Celtic Have A Fast Rising Star In Kyogo Furuhashi
Celtic may have had a bit of a poor start to their campaign but they’ve started to really gain some momentum under new boss Ange Postecoglou.
A big reason for their upturn in form has been the introduction of summer signing Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Japanese internationalist has hit the ground running since arriving in Glasgow.
He has notched up six goals in his opening six games for the Parkhead side.
Furuhashi is fast becoming a Celtic icon much like compatriot Shunsuke Nakamura did in the four years he was at Celtic Park between 2005 and 2009.
For any football fan it is easy to see why Kyogo is already loved in Glasgow’s East End.
The twenty-six year old forward always seems to play with a smile on his face. His endeavour is admirable as he runs his socks off for his team and even defends from the front. The fact he has come in during the Japanese season means he’s probably fitter than most in The Premiership but it is his footballing brains that will keep him ahead of the completion!
Kyogo is clearly an extremely intelligent footballer. His runs off the ball are often exquisite. He times them to perfection and often evades opposition defences. The attacker always seems to be switched on to possible breaks in attacking positions. That’s why you constantly see him finding space in tight areas and reacting first to crosses that are played across the penalty area.
The former Vissel Kobe frontman clearly learned a lot from playing with Andres Iniesta. The Spaniard would have threaded through balls into all sorts of wonderful positions and Furuhashi would’ve had to be switched on to them at all times. The more and more you do that, the easier it becomes until it becomes instinct.
Furuhashi is also very good at coming deep, receiving the ball and feeding it out to fellow forwards.
Look at Odsonne Edouard’s goal against Hearts last weekend. Celtic’s number eight receives the ball deep on Celtic’s lefthand side in the Jambos half. Kyogo spots James Forrest rampaging forward in the opposite wing. Then the Japanese star plays an inch perfect pass with the outside of his right boot. That pass basically kills the Hearts defence and Forrest pulls it back for an unmarked Edouard. Be in no doubt, that Furuhashi pass makes the goal and is world class in my opinion:
The fact Kyogo has followed Ange Postecoglou from Japan to Scotland, should show everyone that the Aussie boss thinks the forward is a star player. He has obviously pinpointed Kyogo as being a player to build his attack around.
After Celtic’s impressive Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar (BBC Match Report), Postecoglou was quick to praise his scoring striker:
“He’s always a threat, he’s constantly looking to get in goalscoring areas, he’s constantly on the shoulder of defenders.
“Defensively he was outstanding tonight as well, but there were a lot of good efforts out there tonight.
Via Daily Record
In many ways this current Celtic set-up is very reminiscent of those from their recent glory days.
They play a nice, fast attacking game that excites the home support. They are also entering a different transfer market and seeing instant benefits both on and off the park.
The mood around Celtic Park has been a lot brighter in recent weeks and a big part of that is because they’ve got a smart, smiling assassin in Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Japanese star is producing performances that should be cherished and I’m sure the Hoops fans will be eager to see if he can build on these early achievements and lead them to silverware this term.
Posted on August 20th, 2021 by scott
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