The future’s of the Celtic boss and Maeda may be inextricably linked.

Two things loom over this club right now. The first concerns the manager, and the second is the future of Daizen Maeda.

The manager has spoken to Desmond about our Japanese talisman’s future, and that tells me a couple of things. He is betting big on Maeda next season. And I think he’s betting big on him in the seasons to come. If we can get this boy signed up on a long-term deal, I think the manager will follow.

What we saw yesterday from Daizen was a masterclass. He was brilliant—almost unplayable, as close to it as any player I’ve watched in a Celtic shirt in a long time. He scored twice and should have had a third when his header came off the post and led to our second goal, with Jota on hand to slot in. Right now, Maeda looks like a level above every other player in this league.

There were spells in that first half where all I could think about was the Larsson comparison, especially the way he got up for that header. That was a Larsson-esque bit of football. The King of Kings was of similar stature, had similar technical ability, and could score all different kinds of goals from anywhere on the pitch.

If the manager is making it a priority to keep Maeda at all costs, then I have to believe he sees his own future tied to working with him. What happens with one will almost certainly give us a window into what happens with the other. The boss is planning not just for next season but beyond.

That was evident in how we played in the first 45 minutes. I thought there was a slight tweak to the system.

We’ve all been talking for the past fortnight about what we could have done differently against the Ibrox club, and maybe I’m imagining it, but yesterday I thought we did some of those things. Our play was more direct. We used the long ball a lot more than usual and got a lot of joy from it, instead of that steady, slow build-up through the middle that Hearts and everyone else have learned to counter.

They weren’t so sure of themselves yesterday. They didn’t know how to handle us. That first half was one where we could—and should—have scored more. The whole game was one where we could—and should—have scored more.

If I’ve got one quibble, it’s that defensively, we weren’t quite as strong or as solid as we might have been in the early stages, where some of our football was a little off-key. Two things made a difference: how we steadied ourselves and how our defensive shakiness wore off after the big keeper made a couple of good saves. What he had to do yesterday, he did well. No fears about him going forward—he’ll do just fine.

Likewise, I think the manager’s decision to go with Nawrocki, which none of us expected, also paid off. He had a very composed game. He looks better on the ball than I initially thought, he’s decent in the air, and he’s not easily intimidated. There’s rustiness, but that will even itself out with more game time. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets more minutes this season under this manager.

The boss knows we need more quality in the squad. If there are players already here who can provide that quality with a few modest improvements, then it’s a win-win to keep them.

One of the other highlights for me yesterday was the performance of Arne Engels. I find myself writing that more and more as the season goes on, and for good reason—he’s developing into exactly the kind of player we wanted him to be.

You wouldn’t know that from the last week of press coverage, where they’ve been wetting themselves over the Ibrox midfielder Raskin. But Engels has more potential. Engels already has a higher level of quality. And I think he’s on the brink of being named Young Player of the Year. You tell me who else is beating this guy to that award.

As good as it was to see McGregor back in the team, and as good as it was to see Paulo Bernardo and others returning after injuries, I am enjoying watching our Belgian slowly but surely become the anchor of this team.

Make no mistake about it—that’s exactly what the manager has in mind: to build the midfield around him and for him to become our most complete player.

This is all part of Rodgers’ plan for next season. If I’m right about us playing more direct, then we’re preparing to change our style for Ibrox and others—and that will be very interesting indeed.

But yesterday was all about Maeda. Perhaps the most interesting thing the boss said was when he was asked if he intends to play him through the middle next season. His answer echoed everything we’ve said on this blog: it will be easier for the club to find a player to play out wide than to replace Maeda as our central striker; he’s just that good. His quality recently has fundamentally changed the plan.

I still think we need another striker, but it won’t be the big name everyone was touting in January. It won’t be an £8 million, £10 million, or £12 million signing. Why would we do that when we’d have to leave a £9 million striker out of the squad?

Why would we do it when, in all likelihood, that player wouldn’t give us through the middle what Maeda does right now? A major decision has been made. A major piece of the manager’s plan is now slotting into place.

Yesterday was exactly what it needed to be—a big victory against a team we might just face in the final game of the campaign at Hampden. There’s still work to do before we get there, but it was a good win in what could have been a tough match. It was exactly the kind of routine result we all expected a fortnight ago, and we can now put that in the rearview mirror and look ahead.

There are two games left before the split. Will we clinch the title before then? That depends on results elsewhere. But even if we don’t, the first game after the split is now pencilled in as the title decider.

If the SPFL wants to play fair, they’ll give us a home game. Knowing them, they’ll send us somewhere like Tynecastle with the lowest ticket allocation possible. No matter. What matters is that we will clinch it soon. Then, all focus turns to Hampden.

We’ve got our injured players back at just the right time, and the squad looks solid once again. Having Maeda on this form—who is as good a talent as we’ve seen up front since the King of Kings himself—is a game-changer.

Whether he hits the 100 goal mark and enters that hallowed group which Dembele, Edouard and Kyogo all failed to do, depends on how long he stays and how well he does.

But let me tell you—he’s hit 30 goals this season after playing more than half of it out wide. There’s no telling how many he’ll score if we play him through the middle for a full campaign. And for the first time yesterday, Rodgers made it clear—that’s exactly what he has in mind.