Celtic are back in action in the Scottish Premiership once again this afternoon as they prepare to travel away from Parkhead to take on Ross County.
The Hoops have the chance to move 18 points clear at the top of the table ahead of their rivals playing on Sunday, which they will be looking to do.
Brendan Rodgers led his side to a 2-0 win over Dundee United last time out in Glasgow, thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate either side of half-time.
The Celtic boss could look to make some changes to his starting XI, despite the relatively comfortable win, starting with Hyun-jun Yang being ditched from the team.
Why Hyun-jun Yang should be dropped
The South Korean forward struggled badly in the win over Dundee United after coming into the side in the warm-up due to Nicolas Kuhn suffering a knock.
It was a huge opportunity for Yang to show Rodgers that he has what it takes to be a regular starter on the wing for the Bhoys in the second half of the season, but it was not one that he took.
The 22-year-old winger failed to register a single shot, dribble, or key pass in his 62 minutes on the pitch, whilst he also lost five of his six duels and lost possession ten times.
Yang now has zero goals and zero assists in 11 appearances and five starts in the Premiership this season, which shows that the youngster has not done enough in the final third to warrant a starting spot.
Rodgers must, now, ditch him from the line-up and replace the forward by bringing Kyogo Furuhashi into the side on the right wing, if Kuhn remains out with a thigh injury.
Why Kyogo Furuhashi should be unleashed
The Japan international has played over 100 games in his career as a left or right winger and the Hoops boss should see what the team would look like with Kyogo drifting inside from the right with Adam Idah leading the line.
Celtic’s two strikers have shared the starting role this season so far, with 13 starts for the Japanese forward and eight starts for the summer signing from Norwich, but neither of them have been entirely convincing.
Kyogo and Idah have both failed to find the back of the net in each of the last three matches, against Dundee United, St Mirren, and Rangers, without playing alongside each other from the start.
Appearances
18
20
Goals
5
8
Big chances missed
8
15
Big chances created
3
0
Assists
0
3
Aerial duel success rate
52%
25%
As you can see in the table above, both players have struggled to finish the ‘big chances’ that have come their way, but the Japan international has scored three more goals than the Irishman.
What Idah brings, as evident in the statistics above, to the team is a level of physicality that Kyogo does not, with his strength in aerial duels to hold the ball up and win flick-ons under pressure.
Kyogo, who Martin O’Neill once praised as “exceptional”, does not cope as well in the physical duels, which is why starting Idah as the main centre-forward in an away match could make sense for Celtic.
Celtic could land bigger signing than Tierney in swoop for "amazing" star
Celtic are reportedly in talks to sign Kieran Tierney from Arsenal.
6 ByDan EmeryJan 8, 2025
However, the Japanese marksman still offers a big goal threat and moving him into an inside right role, where he can come infield to essentially form a partnership with the former Norwich man could look to get the best out of both of them.
It may not work in reality but Celtic are 15 points clear at the top of the table and, if Kuhn and James Forrest are both out, they have little to lose in giving it a try, particularly after Yang’s dismal showing last time out.
