Rodgers must ruthlessly ditch Maeda to unleash Celtic’s “dynamic” 5 ft 9 magician

Emmanuel Oryiman | February 24, 2024 | Celtic fc | No Comments

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Brendan Rodgers should ruthlessly ditch the Japan international from the starting line-up.

Celtic return to action in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday as they prepare to travel away from Parkhead to take on Motherwell at Fir Park.

The Hoops could head into the match this weekend with a five-point gap to first place as Rangers play before them, on Saturday, but they could also have a chance to move to the top of the table if their rivals drop points.

Brendan Rodgers’ side provided the Gers with a chance to go top after they dropped points against Kilmarnock last time out in the Premiership.

A stoppage time equaliser from David Watson in Glasgow was enough to secure a point for the away team, after Kyogo Furuhashi had given the Bhoys the lead during the first half.

Brendan-Rodgers-Celtic-Scottish-Premiership

One player who struggled against Kilmarnock last weekend was Japan international Daizen Maeda, who must now be ruthlessly ditched from the starting XI to make way for January addition Nicolas Kuhn.

Daizen Maeda’s performance against Kilmarnock in numbers

The 26-year-old forward was selected to play on the right side of the attack, with Luis Palma on the left and Kyogo and Adam Idah through the middle, but failed to make much of an impact on the match.

Rodgers decided to haul Maeda off after 68 minutes following an unimpressive performance from the winger, who recently returned from international duty with his country.

Out of possession, the opposition found it a little bit too easy to get the better of the right-footed lightweight as he lost four of his six ground duels, and one of his two aerial battles, throughout the game.

He did little to help Anthony Ralston at right-back as the attacker came off the pitch with zero clearances, tackles, interceptions, or blocks in 68 minutes.

To go along with his weak play off the ball, Maeda also failed to produce much in the way of quality at the top end of the field to win the match for his team.

As you can see in the table above, the Japan international did not threaten the opposition goal. He did not provide the goalkeeper with anything to deal with and did little to help his teammates to put pressure on Will Dennis between the sticks.

Unfortunately, this was not a one-off bad performance from Maeda as he has rarely made a big contribution in the final third for Celtic in the Premiership so far this season.

Daizen Maeda’s season in numbers

The Hoops number 38 has been underwhelming as he has not produced goals or assists on a regular basis on the wing for the Scottish giants.

His finishing has left a lot to be desired as Maeda has only scored three goals in 19 league appearances, whilst the dud has missed eight ‘big chances’ in front of goal.

This shows that the forward has not made the most of the chances that his teammates have created for him, as the wasteful attacker has more than twice as many big chances missed as goals scored.

He has not made up for his poor finishing with outstanding creativity. The Japanese gem has only provided two assists in those 19 Premiership appearances, and four of his fellow attackers have registered more in the division.

Maeda has only made 0.5 key passes per game in the Scottish top-flight so far this season, which places him joint-20th within the Celtic squad.

This shows that the 26-year-old flanker rarely makes passes or whips crosses into the box that provide his teammates with an opportunity to test the goalkeeper or score a goal.

Overall, these statistics suggest that the Ange Postecoglou signing has struggled to find consistency in the final third, as a scorer and as a creator, throughout the Premiership season so far.

That, coupled with his poor showing against Kilmarnock last time out, is why Rodgers must ruthlessly ditch him from the starting XI for this clash with Motherwell.

Why Nicolas Kuhn should start over Maeda

The Northern Irish head coach should unleash Kuhn from the start ahead of Maeda as the January signing has the potential to offer more at the top end of the pitch.

Celtic signed the 24-year-old magician from Austrian side Rapid Wien during the last transfer window, after he enjoyed a terrific first half of the season in the Bundesliga.

Across 16 appearances, the German gem created 11 ‘big chances’ and made 1.8 key passes per game for his team and was rewarded with five assists for his creative efforts.

This return is considerably more impressive than Maeda’s return of four ‘big chances’ created and 0.5 key passes in 19 Premiership games for Celtic.

Therefore, the former Ajax and Bayern Munich youngster could provide more quality as a creator, which could then lead to more chances being created for the likes of Kyogo and Idah to find the back of the net.

Kuhn, who was hailed as a “dynamic” player by Rodgers, also showcased his potential as a goalscorer in just his second appearance for the Hoops – off the bench – against Aberdeen in January.

Idah held the ball up well inside the box and teed up the winger to fire in a fierce shot that went into the bottom right corner, via the help of a deflection, to secure a point for the Bhoys on the day.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo only scored two Bundesliga goals for Rapid Wien but did produce quality in front goal in his younger days, with 24 goals in 35 matches for RB Leipzig’s U17s.

Rodgers will be hoping that he can unlock Kuhn’s goalscoring potential as well as his creativity on the right flank, cutting inside on his favoured left foot to cause chaos in the final third.

Regular minutes on the pitch could help the young dynamo to find his feet in Scotland as he gains valuable experience with his new teammates and against Scottish opposition, which is another reason why the talented whiz should start.

Maeda’s underwhelming performances and Kuhn’s exciting quality at the top end of the pitch is why Rodgers must make that change to his XI on the wing on Sunday.

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