Former Celtic striker Gerry Creaney has offered his take on Kyogo Furuhashi’s recent form under Brendan Rodgers.
Despite Kyogo struggling to replicate his sensational scoring form from his earlier days at Celtic since Rodgers’ return, there’s a growing belief that the manager’s tactics could be on the verge of unlocking the Japanese striker’s potential, particularly with crucial matches and silverware at stake.
Kyogo’s goalscoring form has picked up over the past few matches, regularly getting on the scoresheet.
Celtic faces a packed schedule with eight Premiership games remaining and a Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.
Creaney suggests that Kyogo could emerge as a pivotal figure in Celtic’s quest for a double.
Notably, Kyogo’s performance in the recent victory over St Johnstone—where he scored once and had two goals ruled offside—indicated a player returning to their very best.
The transition to Rodgers’ system, which Creaney describes as featuring more ‘orthodox’ opportunities, may have initially posed a challenge for Kyogo.
He said: [Daily Record] “Kyogo will look back and has probably learned a lot from Rodgers and what he’s trying to achieve with a different style of football. When new managers come in, styles do change. And when systems change, strikers need to adapt. He’s probably not been given the rapid service he was used to. He’s getting slightly more ‘orthodox’ opportunities, which maybe doesn’t always suit.
“His movement is still there. He’s still very sharp and getting into areas that are difficult for defenders to defend in. Some players adapt very quickly to change, others don’t.”
