It’s not really what the Celtic supporters wanted to hear, but following Liel Abada’s return to our Lennoxtown HQ, news earlier today is that both Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston have pulled out of International duty with their respective countries and will return home to their club.
It’s another worry for the supporters after Abada and Sead Hakšabanović picked up injuries and will possibly hamper us when we return to domestic action in Dingwall against Ross County next weekend. Of course, County is one thing, but most fans will be acutely aware of the impending arrival of the latest Glasgow Derby on Easter Saturday. It’s game that could really finish off our rivals in terms of this year’s title and one that many will be looking forward to with more tickets made available to the Parkhead faithful following the ticket allocation row.
One of the things about having a big squad is to cope with situations such as this, and no doubt Ange Postecoglou will have planned for any such scenario arising with injuries. It’s an unforeseeable event that happens in football and is just part and parcel of the game we play. It seems that lady luck is evaporating for us over this international break and will pose us significantly more problems that was first forecast.
Nonetheless, we’ll knuckle down and do what we always do under Ange: graft through it. Hopefully, it’s knocks that most can recover from quickly enough and be on course for the match against the 11-year-old Ibrox club, if not the match against Ross County, which will be another difficult task to navigate following previous stints up north in clashes with our former central defender Malky McKay.
Daizen Maeda leaves the Japan squad due to an “injury,” with no replacement call-up planned before the team’s friendly against Colombia on Tuesday.
Soccer King (https://t.co/iQBKBNJkqW) suggest this is related to a knock he sustained at Celtic before coming to Japan. https://t.co/pufYxpLxGe
— Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) March 26, 2023
Paul Gillespie
