Kuryu Matsuki – FC Tokyo’s prodigious box-to-box midfielder
Kuryu Matsuki has long been one of the most highly regarded up and coming players in Japanese football, trekking to Europe for trials in Germany, Holland and France with Olympique Lyon while he was still in high-school. He played for the gilded Aomori Yamada High School program as he was born in Hokkaido and moved to Aomori as his life’s focus has been football. The 19-year-old seemed to be on his way to Europe before Yuto Nagamoto approached him and encouraged him to join FC Tokyo while the teenager felt the team’s playing style would suit him. Nagamoto has become a mentor for the young midfielder as Matsuki seeks to learn from his mentality and hardworking nature to apply to his own game.
Matsuki is already known for his mentality, his single-minded devotion to football and improvement as he was one of FC Tokyo’s stand-out players in his rookie season. The 19-year-old is lanky and tall, possessing high level football intelligence and technique with a work rate to match. This is all underpinned by his focus on improving his game, testing himself and dedication to football as he enjoyed life in Hokkaido and Aomori due to the fact that it gave him the opportunity to solely focus on developing as a footballer. In interviews, he has stated that he has not seen much of the sights in Tokyo due to focusing on his professional career as he is assertive and competitive on the pitch while being level-headed and calm off the pitch, enjoying quiet weekends with his friends when he is not working. He was invited to train with the Japanese World Cup side as he will join the youth team on their mid-season tour of Europe as he has played at under 15 level in 2009 while he has also played at Under 22 level.
Matsuki already possesses some of the essential tools to thrive in modern day European football such as his ability to regain possession in the pressing and counter-pressing phase, marking a man while using his anticipation to push up and make an interception in the opposition half or to stretch one of long legs out to make a clean tackle. In the defensive phase, he can cover space to make interceptions as his physical tools are matched by an intuition for pressing sequences and immense mobility. In possession, he makes blind-sided movements into tight spaces to connect play, laying the ball off and moving into space while he can receive the ball in the final third, connecting play while having the vision to play penetrative passes into teammates. At such a young age, Matsuki is a well-rounded prospect who was uniquely prepared for the rigours of professional football as a move to European football is definitely in the offing.
Away to the Yokohama Marinos, Matsuki earned a yellow card after 28 seconds as he was assertive in midfield, winning battles as in possession, he had a wonderful first touch in tight spaces as he received possession, orienting his body to play the ball to a teammate with his first touch. He then made a tackle in front of his own box before showing his intelligence with a run on the counter to clear a space for a teammate to receive possession. He made a block on a Ryo Miyaichi shot before pushing forward to make a sliding tackle as the tackle was clean but wrongly adjudged for a foul. FC Tokyo pressed in a 4-3-3 shape with the 19-year-old tucking inside to cover the opposition double-pivot as he had the mobility to push up and cover ground in the pressing phase. After turnovers, he can utilize his body and directional first touch to evade markers and recycle possession.
In the defensive phase, he is excellent at covering space, shuttling across the defensive block to make tackles and interceptions as he covered for his defence to close down Miyaichi. In the pressing phase, his mobility, size and anticipation allow him to cover ground to force turnovers by regaining possession, forcing passes into areas where his team can initiate pressing triggers or forcing errant passes. In a pressing situation, he pushed up to press in the second line before dropping deeper to cover for his left-back who pushed up and moved out of position as Matsuki was in 1v1 situation on the flank, but the ball was played back into the centre as he was marking Miyaichi. Every minute that Matsuki played was a symbol of faith given to him by Albert Puig as he was a teenager in his first season on a yellow card, but he still remained on the pitch in the second half.
Matsuki dropped into space to work a pass to his left-back in the build-up phase before regaining possession with an interception to switch the ball to the opposite flank. In certain situations, the 19-year-old will drop into space to receive possession and lay-off the ball while he has the physique and directional first touch to receive the ball and swivel to drive forward and evade the opposition press. In the opposition half, he played a one-touch lob for an attacker to have a crossing opportunity before he moved to the left flank to apply pressure, forcing a turnover to hold off a marker and play a back-pass. Matsuki’s technique and physicality also allow him to hold possession while picking the perfect progressive pass which is essential to him breaking lines with his distribution. He exhibited this when he took a good touch as he received possession, holding off a marker and playing the ball forward. Defensively, he has an intelligence for recognizing pressing triggers and apply pressure on the man he is marking as he utilized this to close down an opposition player as an errant pass was played for his left-back to regain possession.
With only five games of J League experience under his belt, Matsuki was confident enough to point teammates into the right areas in defensive interchanges as he was constantly adapting his position in the low block. The 19-year-old showed a brilliant directional first touch to receive possession in between the lines, skipping past a defender to drive the ball forward before working a pass into the half-space. He would eventually earn his second yellow and get sent off as he finished the game with 1 chance created, 2 tackles, 1 blocked shot and 7 ball recoveries. Away to Shimuzu S Pulse, he was played in a higher position as an attacking midfielder where he did not have to drop deep to receive possession. He regained possession in the opposition half to chip the ball to a teammate while in a pressing situation, he tracked his man into the deeper areas to regain possession. Matsuki made a brilliant blind-sided move to receive possession in between the lines, working a pass to a teammate for a crossing situation. He could have made a run into the box to get on the end of the delivery, but he was fantastic at connecting play in between the lines.
