Japan international Daizen Maeda has taken his Celtic philosophy to the World Cup as the forward insists he will continue his high pressing tactics against Croatia.
The Samurai Blue face a stern test in the knockout stage against Croatia as Maeda prepares to give teammate Josip Juranovic a difficult afternoon in the Middle East and push for the quarter-final stage. The forward has harried and hassled defenders at Qatar 2022 and played a key role in Japan escaping the group stage ahead of Germany and Costa Rica, and is unshakable in his Ange Postecoglou influenced approach to games.
Speaking ahead of the showdown with Croatia, Maeda insisted he would not give up his relentless approach to games and pressing high to conserve energy during the packed tournament fixture schedule. The 25-year-old also insisted that his beliefs in how to play the game were more important than netting goals as he continues the vital role he plays for the Scottish Premiership leaders at the World Cup.
