What exactly is the situation with Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi?

“He’s like all strikers. They go a couple of games without scoring and the world collapses in on them.”

The Celtic manager’s words, describing a barren run for striker Kyogo Furuhashi. This was not Brendan Rodgers addressing Celtic’s star forward’s current goal drought, but rather Ange Postecoglou speaking in October of last year.

There appears to be a narrative that Kyogo’s drop in goal-scoring productivity this season has been influenced, if not entirely caused, by Rodgers’ tactics. However, even under Postecoglou, the striker experienced periods of poor form and apparent confidence crises.

Rodgers has sought to deflect blame for Kyogo’s struggles, claiming that he is attempting to persuade his striker to stop allowing his frustration at his lack of involvement (he touched the ball only four times in the first half against Hearts, despite Celtic controlling nearly 75 percent of the ball) to get the better of him.

When he does this, he begins to wander into deeper areas, negating his greatest strength, which is his ability to penetrate behind defences. However, it is up to Rodgers to devise a strategy for capitalising on that strength against deep-lying opposition backlines.

Postecoglou’s reference to a “couple of games” last year was actually a run of one goal in eight games. Furuhashi was chastised at times under the Australian’s tutelage for failing to convert chances in the Champions League, but he improved this season, scoring twice in six appearances at the top level.

To be sure, his lack of Premiership goals (six in 18 games) is a cause for concern. Last year on this day, he scored his 11th goal of the season in just 15 games against Livingston at Celtic Park.

All eyes will now be on the same game this Saturday to see if Kyogo can end his current goal drought. He has only scored once in his last 12 appearances for Celtic in all competitions, and none in the seven games since his goal in the 6-0 thrashing of Aberdeen.

What was also notable about that game was that he took a smack on the head from Dons defender Slobodan Rubezic in a thumping challenge, sustaining a significant head knock that kept him out of Japan’s November fixtures.

In reality, he hasn’t looked like the same player since. Whether he is lacking confidence or is being overly cautious for his own good, there does appear to be a spark missing from his play at the moment.

Of course, one could argue that he isn’t firing on all cylinders due to a lack of supply, but that argument is somewhat undermined by his glaring, fresh-air miss from a glorious Luis Palma pass in the defeat to Hearts last weekend.

However, it could be argued that Kyogo has gone from feasting on crosses to famine in terms of his supply from wide areas over the course of the season. His goal against Aberdeen was a return to the formula that had served him so well in previous seasons, with a teammate getting to the byline and cutting back for him to finish with one touch.

That was an outlier in comparison to the type of service he is currently receiving. While Palma has made an impact with his goals, he lacks the creativity of his predecessor on the left side of the Celtic attack, Jota. In addition, he prefers to cut in on his stronger right foot to get shots off rather than getting to the byline to supply for others.

On the other hand, Daizen Maeda’s return and the impending return of Liel Abada will be welcomed by Kyogo. The introduction of Yang Hyun-jun, the persistence with Mikey Johnston, and the reliance on an ageing James Forrest have all done little more than stoke the ire and raise the blood pressure of the Celtic fans.

Kyogo has also suffered as a result of the injury issues that have plagued Reo Hatate’s season.

There has been some good link-up play with Celtic’s player of the season so far, Matt O’Riley, most notably for the fantastic goal they built together against Atletico Madrid at Celtic Park. But there is no doubt that Kyogo’s understanding with his compatriot is a huge loss for both Celtic and the forward.

So, there is no single reason why Kyogo is currently failing to reach the heights he has been known to achieve at various points throughout his Celtic career, but rather an imperfect storm. But what is largely overlooked is that such sporadic dips in form have previously plagued his time in Scotland.

The return of players in the Celtic attack’s supporting areas should result in an improvement in his and his team’s fortunes. And, given his past adversity response and patchy form, all signs point to Kyogo making a comeback.

In other news, Celtic and Rangers are keeping an eye on Kilmarnock goalkeeper Will Dennis.