Celtic are on course to enjoy another brilliant season under Brendan Rodgers as they close in on their second domestic treble in three seasons.
The Hoops have already won the League Cup, are 13 points clear in the Scottish Premiership table, and have a semi-final in the SFA Cup to look forward to.
Rodgers’ side won the Premiership title and the SFA Cup in the 2023/24 campaign, but missed out on the League Cup, and are now on course to claim all three trophies.
Celtic’s huge success, including their run to the play-off stage of the Champions League, can be attributed to the performances of their star players this season.
Several members of the squad have stepped up to be reliable performers for the Scottish giants, after last season’s Player of the Year Matt O’Riley completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion.
There is now a fight on to secure the Player of the Year award at Parkhead in the current campaign, and winger Daizen Maeda has certainly put his hat in the ring.
Why Daizen Maeda has been important for Celtic
Celtic needed players to step up in front of goal after O’Riley, who scored 18 league goals last season, left in the summer and Kyogo Furuhashi, who scored 27 goals since the start of last term, moved to Rennes in January.
Maeda has answered the call. The 27-year-old forward has racked up a staggering return of 28 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, including 13 strikes in 27 matches in the Premiership.
His form in front of goal for Celtic this season is particularly impressive when you consider that he had only scored 29 goals in 102 competitive matches for the club in the previous two-and-a-half-seasons at Parkhead.
Maeda’s goalscoring exploits have catapulted him to the top of the Premiership goalscoring charts, joint with Dundee United’s Sam Dalby, and ahead of all of his Celtic teammates, which illustrates how importan he has been to the club as a consistent goalscoring threat.
Daizen Maeda
13
0.58
Sam Dalby
13
0.55
Simon Murray
12
0.45
Cyriel Dessers
11
0.66
Vaclav Cerny
11
0.47
Kyogo Furuhashi
10
0.68
Nicolas Kuhn
10
0.59
Hamza Igamane
10
0.6
Arne Engels
9
0.51
Martin Boyle
9
0.42
As you can see in the table above, though, current Hoops teammate Nicolas Kuhn has a slightly better record in front of goal, with 0.59 goals per 90 in the division.
This shows that Maeda, who scored a hat-trick against Raith Rovers earlier this year, is not the only player in the team who can score goals on a regular basis.
Why Nicolas Kuhn is a Player of the Year contender
Like the Japanese forward, Kuhn has provided a constant threat at the top end of the pitch for the Scottish giants across all competitions this season.
However, the former Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig starlet has offered more to the team as a creator, with 13 assists to go along with his 18 goals this term.
The left-footed magician, who scored twice against his former club earlier this season, has been a difference-maker for the Hoops with his ability to score and create goals from a right wing position.
Kuhn played a significant role in the club’s run to the play-offs of the Champions League with a return of three goals and five ‘big chances’ created in ten appearances in the competition.
The German wizard, therefore, is another star who should be in contention to be named Celtic’s Player of the Year, alongside Maeda, as he has made a huge impact across all competitions this season as an attacking force.
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However, Kuhn and Maeda should step aside to allow a defensive player to win the award, as summer signing Kasper Schmeichel has been exceptional for Celtic this season.
Why Kasper Schmeichel has been Celtic's Player of the Year
Whilst there are still a couple of months left of the season to go, the Denmark international has been the standout star for the club this season with his quality and consistency between the sticks.
Eyebrows may have been raised when Celtic decided to replace Joe Hart, who retired last summer, with a 37-year-old goalkeeper – who turned 38 in November – but it has turned out to be an unbelievable piece of business.
Schmeichel had big gloves to fill at Parkhead and has, actually, turned out to be an upgrade on the retired former England international, based on his performances this season.
Hart conceded 0.32 more goals than expected, based on the xG of the shots against him, and had a save success rate of 61% in his six outings in the Champions League last term, whilst the Danish titan prevented 0.55 more goals than expected and saved 70% of the shots against him in ten European games this year.
This suggests that Schmeichel, who was dubbed “amazing” by pundit Micah Richards, has played an important role in Celtic’s improved performance on the European stage, by saving his side instead of underperforming as a shot-stopper.
Appearances
37
30
Clean sheets
14
19
Saves
61
68
Save success rate
68%
77%
Goals prevented
-0.07
+1.08
Pass accuracy
88%
94%
Long pass accuracy
41%
69%
As you can see in the table above, the Denmark international has also proven himself to be a big upgrade on Hart in domestic football in the Premiership, with more saves, more clean sheets, and significantly better shot-stopping and passing statistics.
This suggests that Celtic improved their squad by swooping to sign the veteran shot-stopper on a free transfer from Anderlecht last summer after Hart retired.
These statistics, from his performances in the Champions League and the Premiership, also show why he deserves to be the Player of the Year ahead of the likes of Kuhn and Maeda.
Whilst forward players can blow hot and cold for several matches and then be lauded when they do grab a goal or an assist, goalkeepers can go under the radar by being consistently solid without making the headlines.
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Schmeichel, as evidenced by his statistics, has been an incredibly reliable and consistent performer on the domestic and European stage, with both his shot-stopping and his distribution, which has provided a solid platform for the likes of Maeda and Kuhn to go and express themselves.
Therefore, the 38-year-old colossus has been Celtic’s Player of the Year because of how well he has replaced Hart, because of his performances on the pitch, and because of his importance to the spine of the team.
