Celtic have a number of very talented players in their squad. Using the roster available, Ange Postecoglou led the Hoops to a Premiership and Scottish League Cup double last season. And quite a few played an influential role in helping them return to the top, after a disastrous 2020/21 campaign.
Signed from Yokohama F. Marinos last January, Daizen Maeda was able to establish himself as a key player in Postecoglou’s team. That was somewhat expected though, considering the two had already worked together in Japan and the manager knew exactly what he was getting.
Despite not playing as a starter on a regular basis and enduring an underwhelming start to the season, Maeda has started to make his presence felt once again and is making a positive impact on the team.
Apart from his goal contributions, the manner in which Maeda has single-handedly impacted games at times has made him one of the most important players in the well-oiled machine that is Postecoglou’s juggernaut of a Celtic team.
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It appears that Maeda’s good form is starting to catch the eye of the fans and the media alike. A report from Alan Pattullo in The Scotsman, goes on to read:
"It now doesn’t seem outrageous to suggest he could be required to don a bow tie and dinner suit come the end of the season at one or other of the awards’ dinners hosted by both PFA Scotland and the Scottish Football Writers’ Association, perhaps even both. Who knows?"
Of course, Maeda is not the only Celtic player who has impressed this season. The likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor, Matt O’Riley, Kyogo Furuhashi, Callum McGregor and several others have been immensely impressive as well, as the Hoops lead the title race by a margin of 9 points after half the league season is gone.
Of course, Maeda’s recent form will come as no surprise to Postecoglou, who had already managed him at Yokohama F. Marinos. The Japanese forward has been one of Celtic’s unsung heroes this season and while he might have struggled early on in the campaign, his return to form deserves some recognition as well.