EARLIER this season, when Celtic were facing up to the League Cup Final, manager Ange Postecoglou felt compelled to take a risk on the fitness of Kyogo. It paid off handsomely on the day, but cost Celtic in the long run, as their star striker pulled up with an aggravation of hamstring injury in the next match at St Johnstone.
Fast forward to April, and Celtic faced up to a trip to Ibrox to take on Rangers in a pivotal match to decide the destination of the Premiership title, again, just as Kyogo had returned to full training and was busting a gut to make another sensational return to action ahead of schedule.
This time though, Postecoglou had the luxury of playing it safe with his Japanese talisman, holding him back for a likely run-out against St Johnstone tomorrow. The reason? He now has a man he can trust to fill the breach up front, even on the biggest of occasions.
Giorgos Giakoumakis has stepped up to the plate in Kyogo’s absence, and then some, culminating in the Greek forward being named the cinch Premiership player of the month for March yesterday.
It was a fitting reward for a spell during which he hit five goals in two games, and showed the Celtic support just what he was capable of after a slow start to life in Glasgow.
Through a mixture of injury and Covid, Giakoumakis was unable to get up to speed in the early part of the season, but with those days firmly behind him now, the 27-year-old is looking forward to finishing his first season in Scotland strongly.
Kyogo, it seems, might even have a fight on his hands just to get into the team.
“The award is a really good thing to get,” Giakoumakis said. “I feel good about my football at the moment.
“The second half of the season has been really good for me. I’m healthy and strong and I’ve tried to give my best on the field.
“I’ve scored some goals – 11 so far in the second part of the season – and I’m looking forward to the goals which will follow.
“It was a really frustrating time for me [in the first half of the season]. It was really difficult because I was trying to settle here and adjust to a new environment.
“I was looking forward to coming here and playing my first games but it was harder than I thought.
“I had an injury and also Covid so I was sick a couple of times. So it was difficult for me to get fit and strong and help my team-mates.
“It was a really difficult time but it’s made me even more [an] egoist. My ego is now even bigger.
“I worked even harder. That’s why I’m really strong right now.”
Not lacking in self-belief, then, either. As was evidenced by his strong words on Celtic’s title credentials back in February, proclamations that he is no doubt feeling a little smugly vindicated in putting forward right about now.
His confidence though, he insists, shouldn’t be mistaken for arrogance. And certainly not for complacency, with Giakoumakis pointedly stressing that there isn’t any counting of chickens going on inside Celtic just yet.
“We know that the league is not ever yet,” he said. “We need to win every single game – that’s our target.
“The target of the team is not just to win the league – it’s to win every single battle from now on until the end.
“This is our job – to focus on the next game – no matter what the last game we played was and how the big the win was. We always have to focus on the next game and that’s what we are doing now.
“From day one we only had to focus on us and what we will do. We have to win every single game and focus on our game and nothing else.
“Of course it’s quite a strong position but as I’ve said before it’s not over. We have to be focused in every single game as there are more games to come until the end.
“We have to win every single one. Maybe we have a small advantage but it’s only that – nothing else. We have to protect this and keep winning in every game.”
The upturn in the form and fortunes of Giakoumakis begs the question of what he could have achieved this term with a strong pre-season behind him, with his sights set next campaign on bettering the 29-goal haul for VVV-Venlo last season that persuaded Celtic to sign him in the first place.
“I hope [I can],” he said. “If I’m healthy I can do many things. I don’t know about numbers but my focus and my target will be the same.
“Whenever I am strong, healthy and fit like just now, my target is to score and help my team-mates in every single game.
“I think I’m in the best period of my career. This is the best age. I hope from now on I will keep scoring a lot of goals for Celtic.
“I will give my best for them and I hope to have some successful seasons by winning some trophies. I’m very optimistic.”
Nobody who has heard him speak, would ever doubt that.
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