Celtic winger Daizen Maeda shares how he’s adapting to his ‘hard’ new role for Japan

Since joining the team in December 2021, Daizen Maeda has shown the Celtic supporters why he is a valuable player.

Maeda, one of three new signings from Japan, scored the first goal of the 2-0 victory at Celtic Park against Hibs the following January, just four minutes into his debut.
After 107 games, 27 goals, and 16 assists, Meada’s value to the squad is derived from both his offensive and defensive contributions. [Transfermarkt]

And it appears like Maeda will take that to a whole new level in both his upcoming encounter against Syria and his most recent match for Japan.

Maeda ‘looking forward’ to Japan role change

The Celtic winger’s defensive contributions to the team are arguably more well-known than his offensive prowess.

He closes things down and tracks back at an amazing rate. And it appears that Hajime Moriyasu, the manager of Japan, plans to take advantage of that by playing him as a left wingback in the Samurai Blues’ next match against Syria on Tuesday

“Obviously, I don’t know who will be in the match, but when I play, I have to show something different,” Maeda stated [Soccer Digest Web] in reference to Keito Nakamura.

It should be a challenging contest because the opponents will be under pressure to win. I want to confirm that I’m motivated.

“Wing-backs have to run farther, and I believe I can use my speed and running abilities as weapons more than other players, but if I do that nonstop for ninety minutes, it gets difficult.

It’s critical to exercise judgment and consider when to stand up. Since I’ve never played the position before, it’s new to me, and I’m excited about it. Against formidable foes, I wish to exert every effort possible.

“This season was challenging at start, but my role didn’t alter much and I was able to perform effectively. The coach moved (from Ange Postecoglou to Brendan Rodgers), and the playing style changed.

“I want to finish the season strong and demonstrate the results of that against Syria in the final game.”

Could Brendan Rodgers use Maeda in this capacity? It is unlikely, in my opinion. The Celtics manager is a big supporter of the 4-3-3 formation and is unlikely to switch anytime soon.

Nonetheless, it’s encouraging to learn that Maeda is flexible and understanding enough to recognize the adjustments needed to advance both with Celtic and Japan.

Maeda’s teammates at Hoops will be hopeful he returns from his foreign tour unscathed so he can recover for the upcoming campaign.