The fallout of Celtic’s Champions League elimination to Kairat Almaty continues this morning and it is likely to go on throughout the day.
Celtic’s defeat on penalties means that Brendan Rodgers and his Hoops first-team squad will now ply their trade in the Europa League this season.
A mere seven months on from that almost famous night where Celtic took Bayern Munich to within a minute of extra-time, this team are nothing but a shadow from that which almost created Champions League history.
Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi are gone from that squad and Brendan Rodgers has been told that another may want to leave after his performance in Celtic’s defeat to Kairat Almaty.
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Alan Brazil thinks Daizen Maeda ‘wants away’ from Celtic
Daizen Maeda is a shadow of the player he was in his Player of the Year season last year for Celtic.
How many times now has the Japanese forward been one-on-one in big Celtic games and then appeared to bottle his big opportunities.
And after watching the Celtic hero in last night’s Almaty nightmare, Alan Brazil and Gabby Agbonlahor discuss the Japanese forward with one predicting he wants to leave Parkhead.
Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT, “You know what sums up Maeda? It was that chance where he runs one through one v one, the whole half himself.
“Why does he take it onto his left foot?”
Brazil: “I don’t know, but I’ve just written down here there’s something’s wrong with him. I think he wants away.”
Agbonlahor: “You played as a centre forward. You’re through one v one there. You’ve got no reason to go onto your weaker foot. You’re running straight down the middle, take it centre, then a little touch to the side on your right foot and slot it home.
“The way it takes it onto his left foot to make it harder. I think that just sums up, maybe Celtic at the moment.”
Brazil: “Why do Celtic’s best two penalty takers not go first and put pressure on the home side? Going back to the Maeda chance.
“I’m not making excuses, over two legs, he was rubbish, but it just bobbles slightly, as he hits it, if you watch it carefully.
“He’s got tremendous pace. He didn’t have to rush it. I wouldn’t just blame Maeda. Celtic all-round were just rank.”
Daizen Maeda’s Celtic stats vs Kairat Almaty
Maeda was not the worst player on the park by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, Fotmob rated his performance quite highly.
Despite missing his penalty and a crucial one-on-one, here is how Maeda’s stats fared:
- Minutes: 120
- Rating: 7.5
- Total shots: 1
- Accurate passes: 17/22 (77%)
- Chances created: 1
- Expected goals (xG): 0.49
- Shots on target: 0/1 (0%)
- Big chances missed: 1
- Touches: 46
- Touches in opposition box: 3
- Successful dribbles: 3/5 (60%)
- Accurate crosses: 0/2 (0%)
With Rangers up next, Rodgers must look to getting Maeda back to his best if Celtic are to have any chance of taking all three points from Ibrox.
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