Japan forward, Kaoru Mitoma believes the two late goals he scored for his nation to clinch a place at the 2022 World Cup were invaluable to his career progression.
I'm Indonesian and Arsenal's Fan, glad to see more Asian players in EPL, made Asian Proud, Mr. MITOMO. You are great in dribbling, passing, and ball control
Kaoru Mitoma is a truly unique player, and I am really looking forward to seeing him finally play at the highest level. Those of us who have been watching him since he joined Frontale as a 22-year-old recognised almost immediately that he has something special. Im not suggesting that he is going to be a superstar (maybe he will, maybe not. Potential doesnt always equal results). But he does have a quality that I have never seen before — and I was a LIverpool fan when Kenny Dalglish first signed.
As Mitoma himself notes (despite clear embarassment at the question), his most defining characteristic is his "direct" style of play. He doesnt dally with the ball – he looks to either take on his man or create space and immediately find an open teammate. But the underlying skill that makes him so "direct" is his ability to suddenly run past a defender, as if they are standing still. Most people will see him do it one or two times and say "he's really fast", or "good acceleration". But in a footrace with the ball nowhere in sight, Mitoma is not THAT fast. You wont see him just explode past people on the wing, the way King Kenny did in his prime. Mitoma's "speed" comes from something that I think is truly unique. I like to describe it as "continuously variable transmission", because thats really the best parallel I can make. Check out one of his highlight videos and youll quickly see what Im talking about.
Most people run in one of three postures – jog, dash, and all-out sprint. When they "change gears" it is immediately obvious based on their stance and movement. Mitoma seems to be able to accelerate, decelerate, accelerate again, etc. without ever altering the "gear" that his body seems to be using. So he will be running along shoulder to shoulder with the defender (who thinks "I can keep up with this"), and then suddenly without any apparent change of "gear", Mitoma starts to pull away (the DF panics and tries to change gears) edges in front (the stumbling DF has to pull up to avoid a foul), and gets into the clear.
He does this repeatedly, at every level, against some of the quickest defenders in the world. Dont take my word for it – ask Takehiro Tomiyasu how many times he's seen Mitoma's heels. Another interesting thing I have noted is that – perhaps because he never really changes the "way he runs" – Mitoma seems to have just as good a touch when he's sprinting full out as when he is standing still.
But this brings us to the drawbacks. As I noted, Mitoma joined Kawasaki at age 22 – he is a university grad. and very bright (destined to be a coach, if he doesnt go into business first). The Japan university league is pretty competitive (look up Japan's record in the world Universiade games), with many teams also playing in Japan's division 5, and even occasionally in the fourth-tier JFL. But obviously, playing for your university isnt the same as playing as a professional from around age 18. Mitoma's overall game is still what I would describe as "immature". His tactical sense is improving, but still not what you would expect of a 25–yr-old NT player. He sometimes wastes chances by not knowing where his teammates should be, or give the ball away in dangerous spots.
Hopefully Brighton understand his value as well as his shortcomings, and will use him in a more forward position where his positioning and anticipation arent as exposed. The point is, he is still quite early in his football development, and can only get better as he has more exposure to truly top-shelf competition.
12 Comments
I'm Thai and Tottenham fan but I'm 100%fan of him
とりあえず髭濃すぎるから脱毛しようぜ
Im South Korean fan, so happy to the another asian player join the Premier League and Brighton. Good luck Kaoru!
I'm Indonesian and Arsenal's Fan, glad to see more Asian players in EPL, made Asian Proud, Mr. MITOMO. You are great in dribbling, passing, and ball control
My new favourite player outside of my club as a neutral City fan.
Kudos Brighton 🍻
イイぞ薫ー
Kaoru Mitoma is a truly unique player, and I am really looking forward to seeing him finally play at the highest level. Those of us who have been watching him since he joined Frontale as a 22-year-old recognised almost immediately that he has something special. Im not suggesting that he is going to be a superstar (maybe he will, maybe not. Potential doesnt always equal results). But he does have a quality that I have never seen before — and I was a LIverpool fan when Kenny Dalglish first signed.
As Mitoma himself notes (despite clear embarassment at the question), his most defining characteristic is his "direct" style of play. He doesnt dally with the ball – he looks to either take on his man or create space and immediately find an open teammate. But the underlying skill that makes him so "direct" is his ability to suddenly run past a defender, as if they are standing still. Most people will see him do it one or two times and say "he's really fast", or "good acceleration". But in a footrace with the ball nowhere in sight, Mitoma is not THAT fast. You wont see him just explode past people on the wing, the way King Kenny did in his prime. Mitoma's "speed" comes from something that I think is truly unique. I like to describe it as "continuously variable transmission", because thats really the best parallel I can make. Check out one of his highlight videos and youll quickly see what Im talking about.
Most people run in one of three postures – jog, dash, and all-out sprint. When they "change gears" it is immediately obvious based on their stance and movement. Mitoma seems to be able to accelerate, decelerate, accelerate again, etc. without ever altering the "gear" that his body seems to be using. So he will be running along shoulder to shoulder with the defender (who thinks "I can keep up with this"), and then suddenly without any apparent change of "gear", Mitoma starts to pull away (the DF panics and tries to change gears) edges in front (the stumbling DF has to pull up to avoid a foul), and gets into the clear.
He does this repeatedly, at every level, against some of the quickest defenders in the world. Dont take my word for it – ask Takehiro Tomiyasu how many times he's seen Mitoma's heels. Another interesting thing I have noted is that – perhaps because he never really changes the "way he runs" – Mitoma seems to have just as good a touch when he's sprinting full out as when he is standing still.
But this brings us to the drawbacks. As I noted, Mitoma joined Kawasaki at age 22 – he is a university grad. and very bright (destined to be a coach, if he doesnt go into business first). The Japan university league is pretty competitive (look up Japan's record in the world Universiade games), with many teams also playing in Japan's division 5, and even occasionally in the fourth-tier JFL. But obviously, playing for your university isnt the same as playing as a professional from around age 18. Mitoma's overall game is still what I would describe as "immature". His tactical sense is improving, but still not what you would expect of a 25–yr-old NT player. He sometimes wastes chances by not knowing where his teammates should be, or give the ball away in dangerous spots.
Hopefully Brighton understand his value as well as his shortcomings, and will use him in a more forward position where his positioning and anticipation arent as exposed. The point is, he is still quite early in his football development, and can only get better as he has more exposure to truly top-shelf competition.
Someone please show these Brighton fans Mitoma's jumping backheel behind the back pass to Ienaga. That was just ridiculous and sublime.
ペナウド😂
Mitoma shut up hurry up finish this season and come to spur
Mitoma is really a guy working for the Premiere League, as he showed in the liverpool game.
Brighton did really sign a fantastic player
I like this player