Kilmarnock centre-back Ash Taylor has described how difficult a task it can be for defenders to face Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Englishman has spent two stints in Scottish Football with Killie and Aberdeen and has plenty of experience facing off against the Hoops.
This weekend, Taylor will be hoping to nullify the Celtic frontline at Hampden Park as both sides play it out for a place in the Viaplay cup final.
Derek McInnes’ side hasn’t enjoyed much success against the Bhoys this season, having suffered two defeats at Rugby Park and Paradise.
In both of those fixtures, Taylor went up against Kyogo Furuhashi, who led the line from the start and played his part in the goals.
During the first fixture between the two teams, the Japanese international scored the opening striker of the game. And in Saturday’s 2-0 win, he forced the defender to score an own goal in the second half.
Speaking ahead of the third matchup between the teams this weekend, Ash Taylor has described what it is like for defenders facing Kyogo.
The former Aberdeen man stated that marking the Celtic man is sometimes like ‘playing cat and mouse’, due to his incredible movement, in and around the penalty area.
He said [The Scotsman]: “It is his movement. He is so sharp. It is trying to pick up on the little details.
“He often starts behind you, tries to draw you and then darts into space. It is like playing cat and mouse at times, and you have to be switched on.
“[Keeping him and Celtic quiet] can be done, and we showed that at the weekend. But, there were a couple of split seconds, they managed to get in.
“If you switch off for a split second, then they will punish you. Hopefully, we can nullify that a little bit more this weekend and keep our concentration levels even higher.”
Kyogo gives defenders nightmares as he looks for more Hampden success.
You can only imagine the difficulties that defenders across the Scottish Premiership have when trying to mark Kyogo Furuhashi.
The 27-year-old is the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership for a reason, and he has already produced some impressive numbers in front of goal for the Hoops this season.
Not only does he help Ange Postecoglou’s side with his goalscoring ability, but his all-round game helps his teammates massively.
Defenders are attracted by his incredible movement, which either helps open up space for himself or one of his Celtic teammates.
This weekend, Kyogo goes into the game on top form, having scored five goals in his last five games. The only opposition he hasn’t scored against in recent weeks is Kilmarnock.
So you would imagine he will be keen to rectify that this weekend at Hampden Park, where he was previously put on a show for the Celtic supporters.
He is bound to be a key player for Ange Postecoglou’s side if we hope to reach the final of the competition once again in our bid to retain the trophy.
In other news, Celtic exploring move for Szymon Wlodarczyk; potential fee mentioned.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
