It was just over a year ago that Scottish champions Celtic went to the Allianz Arena looking to make a splash against Bayern Munich, losing 2-1 in the first leg at Parkhead.
Until the heat, it was an undeniably good night for the Hoops as Brendan Rodgers’ side took a shock lead through Nicolas Kuhn, with the visitors’ top line causing the Bundesliga giants real problems.
Much has changed since then, however, with Kuhn joining Como in a £16.5m deal in the summer, while Jota has not featured at all this season after suffering a serious ligament injury at the start of May.
As for the last member of that Munich triumvirate, Daizen Maeda, the Japanese speedster looked like his former self in 2025/26, now well-rounded as Martin O’Neill’s main attacking weapon from the sidelines.
Daizen Maeda’s return to Celtic this season
It was no surprise that Maeda, who gave Celtic hope in that play-off last year, netted late on in the first leg, marking his fourth and final goal of a fruitful Champions League campaign.
Deployed in the center or on the left, the 28-year-old was prolific in 2024/25, although the decline seemed to be steeper this time around, failing to score in nine Europa League games.
With him close to joining Wolfsburg sometime in the summer, there have been question marks over the striker’s bid since then, and this is not the player who netted 33 points in all competitions last season.
The 26-capped Japan international has scored just eight so far in the current campaign, having proved more consistent under O’Neill’s watch, his last goal coming against Dundee United in January.
He has wasted 21 ‘big chances’ in the Premiership this season – after missing just 17 last term – and his conversion rate has dropped from 28% to 13% currently.
|
Maeda – 24/25 vs 25/26 SPFL statistics |
||
|---|---|---|
|
24/25 |
Mathematics |
25/26 |
|
34 |
Games |
28 |
|
16 |
Goals |
7 |
|
160 |
Minutes per goal |
304 |
|
17 |
Big opportunities are missed |
21 |
|
28% |
Change of purpose |
13% |
|
10 |
It helps |
5 |
|
10 |
Great opportunities have been created |
11 |
|
1.3 |
Key passes* |
1.0 |
|
82% |
Pass accuracy* |
83% |
|
9.6 |
Item lost* |
8.8 |
His football career seems to have sunk as well, it has to be said, as he averaged 1.3 tackles per game last quarter, now he’s averaging just 0.7 of that.
While keeping him on board proved to be a real coup last year, an exit this summer now seems to be the best for all parties. Thankfully, O’Neill is already overseeing the rise of his successor.
The Celtic monster looks like a mix of Maeda and Jota
Saturday’s crucial 3-1 win at Motherwell not only helped end the visitors’ title hopes, but also saw Celtic close the gap on leaders Hearts to just two points, and ensure it’s all to play for in the final.
Big improvement for Celtic with star sure to return for post-split games against Rangers and Hearts
Hoops feared the worst.
Unlike much of 2026 again, which saw Benjamin Nygren steal the show, the Celtic hero arrived in a different way, with Yang Hyun-jun proving the difference maker following his deadly double.
The South Korean midfielder responded quickly to score from the home side’s rebound at the weekend, before wrapping up the scoring late in the second half with a superb left-footed strike after bursting in behind the Motherwell defence.
Now up to six Premiership goals this season, the 23-year-old has been rejuvenated under O’Neill’s watch, having previously looked set to leave in the summer, amid the collapse of a £3m move to Birmingham City.
That conflict proved a blessing in disguise, following the linebacker’s since-destroyed right field problems in recent months.
The beauty of Yang, on current form, is that he looks almost like a cross between Maeda and the aforementioned Jota, as he has emerged as Celtic’s best winger at the moment.
That resemblance to Maeda was on display in the second half of his day on Saturday, boasting blistering speed and quick bursts from opponents.
Off the ball again, the youngster looks like Maeda in his prime, bearing in mind that he made a real difference during the 2-2 draw at Ibrox earlier this month, winning the ball back repeatedly with timed sliding challenges.
As his two strikes at the weekend also revealed, he has a Jota-esque quality to finish with either foot, while also putting in a brilliant display as a right-footed winger, something Jota often did under Postecoglou’s watch.
The brilliance offered by the Portuguese may not be quite there, but as Yang alone impressed in the derby meeting in January, he is a player capable of carrying the ball on the right, moving gracefully up the pitch and playing for his opponents.
What should come out of this is that he failed to register a single assist in the Premiership, although he has now created three ‘opportunities’ this season in 23 games.
With Jota sidelined and Maeda not firing on all cylinders, it looks like Yang should be the man to help drag O’Neill’s side to the title.
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