Keigo Tsunemoto – Kashima Antler’s ball-playing right-back

Keigo Tsunemoto is from Sagamihara City in the Kanagawa Prefecture as he grew up playing football in Asamizo Park. He would regularly compete against his elder sister in school and in sports as if he lost, he would cry as the Japanese youngster had constantly maintained a competitive spirit. He played with the Yokohama Marinos youth teams before joining Meiji University as a J League Specially Designated Player as he would begin his professional career with Kashima Antlers in the J League, ironically making his debut against Yokohama Marinos at the end of 2020. Tsunemoto has grown into one of the more consistent performers in Japanese football as he is certainly a player that European teams will be looking at.

Tsunemoto is a modern-day fullback, he loves to receive possession on the right flank, work passing connections with his teammates to evade pressure while in the final third, he can thread passes into the central spaces from the wide areas to instigate attacking moves. In the wide areas, he can work pass and move combinations in triangular vertical interchanges to move into spaces and have high quality crossing opportunities, especially from cut-backs to create opportunities. Defensively, he is tigerish in his defensive responsibilities, winning aerial duels, closing down markers with clean tackles while his positioning and focus are sound. As Kashima Antlers are a predominantly vertical team, Tsunemoto is skilled in defending pressing and counter-pressing situations, showing brilliant anticipation to cover spaces and make challenges while he is comfortable in defending 1v1 situations in the wide areas. The 24-year-old is a well-rounded fullback who has been one of the more consistent performers for Kashima Antlers.

At home to Jubilo Iwata , he tucked inside to receive possession and play a one-touch switch ball to the opposite flank to evade pressure before moving into the wide areas to receive possession, playing a well-drilled through ball down the line which curled around a fullback and into the stride of an attacker to drive into the box and have a low crossing opportunity blocked. After a deflection from a free-kick, he then lobbed a one-touch cross into the box for a teammate to have his header at goal blocked. Defensively, Tsunemoto tracked the flight of a lobbed pass to angle his body perfectly to make an interception before he received a switch ball on the right flank, controlling the ball and lobbing a well angled cross into the box for a teammate to have a header saved. The 24-year-old was involved in the creation of another opportunity when he had a pass played back to him on the right, skipping past a defender to drive towards the box to lay-off for an attacker to send a shot wide.

Tsunemoto loves to play the well-weighted and accurately curled pass to a runner on the flank to get them in position for a high quality crossing situation as Kashima Antlers would work a build-up situation where the 24-year-old started the move in the deep right-back zone as he gradually pushed up as the ball progressed to receive possession near the touchline, taking a touch and threading a pass for a runner in the channels to have a crossing opportunity. The Japanese right-back has the ability to push forward with possession, receiving the ball and working passing interchanges to drive the ball forward or moving into space to receive possession and orchestrate moves to create opportunities. When he works passing interchanges, he can also make late overlapping runs to get into crossing situations as he did in the next sequence as he made an overlapping run around his teammate to receive possession, lobbing a cross for a teammate to send a weak header wide.

Defensively, Kashima Antlers were defending in a 4-4-2 as Tsunemoto was tasked with covering for his right winger, pushing forward to nudge past a marker and make an interception to regain possession. Tsunemoto is also strong at regaining possession from aerial duels as he won an aerial duel in a 1v1 situation. The 24-year-old had another 1v1 situation where had the perfect body shape to win a tackle, denying his attacker access to the central spaces while also forcing him to the by-line as Tsunemoto was prepared for a shoulder to shoulder battle. He a pass in the build-up phase with an opposition attacker pushing up to apply pressure on him as he calmly played a pass down the line to a teammate to evade pressure and start an attacking move.  Away to Vissel Kobe, a corner from the left flank was deflected towards a teammate at the edge of the box who played the ball for Tsunemoto to lob a cross to the back-post which was headed to the centre of the six-yard area for a teammate to score.

Tsunemoto received a loose ball in the right-back zone to play a vertical pass to the six-space before he received possession once more to play a direct pass down the line. In a pressing situation, Tsunemoto was positioned in the defensive line while his ball-near winger and midfielder had pushed up to apply pressure on the ball as there was a gap in between the defensive line and midfield line as the 24-year-old was positioned perfectly to make an interception on a pass into the channels before playing a vertical pass into the central areas as he made a run to receive possession to have a pass blocked. The Kashima Antlers’ right-back made a run into the half-space to receive possession and square a brilliantly delivered cross across the face of goal. Tsunemoto regained possession in the pressing phase when a direct pass was played into the channel for 24-year-old to make a clean and well-timed interception. He made another interception in the pressing phase, this time tracking a marker into the central spaces as his marker was a few yards ahead of him to receive the ball but the 24-year-old was positioned perfectly to make an interception on his pass to regain possession.

