Celtic are back in action in the Champions League this evening as they travel to Bergamo to take on Atalanta in their third match of the League Phase.
The Hoops are on show in the teatime kick-off later today and have a chance to bounce back from their bitterly disappointing trip to Germany in their last game in the competition.
Brendan Rodgers’ side had beaten Slovakian side Slovan 5-1 at Parkhead in their first outing in the Champions League, thanks to goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Liam Scales, Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda, and Arne Engels.
However, they were then humbled in their next clash as they were hammered 7-1 by Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in Germany, going 5-1 down by half-time.
The Northern Irish head coach must ensure that his team give a better account of themselves in this match against Atalanta and he could look to make some changes to his starting XI in order to do so.
Celtic were held to a 2-2 draw by Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership last time out, after going in 2-0 ahead at the break, and one player who should be in danger of losing their place is Daizen Maeda.
Daizen Maeda's performance against Aberdeen
The Japan international lined up on the left flank and did not do enough to justify his selection, with a poor performance against the joint-league-leaders.
He was handed a dismal player rating of 4/10 by The Scotsman, who wrote that the attacker was ‘off the pace’ in attack and partially culpable for Aberdeen’s equaliser, by giving the ball away in the build-up to the goal.
Maeda was involved in the second goal for Celtic, scored by Kyogo Furuhashi, but it was far from a high-quality involvement. The winger was sent away down the left channel and scuffed a poor left-footed cross straight at the Aberdeen centre-back, who then produced a dreadful clearance straight to Reo Hatate, whose effort then deflected for the striker to score.
Outside of that, the 26-year-old dud endured a frustrating afternoon at Parkhead on Saturday and may have given Rodgers a decision to make ahead of tonight’s game.
Minutes played
65
Shots on target
0
Big chances created
0
Duels won
2/8
Successful crosses
0/2
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese dud did not make a big impact in the final third, with zero shots on target and zero ‘big chances’ created, and struggled out of possession.
He was dominated by opposition defenders, who came out on top against him in six of eight duels, and his performance against Aberdeen is one of the reasons why the winger should be brutally binned against Atalanta.
Why Daizen Maeda should be dropped
His dismal showing against the Dons was just the latest of a run of three poor performances in succession from the experienced Celtic forward.
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Before the international break, Maeda started in the 2-1 win over Ross County in Dingwall but was substituted in the 68th minute, with the Hoops 1-0 down, and that was one of the catalysts for the team’s comeback.
In that match, the attacker had three shots on goal and missed one ‘big chance’ to get his team level, as they were 1-0 down at the time, and failed with both of his attempted crosses.
The lightweight also lost five of his six duels throughout the game and this shows that, once again, opposition players found it too easy to get the better of him.
Maeda did score in the 7-1 defeat to Dortmund in the match before the trip to Ross County, but his all-round display in Germany was less than impressive.
Minutes played
90
Goals
1
Big chances created
0
Duels won
2/7
Dribbled past
3x
Error led to goal
1
As you can see in the table above, the Hoops dud was dominated physically by the Bundesliga giants and struggled defensively, making an error that directly led to a goal and being dribbled past three times.
Therefore, Rodgers must brutally ditch Maeda from the starting XI after three underwhelming performances in succession, which would open the door for James Forrest to be unleashed from the start.
What James Forrest could bring for Celtic
The veteran attacker has mainly been utilised as an impact substitute for the Scottish giants so far this season, but Maeda’s poor form could present him with a chance to come into the line-up.
He was an unused substitute in the 7-1 defeat to Dortmund, as the game was already gone at half-time at 5-1 down, but did come on to make an impact in the first Champions League game against Slovan.
The Scotland international came off the bench against the Slovakian outfit and produced a superb through ball to split open the defence and assist Adam Idah for the fifth goal on the night.
That was his fourth assist in six appearances in all competitions at the time but he has gone four matches without a goal contribution, only starting one of those.
Forrest has shown promise in his last two appearances as a substitute for Celtic, though, with strong cameos against Ross County and Aberdeen after coming on to replace Maeda in both of those Premiership games.
Minutes played
22
27
Pass accuracy
100%
87%
Shots
4
5
Key passes
0
1
Dribbles completed
2/4
0/1
As you can see in the table above, the Scottish ace made himself a constant threat at the top end of the pitch with nine shots taken and one chance created in just 49 minutes of action.
In short, Forrest – who was hailed as “brilliant” by Rodgers – makes an impact in the final third and causes constant problems for opposition defenders with his graceful play.
Given Maeda’s poor form in recent weeks, domestically and in Europe, the manager must unleash the experienced star from the start and brutally ditch the Japan international from the starting XI.
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