Takeaki Harigaya – Jubilo Iwata’s deep-lying playmaker

Takeaki Harigaya grew up idolising Shunsuke Nakamura as he started playing football in Japan as a five-year-old, beginning his career with Furukawa Azul FC before moving to FC Koga as he spent his high-school career with Shohei High School. He grew up with his sister, watching baseball while also playing the Pokemon Sword and Shield video game as Harigaya has always been a highly regarded player at Japanese youth level with outings for the U17 and U20 side. At U17 level, he played with players like Reo Hatate, Ayase Ueda, Taishi Matsumoto and Kaoru Mitoma as the 24-year-old is becoming one of the key players for Jubilo Iwata’s push for promotion to the J League.

Harigaya has a lithe frame as he loves to drop into the deeper areas, receive possession, lay-off the ball to centre-backs and work sideways passes while he re-orients his body to receive possession and play penetrative passes forward. He can drive the ball into open spaces while contorting his body to thread line-breaking passes through tight lines of pressure to push his side forward while he will move into the wide areas to work connections, being graceful in one-touch passing interchanges. In the opposition half, he shows immense promise as a chance creator, threading well-weighted passes to runners to create opportunities as his vision is immense in allowing him thread passes through tight lines while he can also switch possession or lob passes into runners. Defensively, his preferred method of regaining possession is through interceptions, sliding across the defensive line to make timely interceptions while in the counter-press, he will cover passing lanes to regain possession and drive the ball forward.

In the season opener against Fagiano Okayama, his team switched to a three-chain in the build-up phase as he dropped into space to receive possession and swivel to face his body towards the opposite flank, prodding the ball into that direction before swivelling his hips and playing a line-breaking pass through three midfielders to find an attacker in the final third. In his motoring skills, Harigaya’s ability to turn and angle deep line-breaking passes allows him to be a press resistant operator at the base of midfield. In the defensive phase, he was moving towards the flank looking to cover a runner who moved into an offside position before identifying an open passing lane to the nine-space as he slid across the defensive block to make a timely sliding interception. After a turnover, the Japanese youth international received possession in the six-space as he scanned while the ball was rolling to him, controlling the ball and driving possession forward, evading three attackers to contort his body and play a sideways pass to a teammate in space.

Harigaya dropped in between the centre-backs to receive possession, skipping past a defender and playing a pass to the wide areas as his directional first touches and instincts in allowing the ball to roll across his body is also well developed. He would receive possession in the left half-space from the left flank, allowing the ball to roll across his body to his stronger right foot where he played a line-breaking pass into the next line. Defensively, he would make a tackle on an opposition player within his own box before swivelling his body and working a pass to a teammate to start a counter-attack. His directional first touch, ability to contort his body and vision for precise and penetrative passes allows him to be an effective chance creator in the final third as he received possession in the opposition half, stretching to control the ball with his right foot before threading a line-breaking pass to a teammate in the box.

Away to Renofa Yamaguchi, he slid across to make a well-timed sliding challenge to regain possession before quickly getting back to his feet to regain possession again with an interception, poking a pass to a teammate to start a counter-attack. His midfield partner dropped in between the centre-backs to receive possession with Harigaya moving in behind the two opposition attackers in the second-line to receive a pass, swivel towards the flank and thread another pass in between the lines to the ten space. The 24-year-old would receive possession in the opposition half, switching possession to the right flank as he received possession once more after a deflected cross to thread a pass to a teammate at the edge of the opposition box. After a turnover in the defensive phase, he played a cushioned one-touch pass to a teammate.

In the build-up phase, Jubilo Iwata switched to a three-chain again as Harigaya was looking for space behind the first line of pressure before he received possession and spread a pass to the wide areas. The 24-year-old received possession in the six-space once more, scanning as the ball rolled towards him, allowing the ball to roll across him, taking a touch with his weaker left foot and prodding the ball to his right foot to work a pass past pressure to a teammate in the next line. He repeated this trick, receiving possession with his left foot and prodding the ball to his right to play another cushioned pass to a teammate in between the lines. Harigaya received possession in the six-space again to lob a deep pass over the defensive line for a runner as a recovering defender headed the ball into the arms of the goalkeeper. The 24-year-old can also push his side forward in counter-attacking situations as he controlled a pass with his chest before threading a pass to a teammate from his own box.

Harigaya received possession outside the opposition box to play a one-touch switch-pass to the right flank before lobbing another pass onto the chest of a teammate which allowed the striker to have a shot saved. He stretched his left leg to control a pass before rolling a pass to a teammate with his right foot before receiving a pass in the eight space to turn and play a progressive pass to the nine-space. Defensively, Harigaya tracked a marker into the wide areas to make an interception before receiving possession in the right half-space to play a one-touch progressive pass on the half-turn. The 24-year-old received a lay-off in the six-space to play a one-touch left-footed through ball to Keisuke Goto who drove into the box to send a 1v1 wide of the far post. He made an interception in the counter-press to play a back-heel to a teammate before making another interception in the counter-press.

