It was a surprise not to see Celtic centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi in Japan’s squad for the 2024 Asian Cup. The decision to leave out the ex-Vissel Kobe man was not one manager Hajime Moriyasu made lightly, though.
The gaffer was asked directly about his election to drop Kyogo in a recent press conference: “It was extremely difficult, it’s just really painful to make decisions like these”, he said (The Celtic Way). “I went for the ones I thought had the most individual strength. I wanted players who can overcome situations individually and have to have the ability to connect with people and work together with those around them.”
Although Kyogo wasn’t included in Japan’s squad, two of his Celtic teammates, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate, were. The pair have both returned from injury issues over the past month, Hatate more recently than Maeda, but Moriyasu believes they can offer more to the group than their Celtic teammate.
The Samurai Blue kick off their campaign this weekend when they take on Vietnam. After that, Japan have two more group games before they aim to progress to the knockout rounds and go on to win the Asian Cup.
If they do so, it would only be the fifth time in their history it would have happened. Maeda and Hatate have a great opportunity to become national heroes throughout this month and next, and all of a Celtic persuasion will be backing them thoroughly.
