Celtic kick off their 2024/25 campaign in the Scottish Premiership this evening as they prepare to host Kilmarnock at Parkhead in their first game.
Brendan Rodgers starts his second season in his second spell in Glasgow and will be hoping to secure the league title once again, whilst also competing well across all competitions.
His side enjoyed an impressive pre-season with four wins in five games and eight goals scored across two wins against Manchester City and Chelsea.
The Northern Irishman now has the difficult task of selecting a starting XI to play against Kilmarnock and the boss must boldly unleash Mikey Johnston from the start alongside Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo Furuhashi's impressive pre-season
The Japan international caught the eye throughout pre-season and is currently the club’s only senior striker option, after Hyeon-gyu Oh moved to Genk and Adam Idah returned to Norwich City.
Kyogo plundered six goals in five pre-season matches and found the back of the net in the wins over both Chelsea and Manchester City, which shows that he is heading into the Premiership campaign full of confidence.
His form over the summer will be particularly pleasing for Rodgers after the forward endured a difficult 2023/24 campaign in front of goal in the top-flight.
Appearances
38
Goals
14
Big chances missed
24
Conversion rate
14%
Pass accuracy
67%
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese attacker missed a staggering 24 ‘big chances’ and only scored 14 goals in 38 outings in the division.
Why Mikey Johnston should start with Kyogo
With Kyogo starting through the middle, Rodgers must boldly unleash Johnston from the start on the left flank ahead of Daizen Maeda after his impressive spell on loan with West Bromwich Albion last season.
The Ireland international scored two goals in his last three pre-season outings for Celtic this summer and appears to be grasping his opportunity to come back to Glasgow and fight for a place in the starting XI.
In the Championship last term, Johnston scored seven goals and did not miss a single ‘big chance’ in 18 appearances for the Baggies, as he showcased his goalscoring prowess.
Meanwhile, Maeda only scored six goals and missed a whopping 12 ‘big chances’ in 28 outings in the Premiership for Celtic from a left wing position, which immediately suggests that the Irish sensation has the potential to offer far more quality as a finisher.
The Japan international also created five ‘big chances’ for his teammates and made 0.5 key passes per game for the Hoops in those 28 appearances, whilst Johnston created four ‘big chances’ and made 1.2 key passes per match in just 18 matches.
During Sky Sports coverage of West Brom’s 3-1 play-off loss to Southampton (17/05/24), commentator Gary Weaver claimed that the winger had “magic in his boots” and the 25-year-old ace’s statistics back that up.
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He is a talented forward who can provide more quality than Maeda as a scorer and a creator of goals and that is why Rodgers must boldly unleash him to cause havoc in the final third alongside Kyogo against Kilmarnock today.