Kyogo was yesterday named as the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for December and he certainly hit the ground running in January scoring Celtic’s second goal at Ibrox in the closing stages of the controversial match on Monday afternoon to deny theRangers the win that would have reduced Celtic lead to six points.
When the season is done and dusted we are likely to be looking back on that goal as one of the most important of the season. Yesterday afternoon the on-form Celtic striker spoke to the media after his award was announced and ahead of today’s match against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park where a win will see Celtic stretch the lead at the top of the league looking down on theRangers to a very nice twelve points ahead of their difficult trip to Tannadice tomorrow. Here’s how Kyogo got on speaking to the media…
🙆♂️ @Kyogo_Furuhashi! 🙆♂️#CelticFC‘s Kyogo has been named the @spfl #cinchPrem Player of the Month for December! 🎌🍀@cinchuk🔝 pic.twitter.com/98Cmetjkki
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 6, 2023
Q: Congratulations on your award and how does it feel to be recognised?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “I am really grateful to all my team-mates and the fans for their support in helping me to receive this great award so thank you to all of you.”
Q: Do you set yourself targets and if you do what are they for this season?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “I want to score as many goals as possible and lead the team to win games and make my team and the fans happy.”
Q: You are in very good form at the moment but is there more to come from you and how far are you away from your best form?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “I don’t want to think about the future, I want to concentrate on the game in front of me and work hard in training for it so that I can show my best on the pitch. The most important thing is what is coming up soon.”
Q: How significant was it not to drop points at Ibrox and in terms of the title race do you feel that you are nearly there in terms of winning the title?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “We’re focused on the next game because we know the next game is important. I hope the fans will enjoy it.”
Q: Can you describe your emotions when you scored against (the)Rangers as it was your first in that fixture. What was it like for you?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “Every goal is very special to me. I want to do my job as a striker and score more goals and make the fans happy with the results.”
🏆 Congratulations to @CelticFC‘s Kyogo Furuhashi who has been presented with the @cinchuk Premiership Player of the Month award for December!#cinchPrem pic.twitter.com/1cBltKAnwX
— SPFL (@spfl) January 6, 2023
Q: The manager has added two more Japanese players in the transfer window, how exciting is that for you that those players are coming to the club and how important could they be in the second half of the season in the title race?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “Well, I think they are looking forward to it and not only them but many other players are joining as well. No matter who plays in the game everyone is prepared for it and ready to play great football to win the match.”
Q: You have 15 league goals already and are top goalscorer in the Premiership. is winning the golden boot in the league something that you aspire to do?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “In every game, my team-mates fight strongly on the ball and deliver me a great pass and all I have to do is push the ball into the net. I really appreciate them and I want to keep doing this by scoring more goals in the coming games for the team.
Q: It was obviously a blow to miss out on the World Cup but you have scored five goals since you have come back. Did you use that time to push on and kick your game on and come back even stronger?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “The Japanese national team did brilliantly and I was inspired by the good work they did. I think I have been able to turn that into my strength and work for the team so I want to continue to do a good job for the team.”
Congratulations to @Kyogo_Furuhashi on being named as the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/XiZ8R6QGC5
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) January 6, 2023
Q: Did seeing Daizen Maeda score and do so well in Qatar drive you on to be at the World Cup finals in four years’ time?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “I think the most important thing is right now, not in four years’ time. I am focused on what I can do and what I need to do in this club now so I want to keep up the hard work and contribute to the team.”
Q: You scored a late goal at Ibrox and then ran to get the ball from the net and then ran back to the centre circle. It was such an important goal but you still felt that you wanted to win the match?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “We play to win every game and we believe that winning makes our fan smile. I don’t want to waste a second in that sense. Whatever the match, if that’s the situation, I’ll do it that way.
Q: “There are six Japanese players at Celtic now and you were the first to arrive so it must be an exciting time for you at the club is it not?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “A lot of Japanese players have joined and there are many other good players as well. We all want to do the best job for this club and have a good result at the end.”
Q: Have you ever been involved in a team that was nine points clear and lost? On the evidence of your team-mates can you see them giving up nine points to lose this league?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “As I said before we will know what the result will be after the season finishes so I don’t want to look ahead or into the future too much. There are plenty of other great teams out there but we want to play our football, look after ourselves, play great football and try to grab as many wins as possible.”
Q: What has pleased you about your performances this month and what areas do you need to improve?
Kyogo Furuhashi: “I’m not satisfied. I still have to contribute to the team with more goals and assists. I want to help the team not only by scoring goals but also by working harder in defence. I think I need to improve that area more.”
🥇 A second @spfl #cinchPrem Player of the Month Award this season for @Kyogo_Furuhashi 🥇
Well deserved, Kyogo! 💚#CelticFC🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 6, 2023
🙆♂️ キョーゴ・フルハシ 🙆♂️
キョーゴが12月のスコティッシュ・プレミアシップのMVPに選出されました！🎌🍀 今シーズン2度目の快挙です 👏
おめでとう！🙌🔝 pic.twitter.com/aCu13AkdkW
— Celtic FC Japan (@CelticFCJPN) January 6, 2023
