It should be no surprise that Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi has the league’s defenders terrified.
That was very much the vibe of Bevis Mugabi, the Motherwell defender who’s had a very solid time with the North Lanarkshire club thus far. Mugabi, formerly of the Southampton Academy, has been a dependable centre-back for ‘Well since joining in 2019.
The Ugandan defender, though, realises he’ll be up against a player with immense quality come 3pm today.
The Japanese sensation has scored 8 goals in 11 outings thus far [Transfermarkt], causing utter havoc with his movement and bringing other players into moves with decoy runs bamboozling defenders.
He’s certainly going to be key for Celtic today, in a match which could see the Bhoys rise up the table after a mediocre start to the 21-22 campaign.
Mugabi said of Celtic star Kyogo [Daily Record]:
“He’s a good player, but we have to be ready to counter him.
“We have to limit him. He’s a talented player but as long as we stay focused, we can get a good result.
“For myself, I watch a few clips to see their strengths and weaknesses. Then I know if I am able to counter them or not. I’ve done my research on them and hopefully it pays off.”
Kyogo is undoubtedly a star man for Celtic, but others stepped up in his absence
The attack Celtic put out isn’t just about Kyogo Furuhashi, though. Mugabi will have to pay close attention to a likely wing duo of Liel Abada and Jota, too.
That’s a frightening prospect. There’s a whole lot of pace, movement and end product there. All three are already proven match winners for the Hoops.
Meanwhile, James Forrest and Mikey Johnston are nearing returns, with Karamoko Dembele still a fantastic prospect to be used this season. Up front, Celtic have gone from being sparse to capable of racking up cricket scores in a few short months.
A goalless draw, then, seems unthinkable.
Today might ultimately be about who concedes the fewest. Obviously, that’s how results are decided. But what’s meant by that is there are goals in both sides today. Careful defending and organisation might take a backseat, as we’ve seen in these encounters before [BBC].
As good as he’s been for Motherwell, Mugabi will need to be at his best to prevent a tidy front three from denting the scoreline at Fir Park today.
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