Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has been discussing the improvement of Daizen Maeda in recent months and what he thinks the reasons behind it are.
Maeda scored his eighth goal of the season on Wednesday night against Livingston. He is becoming a more consistent and prominent attacking threat for the Bhoys, allied to his excellent defensive work.
Like everyone else, Postecoglou has seen the player become even more impactful since the World Cup and reckons there are a variety of factors helping with that, including coach Harry Kewell.
Ange left impressed with Daizen Maeda
Speaking in a media conference to 4 Tims & A Podcast today, the Bhoys boss said: “Obviously I know Daizen very well from coaching him back in Japan. He’s never lacked confidence, I think he’s always had a really strong self-belief.
“I just think he’s now taking more responsibility. The one thing people noticed from day one is that he’s a very selfless player. He’ll do stuff for the team all the time, he’ll work hard for the team defensively and offensively.
“I think, now, he’s taking more responsibility in the front third. Harry Kewell has done a lot of work with him, which I think has helped him as well.
“I think the World Cup added a layer to that. There’s no doubt going to a World Cup, competing against the best, he scored a goal at World Cup level.
“All these kind of things help. I think it’s more about Daizen now just wanting to take more responsibility in the team and take a more active role in being a protagonist, as well as doing all the stuff he’s always done. He’s still working really hard and makes selfless runs. He’s been outstanding for us.”
Maeda and Kewell link-up paying off for Celtic
Maeda lauded Kewell back in November stating that he’d “never met a coach like him” to the media. At the time, the Celtic winger said progress in his game was down to the Australian, with further support from Postecoglou and John Kennedy.
Kewell of course was an elite winger in his playing days, performing and shining at the highest level. To have an attacking brain like that for players to learn from is certainly paying off.
Postecoglou took a big step in inviting the Australian to Lennoxtown last summer but so far it’s a relationship fans can see direct results from and you can really ask for more of a coaching appointment.
In other news, Celtic team news: 2 remain out for St Johnstone as Ange Postecoglou discusses Kyogo rotation.
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