After Celtic opened their Champions League marketing campaign with a thumping 5-1 win in opposition to Slovan Bratislava, supervisor Brendan Rodgers heaped reward on Maeda.
Former Celtic and Manchester Metropolis goalkeeper Joe Hart had used a clip of the 27-year-old thwarting a Slovan counter-attack on BBC Sport’s Champions League highlights programme.
Maeda hounded Slovan’s right-back and centre-back, profitable possession.
Rodgers cited that second and stated he doubted “there’s anybody higher in world soccer” at setting the tone from the entrance.
There are quite a few examples of the Celtic ahead doing simply that.
Within the League Cup ultimate this season, he ran down Rangers defender Leon Balogun, stole the ball and ran by way of to attain.
Surprisingly, the second which sums up his angle and velocity got here close to the top of a 6-0 drubbing of St Johnstone in September, when Celtic misplaced the ball within the ultimate third and he sprinted practically the size of the pitch to win it again with the sport lengthy since received.
On the time, Rodgers applauded it on the touchline as a lot as any purpose.
His former coach at Yokohama F Marinos John Hutchinson knew precisely what was coming when Ange Postecoglou recruited him from his outdated membership.
“I’ve by no means seen a extra bodily participant, when it comes to velocity and repeat sprinting, than Daizen,” he said in 2022, external.
“Daizen is a bodily beast. You’d haven’t any points sending him anyplace in Europe as a result of it will not be an issue to him. He is a machine.”
In response to Opta knowledge solely fellow winger Nicolas Kuhn has put extra strain on defenders than Maeda in Celtic’s Champions League video games this season, which underlines each gamers’ important position with out the ball, in addition to with it.
“He does all of the issues that you do not want expertise for to the best degree: all of the working, the urgent,” Rodgers stated earlier than the Bayern conflict.
“His will to run and run and run is completely unimaginable and I have not labored with too many like that.
“He retains persevering with to develop and develop and now you see his composure when he is in entrance of purpose, scoring all sorts of targets. I am simply very, very happy that he is with us.”
