Daizen Maeda has taken the strongman spirit of Celtic’s title surge into his bid for World Cup glory. And team-mate Benjamin Nygren is living the kid’s dream as he made his own instant impact on the global stage.
Maeda's Celtic Mentality
Maeda is a key weapon for Japan in their attempts to mount a serious challenge in the United States. After four-and-a-half years at Celtic, the 28-year-old is on the verge of leaving Glasgow, with suitors eyeing his World Cup performances. Maeda may leave a gaping hole in Martin O’Neill’s squad, but the mentality instilled during his spell with the Scottish champions will never leave him, and he is translating that into his national team performances.
In the closing weeks of the domestic season, Maeda was instrumental in helping O’Neill’s side win a Double. Celtic repeatedly dug themselves out of holes with late winners and comebacks to secure the Premiership and Scottish Cups. Japan showed shades of that spirit in their opening World Cup encounter, twice fighting back against the Netherlands in Texas to secure a point through an 89th-minute equaliser from Daichi Kamada.
Maeda has spent his Parkhead career experiencing such last-gasp emotions and believes the mental strength he developed during the run-in is key to succeeding on the international stage. He explained: “In my last match at Celtic, it was more about emotion than tactics. The last seven matches felt like this World Cup, so that becomes even more important. The tactical aspects are handled by the staff, so we’ve been able to implement them properly. For the mental aspects, they talk to us about our feelings, and Yuto Nagatomo said something like: Feelings surpass tactics. I really think that’s true on a stage like this, so it all comes down to our feelings.”
Maeda's Performance Against Netherlands
Maeda made a positive start to his campaign with a performance that helped Japan secure a point from Ronald Koeman’s side. Having operated as an out-and-out striker in periods and scoring during the run to the last 16 in Qatar four years ago, he was deployed off the flank by coach Hajime Moriyasu against the Dutch, working back and driving forward in the absence of the injured Kaoru Mitoma.
Maeda enjoyed the evening and said: “I stepped onto the pitch intending to do my job. I knew I would be playing left shadow from an early stage. I had been practicing as a shadow striker. We knew we would be pushed back, so we focused on not letting them advance. It was the same in Qatar, but even if we concede a goal, the team has the ability to not let the opponent score the next one. We fought patiently and managed to score a goal like that in the end. I think that’s what’s good about Japan.”
Maeda is convinced his nation can go further this time around and added: “In Qatar, it felt like things just went well, but this time I think we had the ability, and that’s why the match unfolded the way it did. We were able to defeat some strong teams, and I think they fought with respect. We also fought with respect, with the spirit of a challenger.”
Nygren's Dream Start for Sweden
While Maeda left his opener satisfied, Benjamin Nygren, who is attracting transfer-market interest after a superb first season at Celtic, was absolutely buzzing after Sweden made a stunning start to their tournament. Graham Potter’s team hammered Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey, with superstar strikers Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal and Liverpool’s Alexander Isak both on target during a swashbuckling start to Group F.
Nygren starred in Sweden's dominant performance. Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari also cracked two brilliant long-range finishes, and Nygren lapped up every second of the moment. Operating in a deeper role alongside Ayari and working to support and supply Gyokeres and Isak, he delivered a 65-minute showing before making way for Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall with the side 3-1 ahead and the points secured.
This time last year, Nygren was still at Nordsjaelland waiting for his transfer to Celtic to be completed. Now the 24-year-old is operating on the game’s highest stage. With 21 goals for Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Nancy, and O’Neill last term, he was flying going into the first match in Mexico. As team-mate Sebastian Tounekti came off the bench with 18 minutes left and Tunisia already floored, Nygren was already back in his seat and flying.
He said: “Absolutely wonderful. We’ve been looking forward to this so damn much. Ever since we beat Poland in the playoff, and not least since we were a little kid. So incredibly big and powerful to play and win 5-1. I have always believed in us. We have many good players. Then we had to work on some small things, but we put in a really good effort. Being here and experiencing this as a player is absolutely incredible. I’m enjoying it.”
Nygren and his team-mates could drink in the performance, but there was no overdoing it in the changing room with beer alone. Nygren smiled: “No, I don’t actually like beer. But that comes when you’re 40 plus, right!”
