Celtic’s Daizen Maeda earns glowing appraisal as Brendan Rodgers lauds his Glasgow Derby role

Celtic fans will now be looking ahead to our clash against St Mirren this weekend following a pulsating Glasgow Derby clash against Rangers last Sunday at Ibrox.

Not to go over old ground too much, but Daizen Maeda opened the scoring inside 21 seconds with a freakish goal that was forged through his relentless pressure on James Tavernier.

As we all know, the Englishman went to clear the ball, and it diverted straight off the Japan international, bamboozling Jack Butland and silencing a capacity home crowd to grant Brendan Rodgers’ side the lead.

Overall, Maeda has enjoyed a productive campaign in front of the target, registering nine goals and three assists in 32 appearances across all comPetitions [Transfermarkt].

Five of them have come in his last six outings, and the 26-year-old looks to have continued his trend of producing his best form in pressure situations at Celtic.

Often famed for his exceptional work-rate and pressing ability, it is probably time for Maeda’s attributes on the ball to be given the airtime they deserve, even if he does shank the odd cross well wide of his intended target.

Brendan Rodgers showers praise on Celtic’s Daizen Maeda

Last summer, some fans were sceptical over whether Rodgers would keep Maeda around at Parkhead due to his suitability within Ange Postecoglou’s tactical framework.

The Irishman quickly dispelled these suggestions, rewarding the former Yokohama F. Marinos man with a new four-year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2027.

Speaking to Celtic TV, Rodgers looked back to last weekend’s Glasgow Derby, where he offered the Japanese attacker some extremely high praise, labelling Maeda the ‘king of the lost cause’ in a discussion over his goal at Ibrox.

He stated: “If he doesn’t make the run, if he doesn’t have the intent and the ambition to go and win the ball, then their full-back either goes back to the keeper with coNFLict or gets turned and plays it forward.

“Our idea is always to attack the Game, even when we don’t have the ball, and that was typified in no better way than Daizen. He’s the king of the lost cause. When it looks like it’s maybe gone, he got there and made a great block to give us a great start in the Game.”

In a way, Maeda’s dedication to fighting for the team earned him an unexpected personal reward for his efforts against Rangers, something that can be a lesson for any aspiring professional Footballer who happens to be reading this.

Away from the motivational speeches, the 26-year-old has proven his worth in recent weeks and then some. He will be a key player in the run-in for Rodgers, who trusts his ability to perform in these tense circumstances.

Related Topics