Wow..my eyelids were literally on the way down when Okazaki swiped that poor backpass and slotted it in! 13 goals on the season...tied with the "other Shinji"!
That goal reminds me Kagawa times. Well, it seems he's back on fire for the incoming WC. Hope he will increase his stats and score more than the last time (1 goal against Denmark thanks to Honda).
Remembering his S-pulse days and watching him now.... What a developtment he has had so far. Amazing!!
i looked at this. Nice 2 goals Then I look at the goals lmao one is a miss which takes a deflection the other a mistake from a back pass, but on both occassions the saying goes, the one who seeks shall find
Honestly the second is a great run. Sure, there is a mistake and all but his reflexes there are great and he beats the GK with ease Forgot to say thanks btw
He fell down for quite a no. of every little contact, was worried that he get booked for diving. Need to be more smarter and choose the right opportunities.
Key quote from the video: "At Stuttgart I had to make a lot of sacrifices for the team, but here at Mainz I get the sense that everyone else is working just as hard for me" (I'm paraphrasing). Sometimes it takes the right team, and the right coach, to unlock a player's potential. Like what happened with Kagawa at Dortmund.
Shinji Okazaki: No player has scored more goals away from home in the Bundesliga this season than Okazaki (10)— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 19, 2014
I wonder if Okazaki will perform the same for Mainz after the world cup, because i am beginning to doubt that. Since he mentions he was not a regular at the world cup. I feel he is performing better than he normally would, in the hope of being in the starting line up for the world cup
I don't think so. I've watched him for years, and he's the type of player that always gives his all. He gave 100% at Stuttgart just like he gives 100% at Mainz. The difference has a lot to do with being on a better team with a better coach, and has nothing to do with more effort on the part of the player. Plus as Dax says he was a starter for the JNT long before he came to Mainz so even if that mattered your theory doesn't work out.