Celtic’s forward players have collectively frustrated the life out of fans this season.
From Johnny Kenny to Tomas Cvancara, it has been a problem all season long for whoever has been in the Celtic Park dugout.
But as Celtic’s mouthwatering showdown against Rangers is nearly here, you sense that Martin O’Neill has found some mojo in the goals department, as Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Iheanacho are now finding the back of the net.
Despite some calls for Iheanacho to start against Rangers, Chris Sutton has insisted in his Daily Record column that there is ‘no chance’ of that happening, even if somebody like Maeda ‘frustrates’ him.
“I’ve seen plenty of people suggesting Kelechi Iheanacho has to start,” said Sutton. “But there is absolutely no chance of that happening.
“O’Neill can’t rely on him for 90 minutes and can’t risk needing a goal in the final 30 minutes, and he’s out of the game.
“Maeda can pose that threat in behind. It’s whether he can finish. That’s the irony. Iheanacho is the best finisher at Celtic by an hour. But he also frustrates the life out of you.”
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Daizen Maeda moves like ‘RoboCop’
For large parts of the season, Maeda just hasn’t been at it; even the player himself has acknowledged that in recent weeks.
But during these crunch post-split fixtures for Celtic, the Japan star is hitting the right notes at the right time, and has scored in three matches in a row in all competitions.
Bearing that in mind, Sutton made it clear that Maeda needs to continue down the middle for the Glasgow derby at Parkhead.
Rangers make the short trip after losing to Hearts last time out, and knowing that their title chances now hang by an absolute thread.
But Sutton feels that Maeda can give Rangers defensive duo, Manny Fernandez and Nasser Djiga, ‘nightmares’, and Iheanacho’s inability just to play 90 minutes means he needs to stay put on the bench.
“I’ve seen plenty of people suggesting Kelechi Iheanacho has to start,” said Sutton. “But there is absolutely no chance of that happening.
“O’Neill can’t rely on him for 90 minutes and can’t risk needing a goal in the final 30 minutes, and he’s out of the game.
“Daizen Maeda has to start through the middle, but that’s no bad thing for me. He’s found his mojo again, and he has the ability to give Manny Fernandez and Nasser Djiga nightmares.
“The pair of them don’t like being turned, and Maeda can pose that threat in behind. It’s whether he can finish. That’s the irony. Iheanacho is the best finisher at Celtic by an hour.
“But he also frustrates the life out of you. His goal at Easter Road was sheer quality, and he’s the only player at Celtic who is capable of scoring that kind of goal.
“Yet there are times when he moves like RoboCop. At one point, Maeda got down the outside and squared, but he was nowhere to be seen.”
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