Cameron Carter-Vickers mentioned Daizen Maeda’s cross for Kyogo to give Celtic the lead against Hearts yesterday afternoon. Although Giorgos Giakoumakis added a second deep into stoppage time, after Hearts had, correctly and uncontroversially, two players sent off in the closing stages of the match, it was that first half goal that set the tone for the afternoon.
As CCV says Celtic weren’t quite at their best yesterday but at the same time at no stage did Hearts threaten to get an equaliser and the had eleven players on the park for about 95% of the match.
During the warm-up Daizen Maeda caught my attention and I watched him for around five minutes. At that stage the players starting yesterday had split into different groups with the defenders doing their usual pre-match routines etc.
But Daizen drifted away and appeared to be pinching a ball from one coaching group, before going down the right wing – at no great pace – and crossing into the box from the edge of the penalty area. Joe Hart was in goals on his line getting crosses fired across his goals and paid no attention to what Maeda was doing so as there was no-one else in the box, the ball drifted away to the Main Stand side of Celtic Park, unreturned to the Japan International. Daizen therefore casually made his way back to liberate another ball from an unsuspecting coach who had half a dozen balls gathered to use for his next warm-up routine.
Maeda did the same thing again and again before deciding enough was enough. All the crosses were the same. None had any height on them and if you want to see exactly what these crosses were like you only have to watch the highlights (below) because Daizen Maeda did it again in the match, finding Kyogo who knocked it into the Hearts net to give Celtic the lead.
Maeda was clearly practising his low crosses and was anticipating where Kyogo was going to be in the game and he was working in advance on where to find the Celtic striker with his low crosses. Here are the highlights…
Cameron Carter-Vickers spoke to Celtic TV after the game, here’s what he was asked and what the Celtic defender had to say about the 2-0 win over Hearts that send Celtic clear at the top of the league, looking down on theRangers..
Celtic TV: What were your thoughts on the match?
Cameron Carter-Vickers: “I thought it was all right but I don’t think we were quite at our best today. I don’t think we necessarily controlled the game like we normally do. I thought we defended well. We dealt with the threat they had and had enough quality to get a goal or two for ourselves.”
Celtic TV: How important was it when things were not as fluent as they have been that the character came through to maintain that zero and then finish the game strongly?
Cameron Carter-Vickers: “That is important. You can’t always be at your best and you can’t always dominate games and when you don’t you have to stay with it and grind it out a little bit.”
Celtic TV: It was a fantastic first goal and a special mention for Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi as it came at an important time to break down Hearts didn’t it?
Cameron Carter-Vickers: “It was a good first-time cross from Daizen and a good finish from Kyogo. It was a good goal and that is the quality that we possess in the team.”
Celtic TV: You will have to reset now and it is off to Dundee next weekend. How would you assess the start of the season as that is four wins from four matches and things are going well and there has been a mixture of character and fluent performances?
Cameron Carter-Vickers: “I think we have started well but it is still very early in the season. There is still a long way to go. We are not reading too much into it as we are trying to improve game on game and see where we end up.”
Some feedback from Celtic supporters…
“Cameron has been a great signing for us & seems very level headed. Another 3 points and we roll on,” Christophe Bonhoeffer of Belgravia.
“Top of the league. Top goal scorers. Least goals conceded – just like last season,” Charles Sweeney.
“Miles ahead on all stats and a well deserved 3pts for the Glasgow Celtic Champions,” King David.
“CCV has just continued on from pre season, there is always that time players get signed and just get comfortable, but CCV is just doing the same as he did, the man has a great hunger and passion and you can tell he loves it here, without a doubt a mainstay in this Celtic squad, hail hail,” David Cassidy.
“Three points when it really matters can only be a good thing. Well done, well played. We are Celtic and we are the best,” Mercury 81.
Yes, I particularly liked Maeda for not going down when he was somewhat clumsily tackled if not actually fouled. He could quite easily have dropped and appealed to Mr Clancy about ill treatment. Instead he simply delivered the ball and won the game.