Brendan issued the players with a book about Celtic's playing style and what he would expect of us. It contained lots of tactical stuff and how we were going to be a high-pressing, attacking and aggressive team. It all made perfect sense and the Celtic players were never in any doubt as to what was required of them when Brendan was the boss.

The words of former Celtic defender Eric Sviatchenko speaking exclusively to the Celtic Way when Rodgers waltzed into the club on day one of his first summer in charge. The issuing of a Celtic bible served Rodgers and his team well. The men in green and white won seven out of seven domestic trophies from 2016 to 2019.

Rodgers likes to preach football. His sermons are certainly worth listening to. The Northern Irishman is a manager whom players seem to migrate to and hang onto his every word. His knowledge and wisdom in the game are second to none really. Rodgers possesses an elite mentality as a football boss and it is simply not enough to win.

The key in all of this, of course, is to sustain levels of success if and when possible. Let's assume that Rodgers handed his squad a similar Celtic bible. It would appear that one man has been studying it religiously and probably read it from cover to cover already.

Step forward, Daizen Maeda.

You get the impression the Japanese frontman is as quick with tasks off the park as he is strutting his funky stuff on it. A real silver lining during Celtic's 6-4 loss to Yokohama F. Marinos was the hat-trick despatched by Maeda. Rodgers' comments in the aftermath suggested that Maeda may not necessarily be deployed as an out-and-out winger like he was during Ange Postecoglou's two-year reign in Paradise.

He said: "I thought Daizen was outstanding against Yokohama. I like him more through the middle. I think he does a good job on the side but there is a reason he plays for Japan through the middle.

"I think his penetration and his movement are terrific. I was really impressed with his touch too, because I think he’s usually a player who is running away from the ball but when he had to link the game and set the game I thought he was very good. On top of that, his pressing is phenomenal. I like players at the top end who can really press the game and Daizen can definitely do that

"There are parts of his game to develop but we don’t want him to be one who is running away from the ball. When defences are deep we need the front players to come off it, lay the ball off and get in the box. It’s an important aspect of football and I could see on Wednesday that Daizen could do that."

If Rodgers can get Maeda's numbers up in terms of goals ratio to compatriot Kyogo Furuhashi's figures is anybody's guess but he will certainly want to see last season's total of 11 goals in 48 appearances surpassed handsomely.

Remember when Maeda came into the Celtic side and made an instant impact when he hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against Hibs after just four minutes in January 2022? Remember his wonder goal against the same opposition at Easter Road in December 2022? Remember his stunning opener against Rangers in the New Year game in January 2023? Remember his beautiful assist for Jota's 'Brazen Header' in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden Park back in April?

Rodgers loves Maeda because he is versatile. He is also malleable. The definition of a team player. Maeda is a dream for Rodgers and the pressing style that he evidently wants to play. Maeda's selfless, hard-working, team ethic is not lost on the manager. If the Yokohama F.Marinos display is anything to go by and Maeda continues to read and learn from the Celtic bible, then it will be a matter of time before Rodgers has him playing like the devil.

Whilst domestically, Maeda was a player that Postecoglou hung his hat on and was pivotal to Celtic's success in the last two years, it is on the European scene where he can really prove his worth. If Celtic are to re-establish their name as a feared team once again at the top table of European football then it's a sure-fire bet that under Rodgers the Scottish champions will become a counter-attacking side.

Who better to provide the jabs and counter-attacking punches needed to be a success in Europe than Maeda alongside his fellow countryman Kyogo? Blistering pace and a clinical eye for goal is what's needed at the Champions League level. Celtic possessed the speed last season they just lacked the necessary composure to convert. The chance-to-goal ratio was somewhat skewed.

A team armed with pace, composure and a clinical streak in front of goal could take Celtic exactly where they want to go. Maeda is a standout player in that respect as he is blessed with lightning pace. It is a weapon in Celtic's armoury that they simply have to exploit and use in this season's Champions League group matches.

After all, wasn't it Rodgers coaching that elevated the likes of Luis Suarez at Liverpool and James Maddison at Leicester City to the elite-level player that they both went on to become? There is a method in Rodgers' supposed madness with the handing out of a Celtic bible to each and every individual player.

They know exactly what is required of them. Maeda most certainly does. Rodgers had got to work on Maeda and his philosophy and instructions are already showing early signs of bearing fruit. He sees him as a vital cog in the green-and-white machine going forward. Don't take my word for it.

READ MORE: What day 1 of Brendan Rodgers' Celtic regime will look like

Take the words of Suarez and Maddison themselves. Suarez once said of Rodgers: "Rodgers was interested in Spain, he had studied there, and what he’d learned there was at the heart of our style of play: passing, pressuring high, quick movement, arriving into the area rather than standing there waiting for it, coming inside from wide positions.

"The way he coached us during my time there was impressive and I am sure that the methods I enjoyed and found so effective will continue to be employed. Everything Brendan does is built towards perfecting the mechanics of football and making adjustments for the next game or to fulfil a particular objective."

Maddison clinched a £40 million move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer and wrote after Rodgers was sacked by Leicester City: "Thank you, Gaffer, A top manager & even more importantly a brilliant and caring man. Your impact on my career and life outside of football is something I’ll be grateful for forever. Good luck with whatever is next."

Suarez and Maddison once read from the same Rodgers football bible. It didn't do their careers any harm at all. In fact, they took Rodgers' word as gospel. Maeda could well be the next Celtic player to elevate his game to elite status... if he goes by the book.