Takuya Yasui – Machida Zelvia’s penetrative midfielder
Takuya Yasui came through the academy at Vissel Kobe and impressed as a midfielder, connecting with Andres Iniesta but despite showing the ability to be an effective J League midfielder, he is now playing in the J2 League with Machida Zelvia where he has spent most of the season as a bit-part player but has begun to grasp his opportunity. The 23-year-old is an underrated player in Japanese football as he has accrued AFC Champions League minutes which would make him available for teams in Scotland as well as the English Championship where he could develop as a key player for teams at that level. The midfielder from Hyogo has put in some impressive performances in both the J League and the J2 League as he has always been a Japanese player to keep an eye on.
Yasui possesses a well-built and compact physique that allows him to hold possession in tight spaces and shield the ball while defensively, he has the mobility to cover spaces and make key tackles and interceptions in the defensive phase. The 23-year-old’s head is constantly on swivel in and out of possession as defensively, he will constantly scan to recognize teammates moving out of space while also tracking the movements of runners as before passes are played, he will track them to make well-timed tackles when they receive possession. Yasui has played as an attacking midfielder in the ten space, box-to-box midfielder as well as the deepest-lying midfielder but his best position is as a box-to-box midfielder where he can face play, scan to make movements to receive possession and make little lay-offs in wall-passing situations with his centre-back. Working passing connections in the deeper areas also allow him to orient his body to receive possession and play one-touch progressive passes. However, one of Yasui’s greatest strengths is his through ball ability as he can operate as a chance creator in the final third with his well weighted passes into the box to create shooting opportunities.
Two years ago, away to Urawa Reds for Vissel Kobe, Yasui would begin the game by threading a lovely through ball for Daiju Sasaki to have a shot on goal. He worked good combinations with Sergi Samper in midfield before he received possession from Keijiro Ogawa to thread a pass for him to make a run in behind and have a shot on goal. The 23-year-old is extremely gifted at playing one-touch passes to runners in behind while in the build-up phase, he can drop deep to set the tempo with one-touch passing interchanges, laying off the ball to centre-backs to move into a better position and re-orient his body to receive possession again and play a one-touch pass forward. In the deeper areas, he is also clever in using his body to shield possession and win free-kicks for his team. Yasui finished the game with 3 chances created and 2 interceptions as the young midfielder operated as the creative outlet.
Three days later, he would start another match against Kawasaki Frontale as he dropped deep from a higher position to receive possession while he was also making moves in between the lines to act as a passing option in the higher areas as once he received possession, he had the requisite strength to hold the ball, work connections and look to play progressive passes. Him and Samper connected to evade pressure while they also connected in the final third to create opportunities as Yasui threaded a pass for a wide player to square a cross across the face of goal. The 23-year-old thrives in making a through ball to create a shooting opportunity as well as threading a line-breaking pass that leads to the creation of an opportunity. He can also win interceptions in midfield with his positioning, reading of the game and mobility to close down passing lanes.
Away to Gamba Osaka, Yasui was phenomenal at linking play in between the lines as he would move to the right flank to work connections before cutting inside and threading a through ball into the box. He was utilized in the ten space as he was frequently dropping deep before moving into the channels to receive possession and lofting a wonderful cross for Sasaki to send a header wide. The young midfielder would always try the most difficult pass when receiving possession as he had situation where he allowed the ball to roll across his body to evade a marker before driving possession forward with a teammate in front of him, another attacker making a run to the right flank as he chose to play a through ball to a runner on the left, but his pass was intercepted. The 23-year-old is a gifted through ball player, but he frequently loses possession when attempting to play numerous through balls to create opportunities.
