Interesting to note that the so-called good news on the Kyogo hamstring scan last night and the possibility that the Japanese striker could even be involved today was reported by Daily Record late last night but not by the other newspaper outlets who were briefed by the club and had some access to the Celtic manager who was unable to hold his usual pre-match Media Conference ahead of today’s Cinch Premiership match against Motherwell at Celtic Park.
Four papers have various quotes on relating to the Kyogo injury and while it looks likely that it’s not as serious as it could have been and certainly not as bad as Albian Ajeti’s it appears that perhaps the Record has gone down an over optimistic track in order to grab the late night Saturday audience.
Judge the variations for yourself but even if the Record have got this right – and let’s hope that they have – surely it would be crazy to push Kyogo back today and risk further damage.
“He’ll get scanned today (Saturday) and I don’t want to put a time frame on it. We don’t think it is anything serious but as to whether he will be available for Sunday, we probably won’t know until tomorrow. I’ll make a decision then but nothing is confirmed.” Ange Postecoglou is quoted as saying via Daily Record.
“The way we play, I kind of understand and have done at the clubs I’ve been at, that the beginnings are always difficult. We play differently and train differently and it takes players time to adjust to that.
“Along the way we obviously pay a price. People forget that a lot of these guys didn’t do a pre- season with us. They came in late and we’ve been playing catch up the whole way through. But the one thing I’ve never done, and I won’t do in my whole career, is compromise the football team we want to be because we are not quite ready to be there.
“I’d rather sort of keep going at the pace we are going and it means we are going to have some casualties along the way and lose a few. But I still think, for us as a team as we try to grow to be a certain type of side that plays a certain brand of football, it is just part of the process.
“You know, we’ll get better at making sure our players don’t pick up these kind of injuries, though the fixture scheduling makes it more challenging. It is stuff we need to deal with and we will.
“But we won’t compromise, and I won’t compromise, on the football we play, or the way we train. Because I know in the long-term that is going to give us the success we need.”
Ange Postecoglou as quoted in Scottish Sun today, the tabloid adds this on Kyogo: Kyogo was being scanned on Saturday but is unlikely to play a part against Motherwell.
Meanwhile The Scotsman and The Herald take on yesterday’s briefing from Celtic are below:
The loss of the Japanese striker during the 3-2 victory over Real Betis on Thursday means that no fewer than six players have suffered such muscle problems in the past two months. Postecoglou has yet to obtain the full prognosis on Furuhashi’s problem which he describes as a “concern” but “nothing too serious”, and seems likely to keep him out of Sunday’s hosting of Motherwell. But, even with Albian Ajeti also forced off in midweek with a hamstring issue to leave him without a recognised senior centre-forward, he believes any injury casualties require to be accepted as a trade-off for the intensity he seeks from his team. The Scotsman
Kyogo Furuhashi Celtic FC: Photo BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderlx
Kyogo Furuhashi became the latest player to add to what has been a lengthy injury list throughout the campaign when he pulled up with what seemed to be a hamstring problem during the final Europa League win against Real Betis on Thursday night.
The Japanese playmaker had only been introduced to take over from Albian Ajeti who had gone off with a similar complaint midway through the opening half.
The count for Celtic players nursing hamstring injuries sits at six across the last two months with the Greek Australian accepting that the high intensity training and game schedule could be a contributing factor. The Herald
Today Celtic are likely to have a front three of Liel Abada, Mikey Johnston and James Forrest with Joey Dawson and Owen Moffat providing Celtic B Team options on the bench as we told you yesterday morning on The Celtic Star.
If we can get Kyogo fit enough to play in the League Cup Final against Hibs a week today then that would be a very decent outcome and one we should be happy with. Ange and the players at his disposal need to find a way to get six points today and against an improving Ross County in Dingwall on a Wednesday night in the middle of December before the final.
Today’s challenge will be made slightly easier without the silent protests from the two supporters groups in the North Curve and at the back upper corner between the Jock Stein and North stands. That silence can be ended now with a quick phone call from Celtic to The Celtic Trust to arrange a meeting to talk through the concerns that pretty much the entire Celtic support has regarding the rumoured appointment of Bernard Higgins.
Pick up the phone Michael. You want to win the league, right? Or maybe you fancy starting the singing yourself?
Tomorrow’s protest could be cancelled with a single phone call – why won’t Michael Nicholson meet with fans? pic.twitter.com/uUogG36syJ
— Celtic Trust (@TheCelticTrust) December 11, 2021
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Yes we all want to see Celtic play an entertaining,exciting brand of football.Ange has been a manager long enough.He must know that all players are different and some can knock their pan in in training and others need to take it slightly easier.It’s the same with thoroughbreds.The sports science guys must step up and point out that players are uneasy about the intensity of training levels considering the amount of games coming up….
Do you seriously think the board are all that bothered about if there’s singing or not?