International duty is over and the ‘real’ football is back. The past two weeks have been great only for watching the Celtic players represent their countries, but nothing beats the return of domestic football.
And for Celtic, the return of domestic action couldn’t present a tougher challenge than if Brendan Rodgers was taking his team to Ibrox.
Hearts at Tynecastle has always been a tough venue for Celtic to go to and claim three points so Brendan Rodgers must look to field a full-strength team, right?
Partly, yes. However, I believe that the Celtic manager must leave one player on the bench who has been so important for the Hoops this season.
Why Daizen Maeda must be dropped to the Celtic bench
I can almost hear the howls of discontent at this suggestion but bear with me. First off, Daizen Maeda suffered a small injury prior to going on international duty with Japan. But that injury was enough to make him pull out of the national squad.
Now I know Brendan Rodgers said the ‘incredible‘ wingman was fit for today but with the crucial Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid looming, Maeda will be needed more against the La Liga side than he will be against Hearts.
I wrote on TBR Celtic a few weeks ago that Celtic must be wary of Madrid’s £92m pairing of Alvaro Morata and Saul Niguez after watching the pair of them dismantle Real Madrid in La Liga.
Since then Morata has scored twice in the Champions League and for Spain during the international break whilst Niguez has also scored in La Liga and bossed the midfield for Atletico as they sit second just three points behind Real Madrid.
Maeda’s tracking back and constant running will be essential on Wednesday night if Celtic want to get the win they so badly need to keep their European hopes alive.
Luis Palma will be an able Celtic replacement for Maeda
Luis Palma should start ahead of Maeda today. The Honduran is high in confidence after netting two goals for Celtic prior to the international break.
He has also been in brilliant form for his country by not only creating an assist in the 4-0 win over Cuba but also after being named in the CONCACAF team of the week after his displays for the Hondurans.
Palma’s ability to use his right boot coming in off the left-hand side has proven crucial for Celtic over three games this season already and he is more than capable of helping Brendan Rodgers take all three points from Tynecastle.
So whilst I appreciate that the trip to Gorgie will be a tough one, Maeda should only be used unless absolutely necessary. Until that time comes, the Japan international must be wrapped in cotton wool ahead of Wednesday night’s fixture against Atletico Madrid.
In other news, ‘Thinking about it’: What £12m reported Celtic target has recently said about his immediate future