1 Comment

From your videos and analysis, I like the potential in Matsuki but I think he's still a bit raw. His defensive awareness is great for a 20-year-old and his aggressiveness makes him a really good asset in any team's defence. But, as you have pointed out, he is very ineffective during the team's build-up and he rather makes safe passes when dropping in between the centre-backs and being under pressure.

I think he'd do well in a 4-1-2-3 system tbh. His aggressiveness and tendency to step out of position to close the opposition down are good, but if he has no cover or his pivot partner in a 4-2-3-1 can't cover for him, it's gonna be a big problem for the centre-backs. So having a #6 behind Matsuki will help him a lot and allows him to be more expressive than he is. Also, that #6 can also take away his responsibility to drop in between the centre-backs. Then, he doesn't need to drop too deep to receive the ball and can work on facing forward to receive more often.

For me, I think he'll do well in any English Championship team, if their players are willing to cover for his mistakes. But as raw of a product he is right now, working his away into the starting XI of a Bundesliga team isn't a bad choice either. He needs to play and be mentored by a more experienced midfielder to improve his game (I'm looking at you, Makoto Hasebe). Once he gets that learning experience and training at a higher level, he'll be a complete package in midfield and be a really good midfielder in Europe.

Expand full comment