Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has encouraged Japan international boss, Hajime Moriyasu to come and visit him at Lennoxtown to discuss all things Kyogo and Reo Hatate. The two Japanese players were snubbed by the Japanese head coach in the recent batch of international fixtures, despite both men being in impressive form this year – especially post-Christmas.
However, Moriyasu thought better of it and decided to omit the two men even though he called up their Hoops teammate, Daizen Maeda to the national team squad. It was a move that has brought hefty criticism from various quarters, in light of the Japan manager’s comments about the level at which Kyogo and Reo play at. This makes no sense considering he called up their mate who plays in the exact same environment, contradicting his statements on the pair.
Ange spoke to the mainstream media yesterday afternoon and encouraged Moriyasu to come and watch the players and visit Lennoxtown too when he and his team next visit Europe. He said of the situation surrounding their omission from the latest pool of Japanese international players: “Haijime has been here before to visit us and we have had other staff from the Japan national team, too, via Daily Record. “There have been other coaches visit and I believe Jurgen Klinsmann is planning a trip. There are no issues. I know Hajime very well from my time over there and I would be happy to see him. We are a very welcoming club for everyone.”
As the club brace themselves for cinch Premiership league action tomorrow afternoon up at Dingwall, in what will be a stern test of their credentials again this time around, he stated the point that Kyogo, although very gentle and warm, holds a burning desire to be the best. He added: “Kyogo is always positive, but don’t be mistaken. He is a very ambitious and determined player. You don’t play in his position at that level if you don’t have that. Kyogo is disappointed, no doubt about that. He wants to be part of the Japan national team and feels he can make an impact.
“At the same time, he uses that as motivation. He doesn’t let himself get down or allow his mood to change because of that. He wants to perform for Celtic, score goals and excite our supporters. He feels if he does that then it’s his best chance of getting back in. Kyogo has a great outlook on life, he is a nice guy and a gentle soul. He is always smiling and gets along with everyone. But don’t let that fool you. He has that determination and will do everything he can to do that.”
If Moriyasu doesn’t think that Kyogo is playing at a high enough level then fair enough. But it would be remiss of the Japanese boss not to factor into the situation with Kyogo the way in which he has now single-handedly won two Cup Finals for Celtic. In his debut season, he scored a brace against Hibernian to help us come from behind to clinch our first piece of silverware under Ange Postecoglou, and he did it again this year in the same competition against theRangers at Hampden Park.
He scored another two goals in the derby or derbies, inside a cauldron of an atmosphere. I doubt any of his forwards have did that this year and I would like to see them in such a scenario. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, real quality shines and comes to the fore in contests like that. Henrik Larsson did it continually during his seven years at Paradise, and Kyogo Furuhashi is proving to be the same kind of player. He’s there when it’s high-stakes and the pressure is on. That’s what separates the elite from just good strikers.
Kyogo should be in that squad in the near future.
Paul Gillespie
