Kyogo Furuhashi has a host of special attributes which make him an outstanding striker. But the one thing he does not have on his Celtic CV yet is a goal against Rangers.
On Monday, the stage is set perfectly for him to put that right. Kyogo has absolutely blitzed the entire league since he signed 18 months ago, but a strike against Rangers is the missing piece. I’m not saying you can’t be judged as a top-class Celtic striker just because you haven’t scored against the big rivals.
Plenty of good past Parkhead strikers haven’t done it and, let’s face it, Kyogo scored two goals against Hibs to basically win a League Cup Final of his own and secure a trophy a year ago, so his place in the hearts of the fans is already established But, more than any, these are the games that define you as a Celtic player.
Just as the Champions League nights and big European occasions make your reputation as a Parkhead player, so do the matches against Rangers. I was fortunate enough to score goals against Juventus in the Champions League and to score important goals on the way to reaching a UEFA Cup Final with Celtic.
But the other ones that are mentioned just as often to me when I go to functions or bump into fans are the Old Firm goals. Scoring on my debut in 52 seconds for a 6-2 win in 2000. Or lobbing Stefan Klos in the final minute to complete a green and whitewash four years later. I’m sure it’s the same for the Rangers boys who have gone through similar experiences.
Kyogo has never gone into the fixture in better shape or form. Truth be told, he’s been unfortunate so far as regards the fixture.
First appearance at the start of last season, Kyogo was shifted to a wide position to accommodate Odsonne Edouard. Postecoglou admitted that was a mistake and everyone could see that when he switched into the middle for the final stages of the match and had a couple of chances which should have brought an equaliser.
Kyogo’s bad injury problems then meant he didn’t play any of the next two Old Firm games, both of which Celtic won with Giorgos Giakoumakis leading the line. Upon return, with the Greek then crocked for the Scottish Cup semi-final, Daizen Maeda got the nod and Kyogo did very little when coming as a sub. That, again, was understandable. He’d just come back from four months out.
In the final meeting of the sides last season which ended 1-1, the striker was still rusty-looking and could not make a real mark. This season’s first meeting, he lasted only seconds before going off following a challenge from John Lundstram.
So there have been mitigating circumstances to this point, but this is Kyogo’s time. He’s got four goals in three games. He’s top scorer in the Premiership. This is the moment for him. Kyogo is surely certain to start, yet Postecoglou has a variety of choices to make as regards other areas of his line-up.
The full-back positions are interesting. Alistair Johnston is available to make a debut at right-back with injury concerns having ruled Anthony Ralston out of the midweek win over Hibs and Josip Juranovic being placed onto the bench. Greg Taylor went down at Easter Road with an injury, so that might be another issue. Johnston or Ralston could play with Juranovic switching to left-back. The Croat played there at Ibrox last season and did well enough.
If both Juranovic and Taylor are ready, I’m sure they’ll play and Reo Hatate will move back into the midfield. He’s such a talent that he plays and, obviously, so does Callum McGregor. Aaron Mooy staked a claim with his display in the win over Hibs, but I cannot believe Postecoglou will leave out Matt O’Riley.
It’s the wide attacking positions that fascinate me. When the season started and he was flying, there were people saying Jota was the best player in the country. He scored a wonderful goal when the teams met and Celtic won 4-0 in September.
At that stage, you wouldn’t have imagined a scenario where he wouldn’t start if available. But now it’s in the balance and it’s a major talking point.
Maeda was brilliant against Hibs. He doesn’t get much recognition from some observers, but he offers so much in terms of workrate and must be a great guy to play alongside.
You just don’t know what you’ll get. He missed a header from two yards out against Hibs and a few minutes later produced a wonder goal. My hunch is the manager will pick him.
Liel Abada has caused mayhem for Rangers. He must have given Borna Barisic nightmares and he’s a proven scorer in this particular fixture. He’d be unlucky to miss out. Sead Haksabanovic has been missing recently with an injury, but Jota is a matchwinner.
My gut feeling is that, in order to get Maeda into the side, Postecoglou will play him on the left and switch Jota over the right with Abada and Haksabanovic part of a very strong bench which could go and change the game if it’s not going Celtic’s way.
Giakoumakis will also be there as well to go on and try to make an impact later in the game, but Kyogo is the one who will lead the charge. And the stage is ideally set for him to finally deliver in the fixture that defines heroes.
READ NEXT
