The World Cup fate of Celtic's trio of Japan internationals was decided on Tuesday and it was delight for Daizen Maeda but disappointment for Kyogo and Reo Hatate.
If the Celtic midfielder's absence was expected then there was shock over the call to omit the former Vissel Kobe forward who has been a Samurai Blue regular over the past two years Kyogo has found himself on the fringes of the Japan national team in recent matches with minutes hard to come by under boss Hajime Moriyasu but the axe was still a shock.
Few would have predicted Kyogo would be absent from the 26-man cut until a newspaper in Japan hinted the Celtic hero was set to be left disappointed. The decision to cull Kyogo is a surprise in Japan but onlookers have noted the striker has never been able to show his best form while starring for the national team. His record of three goals in 16 appearances is no stick to beat him with, of course, with several of those caps coming as cameos. Celtic punters have been rightly miffed at the news and pointed to Kyogo's favourable record of Takuma Asano and Ayase Ueda for their club sides this season. But those who know Japan boss Moriyasu best point is constantly seeking a perfect balance to his squad.
The 54-year-old hinted as much during his press conference to name his 26-man squad. He said: "We selected players who will be on the same wavelength as a team, who will be able to move and link up together, who through their organization will be able to make use of their individual strengths."
But his words now certainly jar with the effusive verdict about Kyogo as he moved to talk up the Celtic star as a bonafide Japan star in May. He was asked about the world class talents Brazil offered ahead of a vital friendly in preparation for the showpiece event in Qatar. Speaking five months ago, Moriyasu said: “We are building towards our final squad for the World Cup and to play a team like Brazil with so many wonderful players will be a great test for us. They have global superstars like Neymar and Vinicius Junior who we are told will be coming to Japan.
“Brazil have many wonderful players, but so do we. We have players in great shape like Furuhashi who has now scored 20 goals for the season with Celtic and Maeda too. They are two very quick players and we know that opponents dislike that. I want to make use of their speed as a Japanese weapon.”
It's hard to believe Kyogo is now out of the squad during a time where he has remained fit and scored regularly for Celtic at domestic level despite his struggles in the Champions League. Maeda is in on the basis of his unbreakable work ethic but Kyogo is no slouch when it comes to putting in the hard yards.
There will no doubt be more shock omission from the other 31 squads, however, few will likely feel as cruel as Kyogo's as he goes from regular contributor to left on the waiting list for a shot at redemption.
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