Tsunemoto created an opportunity when he received possession when he was tucked into the central spaces, lobbing a pass in behind to Ayase Ueda who had a shot smothered in a 1v1 against the goalkeeper. In pressing sequences, he is exceptional when he has the opportunity to push up against his marker as he can make tackles to regain possession as his 1v1 defending is brilliant, the 24-year-old would regain possession with a block. If he does not win possession in the initial challenge, he positions himself intelligently to make a block or interception to regain possession. After a turnover, he played a direct vertical pass to the six-space to evade pressure as he received possession under pressure once more, holding the ball to play a vertical pass into the wide areas for a teammate to evade his marker to drive forward and start an attacking opportunity. Tsunemoto made an interception to regain possession and drive forward to use his body to hold possession and work a pass for a teammate in the wide areas. In a defensive block, he was tucked into the central spaces with his winger covering the wide areas as a pass was played into the channels as the Japanese fullback positioned himself perfectly to intercept the cross.

Away to the Urawa Reds, Tsunemoto was constantly tucking into the centre of the pitch to win possession, tracking markers to the left flank to force turnovers or slow counter-attacks down. The 24-year-old is very good at closing down 1v1s, denying opposition access to the centre as if he is evaded, he is good at winning the shoulder to shoulder battles with opposition attackers. He continued to tuck inside to win possession as if a ball was played behind him, Kashima Antlers were comfortable with Ikuma Sekigawa defending the wide areas. He won an aerial duel before tracking a runner into the box to shield the ball and prevent the attacker from having a shooting opportunity. In a game where he had limited opportunities to get on the overlap, he was instrumental with his defensive responsibilities, covering the flank and making clean tackles, positioning himself well to isolate wide attackers on the flank in counter-attacking situations.

Tsunemoto closed down another counter-attack when he tucked inside during an opposition counter-attack as he was beaten by his winger in the initial battle before showing grit and determination to close down the winger, taking up an awkward body shape to make the tackle before making another block. In the counter-pressing phase, he tucked inside twice to regain possession with tackles before being positioned perfectly to clear a cross. From an attacking standpoint, he lofted a well weighted cross from the half-space for Ueda to have an opportunity saved. The 24-year-old played a wonderful vertical pass in between the lines for the ball to be laid off to Ueda who had a one-touch lay-off to Arthur who had a shot saved. He worked a one-two with a winger for the attacker to cut inside and have a shot saved.

At home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, he pushed forward to make interceptions in the pressing phase before covering ground in the defensive phase to make tackles. Tsunemoto played a press resistant passing sequence when he received possession under pressure on the right flank, working a pass into the centre with his weaker left foot before receiving possession once more, playing the ball to a teammate to receive a lay-off as he drove into the centre to play a switch pass. The 24-year-old received possession in the right-back position to play a deep line-breaking pass for a flick-on. He then made a goal-saving challenge defensively before making a block in 1v1 situation as his anticipation allows him to be influential in covering spaces. In the opposition half, he made an overlapping run to receive possession, working a pass for a teammate making a run into the half-space for a cross which led to an opportunity on goal. He is so innate with the positions that he picks up, both in the half-space and wide areas as he can work connections as in two situations, he tucked inside to receive possession and flick passes into the channels while he also drove possession into the central areas to play a pass in between the lines.

Tsunemoto is a ball-playing fullback who can evade pressure by playing accurate passes down the line, threading passes through pressure into the six-space while in the opposition half, he can make underlapping runs to the central spaces to receive possession and cross into the box from high quality areas or he can make overlapping runs into the box to receive possession to work connections for crosses or lob crosses into the box. In the opposition half, he can tuck into the central spaces to receive the ball, spreading passes into the wide areas to make runs into the channels to receive possession and play crosses as Tsunemoto has the technical tools to operate as an inverted fullback. He is effective in crossing from high quality areas, be it from the by-line and half-space as if he is played into these areas more regularly, he can be a more accomplished crosser. Tsunemoto can also play the pass before the assist with his passes down the line into runners as he ranked highly in passes last season, especially as a right-back.

Defensively, Tsunemoto is accomplished at winning the ball in the pressing phase, be it on the ground with tackles and interceptions or in the air in aerial duels.  On the ground, he has the physical ability to nudge players out of the way to make interceptions as he constantly wins 1v1 duels. If he is beaten, he has the tenacity to recover and make tackles while he also has the positioning to make interceptions in crucial areas of the pitch. In defensive situations, he thrives when he can close down the central spaces with his winger positioned outside of him while in 1v1s in the wide areas, he takes up good body angles to drive his winger to the by-line in a physical battle before using his body to make a block or win possession.

As with most standard Japanese contracts, Tsunemoto’s contract expires at the beginning of next year as he is primed to make a move to Europe, so he can begin to get closer to the Japanese National Team as his career progresses. A move to Bologna under Thiago Motta would be excellent as he would operate in a role that would allow him to grow as a ball-playing fullback as an alternative to Sebastian Posch. In the Eredivsie, Feyenoord under Arne Slot would also be a good fit for him as he could work connections in the wide areas and be able to get into higher quality crossing situations to have goalscoring opportunities. Utrecht, Heerenveen, Vitesse and Groningen would also be good moves for him as in the Austrian Bundesliga, Sturm Graz, Rapid Wien and Austria Wien would also be good moves for him. In Germany, he would be an exceptional fit for Tim Walter’s Hamburg in the 2nd Bundesliga as Tsunemoto should move to a developmental league like the Belgian Jupiler League and Swiss Super League to adapt to European football. He could be one of the more intriguing players to watch in the Asian market in the coming winter transfer window.