Celtic progressed through to the next round of the SFA Cup on Saturday after they swept Championship side Raith Rovers away with a 5-0 win at Parkhead.
The Hoops are looking to retain the trophy after they beat Rangers 1-0 at Hampden Park, thanks to a last-gasp winner from Adam Idah, in the final last May.
A hat-trick from Daizen Maeda and goals from Hyun-jun Yang and Luke McCowan sealed their place in the next round of this season’s edition of the competition for the Scottish giants this weekend.
Whilst it was an expected victory over a lower league side, there were some outstanding performances across the park for the Hoops and there may be some selection headaches to come for Brendan Rodgers.
The Hoops are set to face Bayern Munich at Parkhead in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday night, ahead of their trip to Bavaria the following week.
One player who may have given the Northern Irish head coach something to think about ahead of that clash with Vincent Kompany’s side is Maeda.
Daizen Maeda's performance against Raith Rovers
The Japan international lined up against the second tier outfit as a centre-forward, rather than in his usual position out on the left or the right flank as a winger.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s move to Rennes in the January transfer window left Adam Idah as the only senior, recognised, number nine in the squad, after they also failed to secure a deal to sign Mathias Kvistgaarden from Brondby.
Johnny Kenny returned to the club after his loan spell at Shamrock Rovers but the 21-year-old Irishman is untested in Scottish football and Rodgers opted to utilise Maeda as a striker on Saturday, in order to rest Idah.
The Japanese forward has now scored 21 goals in all competitions, after his hat-trick on Saturday. Amazingly, only eight of his goals have come in the Scottish Premiership, with ten goals in five domestic cup outings and three in seven Champions League games.
Maeda’s first goal came in the sixth minute as the ball broke for him on the edge of the box and he produced a composed, left-footed, finish into the bottom left corner
The Hoops speedster then doubled his tally just before half-time with a well-timed run that allowed Hyun-jun Yang to play a ball across the box for the forward to convert from close range.
His hat-trick goal, actually, came after Kenny came on and the Japan international was moved out to the right wing, as he made a far post run to score from close range again to make it 5-0 on the night.
Maeda’s performance may have given Rodgers a decision to make in the number nine position against Bayern, but he was not the only player to give the manager a huge selection headache.
Luke McCowan's performance against Raith Rovers
Competition in the midfield positions is incredibly high at the moment, with Callum McGregor, McCowan, Arne Engels, Reo Hatate, and Paulo Bernardo all competing to start, as well as Jeffrey Schlupp, who can play in midfield, now being part of the squad.
Performance in Numbers
McCowan was handed an opportunity to shine from the start against Raith Rovers, having been on the bench against Dundee last time out in the Premiership, and he certainly took his chance.
Glasgow World handed him an excellent player rating of 8/10 and described the Scottish midfielder as a ‘classy operator’ and a ‘real threat’ at the top end of the pitch, after he caught the eye with a superb display in the middle of the park.
Celtic’s number 14 got himself on the scoresheet with a deft finish into the far corner from Yang’s cross in from the left, as he showcased his ability to perfectly time runs into the box from a midfield position.
The left-footed wizard then displayed his creative and ball-striking qualities with a perfect low drive across the box to find Maeda for a tap-in at the far post.
His two goal contributions and ‘classy’ performance in midfield for Celtic may have just given Rodgers a huge selection headache ahead of the clash with Bayern.
What Celtic's midfield could look like against Bayern
McGregor will start at the base of the midfield for Celtic against the Bundesliga giants on Wednesday night, as the former Scotland international is the captain and will lead the side out for the game.
There are then two spots next to him left to be filled in the middle of the park, with Bernardo, McCowan, Hatate, and Engels all fighting it out to be included.
Celtic will need to be at their best from an offensive perspective to have a chance against Bayern, with the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Kim-min Jae, and Dayot Upamecano to get past, and that is why they should pick their best attack-minded midfield players next to McGregor.
Hatate has managed one goal and one assist in his last ten matches in all competitions, whilst Bernardo has zero goals and two assists in his last 16 outings.
Appearances
25
24
22
22
Goals
6
7
8
2
Key passes per game
0.9
1.3
1.7
1.3
Big chances created
7
6
9
5
Assists
1
4
3
3
As you can see in the table above, it would appear as though McCowan and Engels have been the pick of the bunch from an attacking perspective in the Premiership for Celtic this season, as they have both offered a big threat as scorers and creators of goals.
These statistics suggest that they could be the team’s best chance, in terms of the midfield set-up, of breaking Bayern down, which is a thought that has only been amplified by McCowan’s excellent performance on Saturday.
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Rodgers may well go with Hatate or Bernardo ahead of the Scotsman, but there is no denying that the former Dundee star’s performance has given the manager a huge, and good, selection headache.
