The 8.0 Celtic star who just showed Rodgers exactly what he’s been missing

Celtic‘s place at the top of the Scottish Premiership remains secure after they came away with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Dundee on Wednesday night.

The Hoops have now won nine and drawn one of their opening ten matches in the top-flight, which has helped them to sit top of the table and on course for a fourth straight title.

However, that incredible start to the season has not produced the gap to second that you may expect, as Aberdeen have matched that run of results – only sitting behind Brendan Rodgers‘ side on goal difference.

Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels scored the goals for the Scottish giants in the second half against Dundee earlier this week, with the former coming off the bench to open the scoring.

Rodgers opted to hand opportunities to a number of different players on Wednesday night, with games coming thick and fast domestically and in Europe, to see which of his fringe men have what it takes to step up when they are needed.

One of the players who was dropped down to the bench was Daizen Maeda, who has had a mixed start to the 2024/25 campaign for the Hoops.

Daizen Maeda’s form this season

The Japan international has been the first-choice option for Rodgers on the left flank this season in the Premiership and has been inconsistent with his play in the final third.

Maeda has started seven of his nine appearances in the division and has produced two goals and two assists, with his finishing – in particular – leaving a lot to be desired.

The 27-year-old forward has missed a whopping seven ‘big chances’ to reach two goals, with those two strikes coming from 3.46 xG in total. This shows that the winger has not made the most of the high-quality openings that his teammates have provided him with.

Meanwhile, Maeda has registered two assists from two ‘big chances’ created and has only averaged 1.1 key passes per game for the Scottish giants, which does not suggest that he has been outstanding from a creative perspective either.

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese whiz also failed to finish his chances and create opportunities on a regular basis in the Premiership last season for Rodgers.

These statistics, from the 2023/24 campaign and the current term, suggest that Maeda is an unreliable player in the final third, due to his wasteful finishing and lack of creativity week-in-week-out.

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Rodgers handed Luis Palma an opportunity to shine against Dundee on Wednesday night and the Honduras international showed the manager exactly what he has been missing.

Luis Palma’s performance against Dundee in numbers

The former Greek league star came away from the game without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts and may not have impressed some supporters, due to his lack of direct involvement in a goal.

However, that was not all his fault as the perception of his performance against Dundee could have been completely different if his teammates had made the most of his creativity.

Palma only played 57 minutes at Parkhead and managed four key passes and one ‘big chance’ created, whilst also completing 89% of his attempted passes, which earned him a Sofascore rating of 8.0.

If Kyogo Furuhashi – who missed three ‘big chances’ – had not been so wasteful in front of goal, the winger could have ended the game with an assist or two and the feeling around his display could have been very different.

As you can see in the table above, the Honduran wizard produced far more creativity against Dundee than Maeda typically does when he starts on the left flank.

It was Palma’s first start of the season in the Premiership and he showed Rodgers the creativity that had been missing from the team on that side of the pitch, as the Japanese winger has struggled to provide much in that respect – last season and this season.

If the 24-year-old magician can now kick on and reach the heights that he managed in the first half of the 2023/24 campaign, the Northern Irish head coach could have another huge asset on his hands.

Luis Palma’s form last season

After joining from Aris in the summer of 2023, the right-footed attacker enjoyed a fantastic start to his career in Scotland by showcasing his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals.

Palma produced an eye-catching return of five goals and nine assists in his first 16 games in the Premiership, along with two goals in the Champions League, before the turn of the year, after which he struggled.

In the second half of the campaign, the Honduras international only managed two goals and zero assists in 12 appearances in the division for the Hoops.

This shows that the potential is there for him to be an incredibly productive player at Premiership level but it is down to him to get back to the kind of form he showed in 2023.

As you can see in the table above, Palma ended the 2023/24 campaign with more goals, fewer ‘big chances’ missed, more assists, and more ‘big chances’ created in the same number of appearances as Maeda.

These statistics suggest that the potential is there for the 2023 signing to offer more than the Japan international, who has struggled at times this season, in the final third if he can find his best form again.

His promising showing against Dundee, with four key passes and one ‘big chance’ created, shows that he is on his way back to his best, which will surely please Rodgers.

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