Iheanacho central and Maeda on the right – did it work for Celtic?

Brendan Rodgers has recently been dealing a lot with his selection of the starting front three for Celtic.

That contrasts favorably with recent seasons, when they had stick-on roles like Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Liel Abada, for example.

The champions are still looking for the right balance between their current squad and their own.

It was surprising to see Kelechi Iheanacho start as striker in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Hibernian given that he had made a significant impact in his first few starts since his unheralded arrival post-transfer window.

Daizen Maeda’s middle role was also present in the 1-1 Europa League draw with Red Star Belgrade in midweek.

However, the Japan itnernational was canceled at half-time due to Iheanacho’s scoring and positive focus.

With his match fitness and, undoubtedly, his confidence improving, the question was how to use the two wide positions in his place to the best advantage when facing a Hibs side that was determined and resolute defensively.

Maeda successfully assumed the role of the main striker following Kyogo’s departure in January.

His 33 goals last term earned him an unimaginable victory and deservedly won all of the player of the year awards.

The 27-year-old has not reached the same level as Adam Idah, despite keeping the now-deceased actor largely on the sidelines. He without a doubt believed he would play for another club, which is why.

He and Celtic’s recruitment were obviously affected by it. Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s arrival appears to indicate that they intended for him to leave.

Tounekti has hit the ground running and is currently leading the charge in the left-wing direction Maeda has most consistently held.

Balikwisha failed to succeed when facing off against Kilmarnock and has so far had little impact.

With only Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest in the lead role, the right side appears much more bare. The Japanese took the lead on Saturday, with Iheanacho’s arrival reducing Maeda’s need to play up top.

Rodgers confirmed to BBC Scotland prior to the game that Yang wasn’t injured when he lost to Hibs. Knowing that Iheanacho would not likely continue for the 90 minutes, he instead desired a second striker, Johnny Kenny, on the bench.

Tounekti will start on the left, at least until Jota recovers from a broken leg, when Maeda starts and Forrest returns in that wide-right role.

Yang might struggle with concentration. It appears that Balikwisha is also on the rise.

Given that Celtic did not score, the obvious response is no.

Rodgers praised the performance, citing a top defensive display from Hibs, and they did threaten enough to win the majority of games.

He claimed that despite all the metric, “we were dominant” in the game. “We just lacked that killer instinct in the box,” said one player who thought our football was really good. We played well on the pitch.

Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi, both of whom were denied by the crossbar in the first half, were unfortunate at times for Celtic. Madea delivered one of those with excellent delivery and pace on a plate.

The home side would have scored at least once on a different day, as evidenced by a 3 xG.

John Collins, a former Celtic midfielder, believes Maeda is still not quite reaching his potential since revealing his desire to leave last month.

On Sportsound, Collins declared, “I don’t think you should ever make that public.” It is “a dangerous thing to do,” he said.

He has been a great servant, a great buy for Celtic, and had an incredible season last year, but football is all about today. These Celtic supporters demand a total commitment on the pitch, not just what you did last week.

“He looks jaded, in all fairness to him, but that’s what he’s been given from day one.”

Only six shots were made on target against Hibs, which is a testament to Celtic’s dominance. Iheanacho hit the net only to stumble over.

Concerning the home side’s lack of realism may be the fact that the home side only managed to score one shot on target in the 39th minute despite already striking woodwork.

Rodgers knew he needed better quality in the forward areas because they have been unusually blunt – only one of their eight Premiership goals have been scored in the first six of their six league games so far.