Move over Yang: Rodgers must finally unleash 5ft 10 Celtic “threat” who “causes havoc” – opinion

This weekend, the head coach of the Hornets must finally let loose the five-foot-ten wizard.

Celtic prepares to play Aberdeen in the SFA Cup this afternoon at Hampden Park, diverting their focus from the Scottish Premiership.

In an attempt to secure a spot in the competition final, which would see them play either Hearts or Rangers, the Hoops travel across Glasgow to face the Dons in the semi-finals.

In the Premiership, Brendan Rodgers’ team defeated St. Mirren 3-0 on Saturday, extending their advantage at the top of the division to four points. However, that lead was cut to three points on Wednesday night when their opponents defeated Dundee by a point.

After the first half ended in a goalless draw, the Bhoys easily defeated St Mirren thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Adam Idah in the second half.

With Daizen Maeda out by injury, the Northern Irish head coach could finally unleash Luis Palma from the start ahead of Hyun-jun Yang. This will allow other players to show off for the team.

When can we expect Daizen Maeda to return?
The Japan international was unable to play against St. Mirren due to a hamstring tendon issue, as Rodgers disclosed earlier this month.

The right-footed winger’s availability to play until the end of the season will be reevaluated in the upcoming weeks, the Hoops manager continued.

This implies that, barring a miracle in the next weeks, Maeda may not be well enough to play during the run-in, and Celtic fans may have to wait until the 2024–2025 season to see him back in action.

The 26-year-old attacker has wasted opportunities to score goals in the Premiership this season, as the table above illustrates, and he has hardly set up possibilities for teammates to do the same.

But because of Maeda’s “unbelievable” work rate out wide, Rodgers asserted in September 2023 that having him on the pitch is like having “two players,” demonstrating that there is much more to his game than just goals and assists.

Yang played well against St. Mirren, and Celtic will need to find a way to cover for him on the left flank. However, Palma ought to get more chances to show himself.

Numbers from Hyun-yun Yang’s season
The South Korean wizard, who signed with Glasgow from Gangwon FC last summer, has struggled to adapt to Scottish football and has not had the simplest of debut seasons.

With four direct goal contributions in 24 appearances and 10 starts in the league, Yang has yet to establish a steady berth in the starting lineup and has produced patchy results in the closing third.

The 21-year-old attacker’s uneven season is aptly illustrated by the fact that, after recording two assists in his opening two games, he has zero goals, zero assists, and one red card in his subsequent four league appearances for the Scottish powerhouse.

Yang needs time and should be seen as a wonderful prospect for the future. Of course, Celtic should not have expected a player to arrive in Europe for the first time at the age of 21 and immediately start putting on amazing performances.

His performance as a starter against St Mirren showed some encouraging signs; he made one “big chance” and three crucial passes, but he also lost nine out of fifteen duels and only completed three of his seven dribbling attempts.

With the game coming up against Aberdeen, Rodgers will have the opportunity to substitute him with Palma, who can provide more up top. He finished the game without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts.

Why Celtics should start Luis Palma
The gifted player, who joined on a permanent basis from Greek team Aris last summer, has shown that he is capable of regularly scoring and setting up goals from a wide position.

The winger “causes havoc” with his ability to deliver dangerous passes into the box to generate opportunities for his teammates, according to former Celtics player Peter Grant, who praised Palma as a “real threat” earlier this season.

The Honduran international started the season strong and his stats support that, having generated one “big chance” in just 19 minutes against St Mirren.

The five-foot-ten magician has contributed directly to fifteen goals in seventeen league starts for the Scottish powerhouses this season, as the table above illustrates.

Without a doubt, no player has produced as many ‘huge opportunities’ as Palma has so far (13), and only Matt O’Riley (11) has assisted more goals for Celtic in the division.

Few players in Rodgers’ squad are as adept at setting up opportunities and setting up goals as the 24-year-old genius, which at times has been a major influence for the Hoops.

The forward has made three substitute appearances since his last start, which came against Kilmarnock in February. In those three games, he has created one “big chance” and scored one goal.

He has been excellent off the bench, therefore the manager needs to finally let him go from the beginning tonight in the hopes that his skill as a goal scorer and creative at the top of the pitch can propel the Hoops to the SFA Cup final.

Between now and the conclusion of the season, Palma and Yang will have ample opportunity to make their cases for a regular slot in the starting lineup. It should be a fascinating struggle to decide who will play left flank in Maeda’s absence.

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