As the January transfer window opened Celtic quickly announced a trio of new recruits from Japan, one of which was the J-League joint top scorer Daizen Maeda. The striker was joining on an initial 6 month loan deal after which time a clause would be activated requiring Celtic to sign to him on a permanent deal. This type of deal was a new one to me but basically it meant Celtic were committing to buy him permanently at the end of the loan spell no matter what.
Maeda arrived in Glasgow as a player well known to Ange Postecoglou, who was his manager at former club Yokohama F Marinos before he left during the summer to take up the opportunity to manage at Celtic. Rumours around Postecoglou wanting to bring Maeda to Scotland had been prevelant ever since the Australian took over at Celtic, with many surprised that the attacker wasn’t first on his list of signings when Celtic initially brought in Kyogo during the summer.
After signing for Celtic, Maeda discussed his relationship with Postecoglou. Speaking to Celtic TV from the club’s training ground at Lennoxtown, Maeda said: “I know the manager from before so I’m really looking forward to it. He’s always playing attacking football so I’m looking forward to playing that style of football again with him.
“My strength is my speed so I would like to use my speed to attack opponents, and try to get as many goals as possible.
“All the Japanese players will try to play together and to be successful with Celtic, so we will work hard to try and get the title this season”.
Maeda made his Celtic debut in our first game after the winter break at Parkhead against Hibs. He started as the teams main focal point in attack, with Kyogo out injured and Giakoumakis still in the midst of trying to win the Celtic fans over, many expected the striker spot would be his for the next few months at least. He would make an instant impression on the home crowd by scoring inside the first 4 minutes of his debut, netting after good work from Juranovic and Rogic.
After such a promising start Maeda failed to kick on, with him only registering two goals over the next five weeks, one against Motherwell in the league and one against Raith Rovers in the cup. Within this time Greek striker Giakoumakis was starting to find his feet and putting in some excellent performances, which maybe convinced Ange Postecoglou to start utilising the Japenese star out on the wings more often.
In all honesty Maeda, although more known for his goalscoring prowess through the middle back in Japan than playing out wide, seemed to be more effective playing out on the wing. His stats remained good, with him still picking up goals and assists from his new position.
It was while playing in this wide role that we started to really appreciate Maeda’s workrate. We all knew by this point that Ange Postecoglou likes his team’s to play at pace, for his attacking players not only to be giving 100% going forward but also constantly giving their all tracking back to help out defensively. In this regard Maeda seemed the perfect Postecoglou disciple. We were all blown away by our new recruits energy levels. The comparison with the Duracell bunny was perfect. He just didn’t stop running during his time on the pitch.
It was this industry from Maeda that saw him becoming the preferred option on the wing over Liel Abada, a player who had unbelievable stats during his first campaign at Celtic. If you looked closer at the two of them it was obvious that Abada was providing greater stats regarding goals and assists than Maeda but the Japanese star’s overall contribution was incredible. After a long season and a huge effort put in under Ange Postecoglou it was clear that some of the first team players were flagging, so having someone capable of putting in all-action shifts such as Maeda was providing was priceless.
The amazing thing about Maeda being able to constantly go to the well game after game was that he had literary just finished a full season in Japan before he was signed by Celtic with little to no rest in between. He was also involved with the Japan national squad so wasn’t even getting down time during international breaks. We saw the toll playing a full season and a half without a break was taking on his teammate Reo Hatate, which we totally understood, but it made Maeda’s workrate seem even more incredible when you compared him to his fellow Japanese signing.
In total Maeda played 21 times for Celtic last season. Within that period he managed seven goals and five assists, a good return from someone who only came in midway through the season. His stats in this regard don’t tell the full story however, as the energy he provided during games became a fantastic weapon for his team.
I have to admit I wasn’t fully sold on Maeda during his first few months at Parkhead. When he was starting in the striker position I felt he wasn’t quite suited to the way our team plays. It looked like he was the type of striker who likes to use his speed to run at defences or in behind them on the counter attack, but as we know most teams in Scotland sit back and defend against us, leaving Maeda looking totally ineffective. His game actually reminded me of Patryk Klimala, who wasn’t the worst striker we have had over the years on our books but who’s style of play just wasn’t effective against the type of teams we play against in Scotland.
For someone who ended the season as joint top goalscorer back in Japan, I also felt like Maeda wasn’t the most lethal striker in front of goal. When you compared him to Giakoumakis, who seemed to tuck away any chances that came his way regularly, Maeda for me seemed a tad wasteful in that regard. I still feel the same on this matter now with the season done and dusted.
When Postecoglou moved him out to the wing however is when my opinion on Maeda changed and I think what he contributed from that position during the rest of the season was a vital part of our league success. As I mentioned earlier he continued to put in the hard graft when others around him were starting to struggle. His pace on the wing terrified some of the full backs he came up against and Celtic benefited greatly from the constant pressure he put on opposition goalkeepers and defenders.
With Kyogo and Giakoumakis in such great form as the campaign came to a close I imagine these two will be our main men up front next season. After how effective he was out wide in the latter part of the season I imagine Postecoglou now regards this position as Maeda’s best. He’s a player who grew on me as the season progressed and with a much needed rest this summer it will be interesting to see how he gets on next season with his batteries fully recharged. The fact he said recently in an interview that he hasn’t shown us his true speed yet must be giving Scottish full backs nightmares.
In conclusion I will be awarding Daizen Maeda a 7.5/10 for his efforts last season. His workrate was a vital part in helping us cross the finish line and he certainly has earned a rest this summer.
Conall McGinty