Matsuki received possession to chest the ball forward and send a shot wide from range as he was positioned in between the lines, constantly making good runs to receive possession as when he received passes in tight spaces, he would use his body to shield the ball and hold possession, working connections with teammates. Away to Sagan Tosu, he continued to show his defensive aptitude, covering space in the defensive phase and tracking markers to cover for his fullback. In the pressing phase, he can not only cover men but also has the intelligence to cover passing lanes as he can recognize pressing triggers to push up against an opposition midfielder to force back-passes which will lead to a higher press from his side. In possession, he was constantly receiving possession in between the lines to play one-touch passes to teammates while he also used his body to shield the ball, spinning away from markers to draw fouls.
In the pressing phase, Matsuki can lead the first wave of the press while he can close down opposition players in the second wave as he won possession in the second wave with a tackle. He struggled in possession, playing back-passes while he attempted to turn with possession a few times and was tackled. He began to play in between the lines predominantly, flicking a pass to Adailton before teeing up a 1v1 opportunity for Ryoma Watanabe. Matsuki is a very good one-touch passer but can lose possession with his decision making as he needs to do better in scanning before he receives possession and assessing whether he can turn past his defender to drive the ball forward or whether he should play a bounce pass and move into space. He drove the ball forward on the counter-attack, playing a well-weighted line-breaking pass for a winger to send a cross across the face of goal.
The 19-year-old would have a two-assist outing away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, operating from the left flank and half-space, holding possession as he played a penetrative pass to Kashif Bangunagande before he held possession and played another penetrative pass to the 9 space from the left flank. Matsuki notched his first assist when he made a run into the box to tee up Diego Oliveira to fire off the underside of the crossbar from close range. Intelligent runs off the striker is another aspect of his game as he notched his second assist from a pressing situation, regaining possession and playing the ball to Oliveira who drove into the box to chip a shot over the goalkeeper. At home to Cerezo Osaka, he covers short distances to regain possession in the counter-pressing phase as he was having a quieter game by his standards, creating an opportunity by lobbing a free-kick into the box for a teammate to head wide. He then won a 50/50 challenge in a defensive situation while he was consistently covering the six-space when his defensive midfielder moved out of position.
Matsuki moved to the left flank to receive possession, rolling a pass to a teammate before receiving possession to thread a vertical pass to the nine-space for an attacker to have a shot cannon off the post. The 19-year-old exhibited his defensive reactions and counter-pressing in his own half as a teammate lost possession in the deeper midfield area for the teenager to cover, closing the space and making a well-timed block. He received a pass after a turnover and fired a strike off the crossbar as his body orientations are interesting as the young midfielder traded passes with Bangunagande specifically, so he could allow the ball to roll to his back-foot, so he could shield the ball and swivel away from a challenge, driving the ball forward and playing a pass into the next line. He received possession before rolling a pass in between the lines as the ball was spread to Bangunagande to square a cross into the box for a teammate to send a diving header wide.
Matsuki was involved in a goal scoring sequence as he received a pass in between the lines, laying off possession before making a run to the near post as a cross was played behind him for a teammate to apply the finish. In the pressing phase, he regained possession in an aerial duel before he received possession after a turnover, using his body to shield possession and draw a foul. The 19-year-old won a second aerial duel in the pressing phase before receiving possession on the half-turn, allowing the ball to roll to his back-foot to drive the ball forward as he lost possession before diving recklessly for a sliding challenge. In the pressing phase, he regained possession to roll a pass to the nine-space. Matsuki received a pass to play a one-touch pass to a teammate with his back to goal before moving into the right half-space, receiving possession once more to work a pass for a teammate in the wide zone to create an opportunity. He made a run to receive possession in between the lines and fire a shot at goal as he finished the game with 3 shots from range with 2 on target, a 92% pass succession rate in the final third and 2/2 takeons.
Matsuki is an intriguing young prospect as he has a mastery of one of the most crucial facets of the modern game which is regaining possession in pressing and counter-pressing situations. His size and mobility allow him to cover space and win 50/50 challenges, but his reading of the game, anticipation and recognition of pressing triggers allow him to force the ball into areas – with back-passes and sideways passes - where his team can push forward in a higher press as he can force turnover while also being key to turnovers in the opposition half. In the counter-pressing phase, he reacts quickly to cover space and regain possession with tackles and interceptions while he tends to dive into tackles to earn silly cautions as he needs to develop this side of his game.
In possession, Matsuki can hold possession and play penetrative passes forward as well as receiving possession in between the lines, working connections in the half-spaces and making intelligent runs into the box. In the deeper areas and some tighter positions, he will need to use his scanning to decide when he can turn out of pressure and drive the ball forward rather than consistently relying on back-passes. He has the size and technique to be a more proficient ball-carrier while he has the potential to be penetrative with both his ball-carrying and distribution. In the final third, he also has the potential to be a goal scorer as he needs to make more runs into the box to get on the end of deliveries to apply finishes. At the moment, Matsuki is thriving at working combinations in between the lines and playing the pass that leads to an assist as he has the potential to be a high-level jack of all trades in midfield.
Matsuki currently has a contract until early 2024 as he is a player who is already on the scouting lists for top teams in Europe as the possibility of him not playing to the end of his contract is quite large. The 19-year-old’s playing style certainly suits the Bundesliga as it is a league where he will be given the room to grow and develop as Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim, Stuttgart, Mainz and Bayer Leverkusen should all be interesting. In the English Premier League, Brighton and Hove Albion could sign him and loan him out to develop into a long-term replacement for Moses Caicedo while Brentford could sign him and loan him to Midtylland as under Albert Capellas, the Danish club are currently playing a system that would improve his game in possession. In Ligue 1, Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes, Lens, Nice, Reims and Toulouse are clubs that would suit his style as would PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord in the Eredivisie. Matsuki has the talent and focus to become a high-level player in European football and for the Japanese National Team.
