coming weeks: “I was watching the games when I was away and the team was lacking pace”, he said (Glasgow Times). “I think I can give that pace to the team. I am glad to be back and am looking forward to the coming games.”
Brendan Rodgers was having to rely on players such as Mikey Johnston when Maeda was injured. It is safe to say all supporters of The Bhoys would agree the performances of the academy graduate were frustrating.
The manager publically criticised Johnston’s tactical knowledge of the game, but Maeda knows precisely what Celtic are aiming to do: “What we’re trying to do now is play to the centre of the pitch”, he said (Glasgow Times). “Once we attract opponents, we then play to the sides. That’s how we have to play to be effective. If we just go directly out wide, it will be difficult.”
One of several problems of attempting to play through the middle is that the majority of Scottish Premiership teams crowd their own box when playing against the champions.
It is sometimes difficult for Celtic to play through sides, and this was evident against Hearts last weekend. Nevertheless, once the Celts go in front, naturally, teams will open up and allow them more opportunities to get in behind and add to their existing advantage.
