Rodgers must axe Kuhn to unleash "incredible" Celtic star & it's not Yang
da jogodeouro： Celtic found themselves on the receiving end of a loss in the Scottish Premiership for the second time in their last three matches on Sunday afternoon.
da supremo： The Hoops were beaten 1-0 by bottom-of-the-league St. Johnstone in a shock result at McDiarmid Park, as they conceded to Daniels Balodis after just four minutes.
It was an incredibly frustrating afternoon for Brendan Rodgers and his side because they had 26 efforts on goal and created two ‘big chances’, but failed to find the back of the net a single time.
The Premiership leaders did not convert the quality opportunities that they fashioned throughout the match, as their star attackers did not step up to showcase the best of their abilities.
Daizen Maeda, who has scored 30 goals and provided nine assists in all competitions so far this season, only had 19 touches of the ball and two of Celtic’s 26 shots, whilst he did not create a single chance for his teammates during his time on the pitch.
Rodgers has some difficult decisions to make ahead of the clash with Kilmarnock at Parkhead next weekend, and one star who must be ruthlessly ditched from the team is winger Nicolas Kuhn.
Why Nicolas Kuhn should be dropped
The German forward was withdrawn from the action as part of a double substitution at half-time after a frustrating first half of action on the right wing.
Kuhn has left himself in a position where supporters and the management team expect big things from him because of his form earlier in the campaign, having racked up 18 goals and 14 assists in all competitions.
He established himself as a star performer for the Scottish giants and that is why it is so noticeable when he is not at his best, because the team suffers as a result of his lack of impact.
Nicolas Kuhn
Vs St Johnstone
24/25 Premiership (per game)
Goals + assists
0
0.67
Shots
2
1.8
Shots on target
0
0.8
Key passes
1
1.7
Big chances created
0
0.4
Pass success rate
72%
76%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has averaged a goal or an assist more often than not, and a shot on target more often than not, in the Premiership this season, but he managed neither against St. Johnstone.
Put simply, more is expected of the former Rapid Vienna star than he showed in the 1-0 defeat on Sunday, which is why it was a disappointing display and why the manager must, now, drop him for the clash with Kilmarnock.
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Rodgers does have plenty of options at his disposal to make alterations to the starting line-up, and one possible replacement for Kuhn would be Hyun-jun Yang.
Hyun-jun Yang's improvement at Celtic
The South Korean whiz joined on a permanent deal from Gangwon in the summer of 2023 and endured a difficult first season with the Scottish giants.
Yang ended the 2023/24 campaign with a tally of just one goal and three assists in 31 appearances in all competitions, as he failed to offer much of a threat at the top end of the pitch.
Given that paltry return in front of goal, it would not have been a surprise to have seen the forward moved on from Parkhead in the summer transfer window last year. Instead of leaving, though, the 22-year-old ace stayed to fight for a place in the squad, and has earned one.
Hyun-jun Yang (Premiership)
23/24
24/25
Appearances
24
20
Starts
10
8
Goals
1
4
Conversion rate
5%
27%
Pass accuracy
81%
86%
Assists
3
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Yang has been as creative as he was in the Premiership last season, but has offered far more of a threat as a goalscorer for the Hoops.
The South Korea international has racked up five goals and six assists in 30 matches in all competitions, which means that the winger has provided five more goals and three more assists than he did last term.
Despite that obvious improvement from Yang in the final third, it is Adam Idah who should be brought in to replace Kuhn in the starting line-up next weekend.
Why Adam Idah must be unleashed
The Ireland international should come in to start ahead of the German winger, with Maeda moving out wide on the left and Jota moving over to the right, to play as the number nine.
Idah’s pace and power was on full display in the defeat to St. Johnstone after he came off the bench to throw his hat in the ring to start next time out with a strong showing.
The Irish marksman should have had an assist for an equalising goal when he brilliantly burst down the right channel and produced an inch-perfect cross for James Forrest, who fired his shot down the middle of the goal to be blocked by the goalkeeper.
Idah, who won five of his six duels, ended his 29 minutes on the pitch with one dribble completed, two chances created, one ‘big chance’ created, five shots, and one shot on target.
These statistics show that the former Norwich City centre-forward, whose talent was once dubbed “incredible” by Rodgers, made an impact off the bench on Sunday, which is why he should now be brought in to show what he can do from the start against Kilmarnock.
The 24-year-old attacker, who has scored 14 goals in all competitions, has scored eight goals and created six ‘big chances’ in 15 starts in the Premiership so far this term.
Idah’s finishing has not always been good enough, with 13 ‘big chances’ missed, but he causes opposition defenders problems with his pace and power, as he did off the bench against St. Johnstone, which is why Rodgers must bring him into the XI next weekend.
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It is now down to the former Liverpool and Leicester boss to ruthlessly ditch Kuhn from the team to unleash Idah, whilst moving Maeda back out to the wing.