Celtic fans have been worried about a few things lately. The team's form has been patchy at best and a recent draw against Aberdeen meant further dropped points in the Premiership title race, allowing the Rangers to get right back in the mix. The lack of signings in the January transfer window was also unsettling for many. The Scottish Cup win at the weekend helped relieve some pressure for now.
Alongside all that, the fans have been worried about Kyogo's form. He has been scoring less frequently and at times has been much less involved in matches. Unusually, a former Rangers captain has provided some reassurance on this to the Celtic supporters.
Although Kyogo has 12 goals to his name this season so far, his rate of scoring has slowed down significantly in the last three months. He is currently on a run of four league matches without a goal.
He has scored in the last two Scottish Cup rounds, the most recent being his opening goal against St Mirren. This is not the form though that saw him scored 34 goals across all competitions last season.
Barry Ferguson backs Celtic superstar to return to his best
That cup goal came after a formation switch by Brendan Rodgers. Both Kyogo and new loan signing Adam Idah were selected to start. They perhaps weren’t so much playing alongside each other, but with the Irish striker advanced as a number nine and the Japanese international playing the number ten role behind him, it looked effective.
Kyogo’s first-half goal and his greater involvement in linking up with Idah, the wide players and the midfield of Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley was a positive sign. It all looked like a tactical experiment paying off.
Kyogo has received some backing from Barry Ferguson. As reported by Inside Futbol, the former Rangers captain said on the Go Radio Football Show:
"You don’t become a bad player overnight.
“He is just going through one of those patches that every striker goes through but he is still a quality operator.
“I am sure his form will come back pretty soon."
Rangers fans might not be too happy though when they hear one of their former captains reassuring everyone about Kyogo. Especially when the title race is as close as it is currently.
It is certainly a practical view held by Ferguson. We may not see the revised formation from Sunday again for a while, but it will have helped reinvigorate Kyogo. His goal against St Mirren will hopefully be a confidence booster. The Hoops are now getting many of their better players back and available after absences. That should help with providing better deliveries and creating more chances for the Japanese superstar.