Celtic had to compete against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday without Daizen Maeda, as the forward missed out on the match through injury.
Prior to the game, Brendan Rodgers confirmed the attacker’s absence: “Daizen Maeda will be out. He felt his hamstring a little bit towards the end of the last game against Motherwell. He went away internationally to see if it would get better, but he obviously didn’t play when he was away.
“So, he will miss this weekend, and we’ll assess it after that.”
The last line from the Celtic head coach means that it remains to be seen when the Japan international will be back and available for selection, with his availability for Thursday’s clash with Sturm Graz in doubt.
Maeda won the Premiership Player of the Year award in the 2024/25 campaign with a return of 16 goals and ten assists in 34 appearances in the division, per Sofascore, which is why his absence has been keenly felt.
Rodgers opted to go with Hyun-jun Yang in his place on the right wing for the clash with Dundee on Sunday, and it was not a call that paid off for the manager.
Why Hyun-jun Yang should be dropped by Celtic
The South Korea international, who held talks over a move to Birmingham near the end of the summer transfer window, started the match on the right flank, with Kelechi Iheanacho through the middle and Sebastian Tounekti on the left.
It only took 45 minutes for Rodgers to decide to withdraw him from the match, as the forward was hauled off at the break after a dismal opening half that saw the Hoops 1-0 down to Dundee.
Yang was incredibly ineffective in the first half. The winger, per Sofascore, missed a ‘big chance’ with his only shot and did not create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
Minutes
45
45
Shots
1
1
Big chances missed
1
1
Key passes
1
0
Big chances created
0
0
Dribbles completed
0/0
0/0
Unfortunately, as you can see in the table above, the player who came on in his place also failed to make an impact in the second half, as James Forrest produced a similarly dismal performance in the final third.
The lack of quality shown on the right wing from both players is a huge concern, given that it remains to be seen how long Maeda will be out of action for with his hamstring injury.
Yang’s only goal of the season so far came against Championship side Partick Thistle in the League Cup last month, as he has failed to provide a goal or an assist in seven outings in the Premiership and European competitions, per Sofascore.
This is why Rodgers should brutally ditch him from the starting line-up ahead of Thursday’s clash with Sturm Graz, as he has not done enough with the opportunities that he has been given.
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As Forrest also flopped against Dundee, and has not registered a single goal or assist this season, the Celtic head coach needs to get creative to solve the blow of losing Maeda to injury.
One inventive move that Rodgers could pull off would be to move Tounekti, who created four chances against Dundee, over to the right flank to occupy that space, with Marcelo Saracchi unleashed in a new role on the left wing.
Why Celtic should unleash Marcelo Saracchi in a new role
Tounekti’s 2.5 key passes per game in the Premiership, per Sofascore, show that he can provide quality and creativity in a wide position for the Hoops, which is why he should keep his place in the XI.
The Tunisia international could move over to the right wing, as Maeda did after playing on the left wing last season, to provide a threat in the final third on that side.
That would then allow Saracchi, who has played left-back for Celtic so far, to advance further forward into a left wing position, with Kieran Tierney behind him.
The Uruguay international, who was described as “very quick” by South American football expert Tim Vickery, has played 62 matches as a left midfielder in his career, per Transfermarkt, and provided nine assists in those games.
Saracchi has already shown Celtic supporters that he can offer quality at the top end of the pitch from a wide position, with his fantastic assist for Maeda against Kilmarnock last month.
The 27-year-old left-back’s attacking output across his four appearances in the Premiership for the Hoops since his move on loan from Boca Junior suggest that he could thrive in a left wing position as an emergency option on Thursday.
Shots
1.17
Top 24%
xA
0.30
Top 7%
Assists
0.39
Top 1%
Chances created
1.57
Top 20%
Successful crosses
2.35
Top 1%
Cross accuracy
40%
Top 10%
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star has excelled as a creative force for the Scottish giants in his limited minutes on the pitch this season, particularly as a crosser from the left flank.
Meanwhile, Forrest has created 0.23 xA per 90 and Yang has created 0.12 xA per 90 in the Premiership, per FotMob, which shows that Saracchi has offered more quality than Celtic’s right wing options, whilst playing at left-back.
This suggests that Rodgers would improve the creativity within his side if he moves Tounekti, who is a proven creative force, over to the right to unleash Saracchi in a brand-new role that he has yet to play for the Hoops.
It is now down to the manager to make the bold call to drop Yang and opt for Saracchi on the wing over bringing Forrest into the starting XI next time out.