Selfless Celtic embody the Postecoglou spirit - Tony Haggerty

It was apt that Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou used that particular word to describe Daizen Maeda's wonderful contribution during the Scottish Premiership champions' 4-0 rout of Hibs at Easter Road.

The Aussie's side closed out 2022 in emphatic style with a swashbuckling performance in the capital with Maeda and a couple of others at the heart of everything that was good about Postecoglou's rip-roaring, free-scoring, never-boring Glasgow Celtic team.

Maeda missed a sitter from two yards out when he smashed a header off the crossbar but moments later he curled home a thing of beauty from 25 yards to put the champions 2-0 up and, in that instant, all three points were heading back along the M8 to Glasgow's east end.

Postecoglou watched on as his side reeled off their 12th successive Premiership win to remain nine points clear at the summit.

"Yeah he was brilliant - but he does it every week," Postecoglou pointed out post-match. "I know sometimes people don't see the work that he does for us and offers us in terms of his energy and his ability to cause opposition problems. He's been a bit unlucky I think on certain occasions with the end product but yeah probably should have scored the header. His contribution for the first goal, his willingness to run at the opposition... yeah, what a cracking goal. It'll be close for goal of the season that one.

"But that's just him. I've known him for a little while now. He's got such a strong mindset. He will close people down and won't get any rewards but it won't stop him from closing people down and that filters through to his football as well."

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The 57-year-old was just as enthusiastic for the display of his compatriot Aaron Mooy, who notched his first two goals for Celtic.

"He was great," the manager added. "To be fair, he has been knocking on the door to score a goal. He's been desperate and unlucky. He's been getting into those areas.

"I think for us, as I said before the World Cup was a really positive experience for all our lads... I think both Aaron and Daizen were outstanding."

The victory in the capital made it 12 Premiership wins on the spin and just one defeat for Celtic in 19 league matches this season as they continued their relentless run of form.

Nobody typifies that selflessness more than Maeda. The Japanese winger enjoyed a magnificent World Cup in Qatar earlier this month. But is it really any wonder that Maeda and Mooy have flourished since taking part in the greatest football tournament on earth?

The two World Cup players contributed three of Celtic's four goals against Hibs with Kyogo Furuhashi netting the fourth to take his tally to 15 in all competitions for the campaign.

Despite being knocked out by Hoops team-mate Josip Juranovic's Croatia at the last 16 stages Maeda still managed to bag a priceless World Cup finals goal and earn the praise of former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand and ex-Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer in the process.

"That's only Maeda's second international goal but he's looked like a man possessed up there," Ferdinand said at the time. "He was running around, making it difficult. With and without the ball he is a nuisance. He closed the goalkeeper down (in the first minute of the game) and you know you are in for it now.

"That's a catalyst for the other to press behind him. He's always on the move and he just drifts behind the centre-back."

Shearer added: "He has been a nightmare for them at the back. He's got too much energy for them."

High praise indeed but perish the thought that either of these two well-respected ex-footballers and pundits tuned in to watch Celtic every other week.

They would certainly know what Maeda brings to the table if they did. Postecoglou wasn't being blase when he said that he does this every week. That's because he does - he is not alone in that either.

In Edinburgh, it was certainly a case of Dial M for Maeda, Mooy and [Callum] McGregor. All three were instrumental in helping Postecoglou's men cruise to another three Premiership points with the minimum of fuss in what in recent times had become a difficult venue for Celtic.

Celtic have lost just one league match in the whole of 2022. It's a ridiculous statistic and one that shows how selfless Postecoglou's team really are. The Aussie has got the buy-in from his players and then some.

Yet he still feels that there is room for improvement.

"I’m not just throwing these words out there," he said. "You’re not going to win every game 4-0, sometimes you win games 1-0 or 2-0, but your performances can still be at the levels you want them to be.

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"I mentioned after the Livingston game there were things we were not as willing to do as earlier in the year, and you can see over the last couple of games that the boys have rectified that.

"So my role – irrespective of the results – is to keep pushing these boys because I don’t know how good they can be. They don’t know how good they can be.

"Once you remove those limits, there’s always the possibility you can improve, you can get better, our movement, the speed of our ball movement and all those things. We can always get better, and we’ll always strive to.

"So 2022 has been a great year for us and, again, that’s a credit to the lads. We’ve lost one league game out of 37, which shouldn’t be taken for granted. For the boys, home and away, to be consistently performing at such a high level is a credit to them.

"I think what you’re seeing is that we’re getting stronger. We finished 2022 stronger than we started and our goal and aim and ambition is to start 2023 stronger and finish even stronger than that.”

Every member of his personnel is ready to give their all for the cause, that much is apparent. This Celtic squad is packed with team players who are more concerned for the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.

With the Parkhead version of M People in their ranks - Maeda, Mooy and McGregor - it's easy to understand why under Postecoglou's tutelage Celtic just keep moving on up.