Now that it is being reported that a fee has been agreed, I thought I would write a post on what to expect from Maeda.
I have watched a lot of Celtic over the past few seasons. There are a lot of subjective views that I have read over the past 24hours, from both Ipswich and Celtic fans, but I thought I would post an objective view on his strengths, weaknesses, and how I expect we will utilise him.
Strengths:
- If there is a player who is better at pressing than Maeda, please tell me that player. He is relentless, very aggressive and on the front foot with his press, and does not allow an opposition player time on the ball. As a defender, you think you have time and then he appears from nowhere. His speed and energy is the same from the 1st minute until the final whistle. Very strong out of possession (you could argue he does the out of possession work of two players).
- Work rate is second to none. Similar to the above point, but to add, he is a manager's dream and I imagine he will become very likeable here with his team mates and us fans. Works hard for the team and does his defensive duties properly. Offers a good outlet to threaten in behind with his pace too.
- His movement and timing of his runs are smart. He has intelligent movement at attacking crosses and getting in front of his marker in the box.
- He can play anywhere across the front line - left, right or central as a 9. Mainly deployed from the left for Celtic. Best position is off the left as he lacks the technical qualities to play as a 9 on his own.
- He is a very unselfish player. He is a team player and I am sure Celtic fans will say that him leaving with leave a massive hole in their team. He is not the ball to feet or drop in deep to receive the ball towards his own goal type of player, he is a make the run towards goal and stretch the pitch type (again, very valuable for a team likely to be fighting down the bottom).
- Has a really good recent injury record.
Weaknesses:
- When he has time to think about his shot, this is when his finishing lets him down. 1 on 1 chances he misses more than he converts. If his finishing was better, he would have been playing at a higher level earlier in his career.
- His technical ability is fairly average. He will probably frustrate more than excite when in possession. He can sometimes look awkward with the ball.
What to expect:
It is unlikely that we will be the team who dominate the ball, we will be the team who have to work hard off it. Daizen Maeda will be very valuable for us. He will not coast through the game, he will cause a problem and whoever he is up against will not have an easy game.
I think this is a really good acquisition for the type of team we will be in the Premier League. An honest player who gives 100% for the team. He is not someone I would get too excited about, but he will definitely give you a love/hate feeling and leave an impression on you with his work rate. In my opinion, if I had to compare Maeda to another player, he is a Kayden Jackson type but with more quality.
Last season he did not have a great season until the split. He looked like a player who wanted to move on and I believe he came closing to leaving in January. He then came alive in the split and practically won Celtic the league with his goals and performances. The way he finished the season masked a very average season.
He has said in an interview this season that he needs to leave Celtic to improve. Let's see what he can do as he enters his prime years and how he can handle playing in a more challenging league. He has played in big Champions League games and played with the expectation of having to win every week and win the league every season for the past few seasons.
|  |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
