DAIZEN MAEDA scored within four minutes of his Celtic debut in a 2-0 Premiership win over Hibs at Parkhead on January 17.
The Japanese international went on to claim eight strikes in 22 games as he played his role in the club’s tenth title triumph in 11 years.
However, Maeda has failed to notch a solitary league goal this time around and his only effort has come in the 4-1 Premier Sports League Cup win over Ross County in Dingwall in August. That strike is his only success in 17 games for club and country in this crusade.
You have to go all the way back to May 7 for his last goal in the Premiership when he tucked one behind ex-Hoops hero Craig Gordon in a 4-1 victory on the team’s march to the championship success.
POINT-BLANK…Daizen Maeda hits the ball tamely at Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois to squander a great opportunity with the game still goalless.
However, Maeda has endured a torrid time in the penalty box this term. He passed up a superb opportunity shortly after the turnaround against Real Madrid when the game was goalless, missed two good chances against Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw and failed with a header smack in front of goal inside a minute against RB Leipzig in midweek.
A bit more composure in all three instances would surely have had a vital bearing of the club’s Champions League campaign.
Last month, CQN asked for ‘the real Daizen Maeda to please stand up,’ as we looked at his predicament.
Ange Postecoglou, who has signed the player twice, insists he will not ditch the hard-working professional he bought for Yokohama F Marinos before splashing £2million to bring him from the J-League to Scotland at the turn of the year.
The Celtic boss said: “It is just perseverance. I know people look at the end product and Daizen has been a bit unlucky on a couple of occasions against Leipzig.
NO GOAL…Daizen Maeda. watched by Giorgos Giakoumakis, steers the ball past St Johnstone keeper Remi Matthews, but is ruled offside. The Greek had better luck in stoppage time.
“He does put in an enormous work-rate. We felt from last week their right-hand side can be a threat going forward and I thought his defensive work was outstanding and that helps us as a team.
“But he’s got to learn the other side of the game which is really important in terms of finishing and the end product.
“He keeps getting into those positions. In every game he does, but goals are sort of eluding him. But again we can’t just sort of scrap him because he is not the finished product, either.”
Postecoglou, speaking to PLZ Soccer, added: “We have to persevere with all our players. Apart from Joe Hart, you look at the rest of them age-wise and experience-wise and this is a massive jump for them.
“I am being really ambitious with the way I want us to play our football. That is going to be testing for them. But I am not discouraged by the way we are going.
“If anything, I am encouraged to keep going down this road.”
Maeda may get the chance to get his first Premiership goal of the campaign on Saturday. Perhaps he can draw confidence from the tact he has history with the Easter Road men.
