Koki Mizuno – Celtic’s rising son

Regardless of the result in our final match of the year, Scottish champions Celtic will be SPL leaders when 2009 begins, thanks to a 3-0 win over Falkirk that was far more difficult than the scoreline indicates.

That victory arrived courtesy of one of the most impressive debut performances from a Celtic player in many years. Koki Mizuno has had just a few opportunities as a substitute since his signing in January, showing flashes of quality that offered great hope for the future.

However, the circumstances of his first start only accentuate the quality of a performance that will be the benchmark for young debutants everywhere. At the end of our “difficult week”, few players would choose for their opportunity to come in December amid gale force winds in a half-complete stadium that is fully at the mercy of the elements.

Add to that the fact that Celtic had dropped five points in the last two games – not to mention the fact that the player wide on the left of midfield would be the most keenly scrutinised – and you have the sort of pressure that invariably either brings out the best in a young player or causes them to choke. Mizuno drew on a rare mixture of industry, quality, intelligence and perhaps most importantly first-class professionalism to produce a performance that would be worthy of an established star at the top of his game.

Mizuno’s one major mistake came early in the first half when he was easily robbed of the ball in the left-back position but he was continually willing to spend time in his own penalty box to assist the defence. His athletic qualities were demonstrated by his burst of pace to score on the 90th minute, having tracked back so often, and the manner in which he so often beat defenders to the ball without ever looking as if he was straining to reach top speed.

The memorable video-byte will be of Mizuno’s goal, hurdling a tackle to then outpace Falkirk’s last defender, fend off the predictable foul and still finish with all the control of a well-struck penalty. However, even more impressive was his passing and movement.

The ability to “find spaces” is often attributed to top players who can marry athleticism with a superior ability to anticipate the flow of play in a match. But the outstanding aspect of Mizuno’s performance was his vision and range of perfectly-weighted passes that created many opportunities for his team-mates. Dare one say it, his use of the ball was reminiscent of Paul McStay.

It is early days for such high praise but Mizuno did turn in what was arguably the best showing in the left of Celtic’s midfield this season and should surely have been a contender for man-of-the-match, despite the excellent work done by Scott McDonald.

Now can he play to that standard every time? If he can, a star is born.





--