Chris Sutton is astonished at the way Kyogo Furuhashi is being starved of chances by Brendan Rodgers.
Last season’s multiple Player of Year award winner has become just another striker, one that most defences know how to cope with and keep quiet.
A year ago Jota, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada were feeding Kyogo chance after chance down the wing, from the centre of the park Reo Hatate and Aaron Mooy knew exactly how to feed the former Vissel Kobe striker.
Those options have virtually been wiped out, Matt O’Riley has provided two priceless assists to win six points from two Glasgow Derbies but other than that it has been meagre rations for Kyogo to feed off.
Against Hibs in midweek the inevitable happened, Kyogo started on the bench but his commitment and bravery won the penalty that decided the match.
Writing in the Daily Record, Sutton shares his thoughts on what happens next with the best striker in Scotland:
Kyogo Furuhashi is having his influence absolutely killed.
There’s a real chance it may lead to the slow death of Celtic’s title bid. Brendan Rodgers has been outspoken about needing quality, yet he can’t find a way to get the best out of the highest-quality striker in the country. Now he’s been left out of the side. If that continues, could it lead to him inevitably looking to leave?
Kyogo has gone from being the most-feared forward in Scotland to barely getting a chance in a game. It’s actually quite remarkable and, for me, it’s not got that much to do with the boy himself.
Now listen, before I go any further, this is no slight on Adam Idah. The Irish striker was given an opportunity against Hibs and he grabbed it with his two goals. Idah might do well for Celtic, but don’t tell me he’s a better striker than Kyogo.
It’s almost painful to see what has happened to the Japanese over the past few months. The guy scored 27 league goals in 31 starts last season. Eight in 21 this season.
Sutton adds:
We keep hearing the need for speed, yet Celtic have a guy with the sharpest feet and the sharpest mind who hasn’t operated fully due to team who, for most of the season ,have gone through the motions. It’s Brendan’s failure if he doesn’t find a way to get the best out of Kyogo.
Celtic have a proven gem who’s on a different wavelength to most around him and it’s a failure of the environment. In truth, he’s currently too good for this Celtic team.
I’m not saying you build a team around one guy, but you definitely find your best stars and get something that works for him. No one can watch Celtic just now and say that is happening. It defies logic.
Has Sutton called it right with Rodgers and Kyogo?
Yes, a criminal waste of talent
No, the manager knows best
With the lack of supply from the wings the logical conclusion would seem to be to play Kyogo alongside Adam Idah in front of four midfields including one option.
Rodgers has only ever started with one striker since e returned to Celtic but with the business end of the season a change of approach is needed if anything is to be won from an underwhelming campaign to date.
Said it plenty of times , its criminal what rodgers has done.
He and his analytics have wrecked the best striker in scotland and it shows .
He has him sitting to far back and wingers tied to close to the byline and to high before trying to cut , they have to start coming in sooner and he playing higher of meada if he goes alone as the timing is much shorter than now which means his arrival now is later because of the setup.
If they go 2 up with a false 10 the n its terror personified.
Its the only solution imo
Yes I agree completely Rodgers is wasting the best striker at Celtic Park for a long time.Watching Celtic now is boring ball being played square across the box, nobody makes runs any longer and wingers play the ball back and don’t get to bye line and make defenders face there own goal hopefully Rodgers will leave at end of the season, because I don’t think he will as too Arrogant to do so
Brendan Rodgers has single handedly dismantled this guy and and is so either too vain or ….na hes to vain to admit the the current squad is not capable of delivering his system effectively.
Unfortunately both he and the board are putting their egos before the product on the park and ultimately it will be BR who pays the price.
Don’t I think he cares, not a damn !! There another job down the line where the board he works for won’t be so pigheaded, his ego will be intact because he knows what works for him..
This is a ***t show !!
It’s been mentioned before,
but IF BR did get the 4 ‘quality’ players in the January window,
[or even on the summer window?],
would we now be watching fast-flowing, exciting football…?
He seems limited in adaptng with the players he has: would he
be able to change his approach with better players?
Having doubts about BR:
did he actually peak as a manager in 2019 / 2020 ?
When you have wingers who either take to many touches before they cross the ball or hit the first defender 9 times out of ten you are never going to score goals. I dont get the hype with mcgregor he plays more side passes than any player in the Scottish game. People say he keeps the ball moving I say he is passing the buck
Exactly! Where have you been? Magregor passes the ball to the nearest teammate then points to where he should play it, pretending to be a “midfield general”. The playmaking was left to Ajer and now Scales who unlike the midfield both can run with the ball at their feet. What is going on at Celtic Park?
The defence is trying to do the midfield’s job and therefore are caught out the once or twice the opposition actually attack. Check the stats.
Players need to learn how to run off the ball and lose their marker.
Actually what’s the point? I don’t think Rodgers has a clue. Aberdeen and Kilmarnock have a fraction of the resources Celtic have at their disposal but it is how they are used so all this crap about not getting quality players in is just a smokescreen for incompetence.
I’m not a particularly a BR, I find his style of football a drag, but credit where its due. The invincibles were a good team. The problems started when the managed decline began and not replacing quality.
I have no particular love for BR but he is capable.
At the very least we have two factions with huge egos going up against each other. My thoughts are the board are to blame because they know what Rodgers wanted and needs. But do I think Rodgers is unwilling to budge for the good of the team, absolutely and for that he should die on his sword.
My overriding concern is the £70m is there to be sold along with the club to the likes of City Group.
Jock Stein gave me this advice once when I was running my team…..If you have a player who has outstanding ability…make sure you use it to the full…True story
.
I believe you, and WHAT a man he was. It also kinda follows the sentiment expressed here:
Big Jock said that, or words to the effect, “probably my greatest achievement in football was keeping Jimmy Johnstone playing so well for so long”.
Oh, to see their like again at CP.
I once met a Scot from up the East coast. Brechin? I’m not sure, maybe Clachnacuddin? Anyway, It was his round in a local hostelry and he asked what they all wanted. One said a whisky and lemonade please to which Duncan replied, “Aye, ye’ll be havin’ a whisky or a lemonade, ye’ll no’ be havin’ both.”
Point really is if we had Big Jock again under current circumstances he’d be saying to the fans: “Ye’ll be havin’ me or that interfering baztard Lawwell, ye’ll no’ be havin’ both.”
Even Desmond would see the writing on the wall and bin the aforesaid baztard. But his time will come anyway, as will ours. TAL.
Said it from the start – Rodgers style of football will kill us. Boring doesn’t begin to describe it and he is too pig-headed to change anything no matter how the match is developing. The sooner he leaves again (which he will as soon as a bigger pay packet is offered) the better for all of us.
That leaving pay packet will be getting paid by Celtic and soon if he doesn’t change his dreadful tactics…
Sutton has a point – It’s just a shame about the rag of evil that he makes it in…
And Chris – Please stop this ‘Listen’ jargon –
That’s mental Miller esque – He was at it on Clyde Superscoreboard last night so I switched off after two minutes…
You are far better than that Mr Sutton on the Button !
Totally agree…no one at Celtic should be allowed to deal with this arsewipe of a paper…But then again…all these millionaires need the money.