At home to Montedio Yamagata, Harigaya was positioned soundly to make an interception on a counter-pressing situation as he followed this up with another interception in the counter-pressing phase. The 24-year-old received possession in the opposition half, controlling the ball with his right foot to drive the ball forward before playing a left-footed pass through two defenders to a teammate in the box for a low crossing opportunity. In the defensive phase, he scrambled across to make another interception before working a pass to a teammate to start a counter-attacking situation. The Japanese youth international received possession to drive the ball backwards, contorting his body to thread a pass to a teammate in between the lines. He slid across to close a passing lane and make another interception in the defensive phase before playing a one-touch pass to a teammate after a turnover. A ball was lofted into his zone for Harigaya to make an aerial interception before receiving a lay-off to spread a pass to the wide areas.

Harigaya dropped into the defensive chain to create a three-chain as he received possession to drive the ball forward and thread a line-breaking pass to a teammate in between the lines. He played a back-pass from his wide right position before moving into the six-space where he received possession to turn and thread a line-breaking pass to a teammate in between the lines before receiving possession to play a one-touch pass to the wide areas. He moved into the opposition half to receive possession, controlling the ball with his left foot before playing a pass in between the lines. Defensively, Harigaya intercepted a long-throw into the 9 space before receiving possession in the six-space to spread a pass to the right flank as he moved into the final third to receive possession again, playing a reverse pass into a runner who had a blocked shot saved. He received possession in the six-space to play a line-breaking pass to the eight space as he received possession in the same zone, twisting and turning to evade a marker and drive the ball into space to work a one-two with a teammate.

Harigaya received possession with his back to the opposition goal to swivel and thread a pass to a teammate before covering a passing lane to make another interception in a counter-pressing situation. The 24-year-old made another interception on a pass into the nine-space as his positioning in the defensive phase is sound while in another defensive situation, he covered space to make a tackle before making another interception to play a one-touch pass to a teammate. When one of his centre-backs moved into the wide areas to track his marker, Harigaya covered his space to make a clean tackle before playing a left-footed pass to a teammate. In another defensive situation, he pushed forward to close down the opposition’s deep-lying midfielder, making a tackle before driving the ball into the opposition half to play the ball to a teammate as he received possession once more and attempted to lob a pass for a runner in behind which was too heavy.

Harigaya is a deep-lying player and chance creator as this is facilitated by his ability to pass progressively from a variety of body shapes and situations, be it on the half-turn, contorting his body while facing his own goal as he can also twist and turn out of tight situations to play the ball. His disguised passes are his greatest strength as he can be facing one of the flanks to swivel and thread a deep line-breaking pass to the attacking line as he thrives in passing interchanges. When dropping into space, he will normally look to play a safe pass backwards before moving into space to receive possession once more in an area where he can turn and play the ball forward. In the final third, he consistently plays passes into the box as he can play the pass that leads to the assist or the pass that leads to a goal with his well-weighted slide-rule passes into runners. The 24-year-old can also switch the ball to either flank as on the ball, he is one of the more intriguing midfielders in Japan.

Defensively, he is astute in his concentration, focus and mobility as he can slide across and make interceptions while in the defensive phase, he is key in tracking runners into the box, covering for teammates when they move out of position and making last minute movements to close passing lanes. He thrives both in the defensive phase as well as in the counter-press where he can close down passing lanes to regain possession with interceptions as he has the vision and progressive passing to recycle play effectively. When he regains possession, he is calm on the ball as he constantly looks to play the ball forward, looking to lead breaking situations as he is an exciting two-way player. He would thrive as an 8 in a 4-2-3-1 formation next to a more defensive-minded midfielder as he could be one of the steals on the Japanese market in the next two transfer windows.

Harigaya’s contract expires in January next year as he could be an option for a few mid-level teams in European football. Michael Silberbauer’s FC Utrecht suit the 24-year-old’s style of play and would prove to a good move for him as would Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem, AZ Alkmaar and Groningen. Holstein Kiel, Hamburg, Magdeburg and Nurnberg in Bundesliga 2 would also be good moves. Rapid Wien, LASK and Austria Wien would also prove to be good moves in the Austrian Bundesliga as would Antwerp, Union Saint Gilloise, Genk, Cercle Brugge and Gent. In Portugal, Vitoria SC, Casa Pia, Vizela, Famalicao, Rio Ave and Portimonense would also be good for him as he would be good in the Swiss Super League as well. He is akin to Gaku Shibasaki and Hidemasa Morita as two other progressive passing midfielders who have thrived in European football.