In the dutch soccer magazine, Voetbal International, there was a 4 page article on Sota Hirayama. He is starting to feel comfortable in the Netherlands. The fans love him and he is learning fast to play the Dutch way. He was used to play in a one or a two striker system. It took a while to grasp the requirements the Dutch 3 striker system poses, but he is intelligent and quickly learns the tactical consequences of this system. My club, Feyenoord, has stated the need of a battering ram in the front line. I wonder if they regret not taking Sota when he was in Rotterdam for a trial. If Sota keeps on developing the way he does now we will be very sorry. Especially as Dirk Kuyt will leave in a Year time and Sota would have benefitted enormously from the guidance Dirk could have provided. I think it would be wise of the coach of the national team to include Sota in the 2006 line up. Think of the possibilities of Ono, drilled in the Dutch way, feeding a striker, also drilled the dutch way!!! I think Sota will give defenders at the World cup a scare!!! I have watched him on television since he was signed by Heracles and I like what I see. He is as cold as ice when he targets the goal!!!
Great player, for sure. He belongs in the rising striker status...along with Podolski and maybe even Tevez.
Cowards, or just not natural finishers Also are Hisato Sato's 18 goals ,Oguro's 16 and Cullen's 13 on account of them being cowards
Okay, I don't want to be accused of hijacking the thread, but I liked what you started out with. And I'm going to take it in a slightly different direction than one player in the Dutch league. I have long been an admirer of Dutch soccer. I love the style, total football, everyone on defense when the team doesn't have the ball, everyone on the attack when the team has it. Edgar Davids is one of my favorite players and one of the best midfielders in the world. I also believe that a style like the Dutch would be much more suited to Japanese players (once they learned it) and would take them away from this strong Brazilian influence the game is under (the Dutch style as taught by Guus Hiddink worked pretty well for the Koreans). Japanese are not Brazilians and I think they would do much better under a well-organized style like the Dutch or other European than the Brazilian. The Dutch style does demand a great deal of individual creativity, but not in the way that the loose Brazilian does.
Well, allright. For once only. Lets make a Japanese line up that can play the dutch way 3-3-4. We agree that Sota is developing well into the central striker. So to bend the Japanese game into the dutch direction, what left and right winger would be the perfect feeders for towering Sota? They also have to be able to stop the opponents backs and midfielders from penetrating. We already have Ono to play direct behind him, and he mastered the dutch midfield style pretty good. What players fit the bill to be the right and left midfielders. One should be a guy that can pick up the defensive task in the midfield. For the last four the backs are required to have attacking skills and speed as well. Like the Korean that played for PSV to set an Asian standard. The central defender should have a capability to pass the ball out of the defence over a distance of at least 60 meters with pinpoint precision and of course the ruthlessnes of the last man standing. And last but not least, the goalkeeper. He must have the capability to control the whole penalty area. Fast reflexes are not enough.
Nakamura and Nakata...or Ono even. And a really great youngster from Le Mans in Ligue Un in Daisuke Matsui, who can play either wing like Ono. LB- Alex Santos is a decent attacking LB...but not the class of LYP GK- Kawaguchi or Nakazawa...both decent goalkeepers, but not really commanding CD- Nakazawa is a good defender, good on the ball, but not exactly a Jaap Stam type of defender...more like a Nesta, but of course, not as good
Currently Matsui plays very well as winger in his french club, but generally Japan is said to lack enough good wingers or side players even in Asian (top) level. Ono and Nakamura played as wing(back) in Japan NT under Troussier, but they lack speed and they seem to want to play in center or free role. Anyway Hirayama scored again! Dutch league is best place for young striker to develop his skills.