With Celtic preparing for their Champions League second leg against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, Chris Sutton has speculated on how Brendan Rodgers will set up his attack for the crucial match in Germany.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Celtic striker believes Rodgers has a big decision to make regarding whether to persist with Adam Idah up front or shift Daizen Maeda centrally.
“I suppose Brendan Rodgers has a decision to make with the game in the week against Bayern Munich. You know, I think both players can adapt. Idah has actually played off the wide area when he was at Norwich City.
“I’ve got to say that was a tremendous strike [Idah’s goa against Dundee Utd]. I think he’ll keep Adam Idah as a centre forward, a focal point, a reference point, someone to get the team up the pitch. But I understand the clamour for Daizen Maeda as he’s in a golden vein, rich vein of form, isn’t he?”
In the first leg at Celtic Park, Rodgers opted to start Idah as the central striker with Maeda playing off the left. While Celtic started the game full of energy, even believing they had taken the lead through Nicolas Kühn’s early strike before it was ruled out for offside, they struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half.
Bayern controlled possession and eventually found a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time, with Michael Olise curling home a stunning effort after a fortunate ricochet. The second half started in the worst possible way for Celtic, as they switched off at a corner, allowing Harry Kane to ghost in unmarked and fire in Bayern’s second.
However, Rodgers’ tactical tweaks changed the game in the final 25 minutes. The introduction of Jota and Yang, as well as moving Maeda centrally, helped Celtic push Bayern back. The Japanese forward pulled a goal back in the 79th minute, connecting with a fantastic cross from Yang, and suddenly, Bayern were on the back foot, resorting to time-wasting tactics to see out the win.
Who Leads the Line in Munich?
With the second leg still in the balance, the question now is whether Rodgers sticks with Idah or leans towards Maeda’s energy through the middle.
Sutton believes Idah will retain his place as the focal point, given his ability to hold up play and bring others into the game. However, Maeda’s blistering form and relentless pressing make him a strong alternative—especially against a Bayern side that struggled to deal with his movement late on in the first leg.
Rodgers has a huge call to make, but whatever decision he goes with, Celtic will need to start fast and take their chances if they are to have any hope of overturning the 2-1 deficit at the Allianz Arena.
