2012/20 Maya Yoshida @ Southampton F.C. (ENG)

Back to the starting line-up:

The teams are in! 🚨

Here's how #SaintsFC line-up to face #WatfordFC in the #PL: pic.twitter.com/plBwoIp3jU

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 10, 2018

Second start of the season, I think it came as a result of Southampton being spanked 6-1 last weekend by Manchester City.

 

90 minutes again in 1-3 win against Huddersfield. Some of the few positives JPAs these days. Its like a damn roller coaster.

 

New Austrian coach Hasenhüttl saw 3 matches so far. In the first he played a backline of 4, Yoshida stayed on bench and the game was lost 0-1 against Cardiff. The two newer matches both were one with a backline of 3 with Yoshida part of them both. Both were won (3-2 against Arsenal, and now the 3-1 against Huddersfield). I think he'll remain in the team now.

 

Had a masterpiece of a game against Chelsea tonight. 0-0.

Countless clearences and tackles.

 

His first start after AC, and first win for the club this year.

 

Yoshida's really making a name for himself lately. There was a lot of criticism for him being on the bench last 2 games and a lot of locals happy he's back in the starting lineup.

He's had to work hard to adapt in the EPL, hope he keeps it up. True perseverance.

 

Assist for Yoshida today against Wolverhampton.

 

To think he was the first Japanese player to play 100 games in EPL. Okazaki being the 2nd.

 

He is just 2 games away from recording 200 league games in Europe, to join Hasebe, Okazaki, Honda, Nagatomo, Kawashima, Hidetoshi Nakata, Shunsuke Nakamura, Daisuke Matsui, and Yasuhiko Okudera as the 10th Japanese player to exceed the 200 league games in Europe.

 

He deserves to be in that group.

 

Hasebe is the top Japanese player in terms of league games played in Europe (283, with today’s game), while Takayuki Seto had 330 league games in Europe but all of them are either in a minor league (Romanian League) or in a minor team in the Turkish league, hence, I did not include him in the list.

 

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/1...ender-maya-yoshida-turned-down-a-summer-move/

Yoshida's also someone who didn't choose to take the big money move in a shit league like a certain somebody.

 

Where is he?

 

Looks like he got the flu.

 

Bench for Yoshida in the season’s opener away against Burnley:

The teams are in! 😇

Here's how #SaintsFC line-up for today's opening day clash with Burnley in the #PL: pic.twitter.com/fNFpg5H88b

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 10, 2019

 

I had a feeling he would start. Well well

 

Starts today against Liverpool:

The team news is in! 😇

Here's how #SaintsFC line-up to face #LFC this afternoon in the #PL: pic.twitter.com/UAALbRHRxD

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 17, 2019

 

Good, they had to change something.

 

Yoshida almost scored a goal from a header against Liverpool.

 

Including results from last season I’m pretty sure that Southampton gets more points, on average, out of games that Yoshida starts. Too bad that stats like this aren’t available so we could see for sure. I think the data would show that he should be starting every game.

 

This stats is useless since coach may only start him against weaker team.
(I know since MU fans used to use this to justify some average players in the past)

 

Right, except that’s not the case for Yoshida. Last season, the four games vs. Liverpool and Man City (all losses), he only started one. But he also did not start in two of their worst results, the pair of losses vs Cardiff. On the other hand he did start for two of their best results, when they took points off of Man United and Chelsea. I don’t detect a pattern of him starting vs weak teams and sitting vs strong teams. The coach’s selection is based on other considerations.

 

Benched and losing 2-1 to Bournemouth.

 

Finished 1-3. Losing to Bournemouth at home is a bad result.

See my point above. They clearly play better, on the whole, when Yoshida starts. I don’t watch Saints enough to say why — maybe it’s his distribution from the back. He really should be starting every game, that’s my unbiased opinion.