Yasui’s constant scanning and directional first touch in tight spaces is impeccable as he usually allows the ball to roll across his body to evade pressure and drive the ball forward, his physique also allows him to shield possession to draw a foul or wait for a passing option to become available. The 23-year-old moved to the six-space where he kept things ticking, receiving possession with two defenders closing him down, allowing the ball to roll across his body before playing the ball to the ball-far centre-back as he attracted pressure and created space for his centre-back to push up. He consistently demands the ball and is intuitive at working possession in tight spaces, be it through lay-offs and wall-passes, one-touch pass and move situations and re-shaping his body to play a one-touch progressive pass. The 23-year-old would accrue minutes in the Asian Champions League against Guangzhou Evergrande, starting the game by working possession with a teammate in between the lines to turn and play a back-pass. He made an interception in a counter-pressing situation to angle a perfectly weighted through ball past a sliding defender to create a crossing opportunity.
The 23-year-old was playing in a deeper role, receiving possession from the centre-backs as his progressive passing provided a constant threat against the opposition. Yasui would move to occupy a pocket of space in between the lines as his team were working possession on the right flank before playing a back-pass to the centre-back as Yasui would drop into the three-chain to receive possession, constantly scanning and readjusting his position to take a touch, drive the ball forward and play a line-breaking pass into the right half-space. He then dropped into the six-space to receive possession allowing the ball to roll across his body, taking a brilliant directional first touch to skip past a marker before driving the ball forward to play a line-breaking pass to the ten space as he received a lay-off before switching possession to the left flank. He then made a move in between the lines to receive possession as he drove the ball forward before playing a disguised pass to the left winger and continuing his run into the box to receive a cut-back and have a shot cannon off the post.
Yasui received a pass from the flank to play a one-touch back-pass before dropping deep to receive possession and play another back-pass to his centre-back as he dropped closer to his centre-backs to create a three-chain. Yasui’s head never stopped scanning space and making timed movements as he would make another innately timed movement in between the lines to receive a pass in between the lines and angle a perfectly weighted through ball to the striker in between two opposition centre-backs as he was unable to take a shot. In a 4-4-2 defensive shape, he would slide across to intercept a pass and play the ball forward to ease transition for a counter-attack. He received possession in the left half-space to take a touch and thread a through ball for an attacker in the box who tried to dribble a marker before taking a shot as he was tackled.
The 23-year-old moved to Machida Zelvia in the J2 League in January as he has mostly been gaining appearances from the bench until recently where he started the last three games. His performances have been encouraging as at home to Zweigen Kanazawa, he received possession in the left half-space to switch possession to the right flank. In a defensive situation, he closed down a marker after an aerial duel before scanning and realising that his fullback had moved out of position to make a run to close down the space and make a block on a cross. He regained possession with a tackle in the counter-pressing phase before dropping into the six-space to receive possession, constantly scanning as the ball moved from the right flank to the left flank as he received possession from the left-back to take a touch and play a progressive line-breaking pass. He moved to the right flank to receive possession, scanning before driving the ball forward to work a pass into the attacking line.
Yasui is innate in tight spaces which allows him to be a press-resistant midfielder but also recycle possession at a rapid pace after turnovers as the 23-year-old received a lay-off after a turnover in the midfield line to play a pass to the six-space with his right foot before receiving possession once more to play a one-touch pass to the right flank with his weaker left foot to stretch the pitch and facilitate an attacking transition. After another turnover in the midfield line, he would scan over his shoulder once before receiving possession to allow the ball to roll across his body onto his weaker left foot to drive the ball forward before playing a progressive pass with the outside of his right boot. The Japanese midfielder then dropped into the six-space to receive possession from his centre-back, playing a one-touch back-pass before receiving possession once more to swivel and play a progressive pass into the attacking line. Defensively, he would anticipate a pass to slide across and cover a marker to force a back-pass in the pressing phase before pushing up to close down his marker in the pressing phase as he was disciplined and focused in staying tight to his marker to intercept and regain possession for his side in the opposition half.
In the build-up phase, the deepest-lying midfielder would receive possession for Yasui to make a blind-sided movement into space to receive possession as the ball was played back to the goalkeeper and then the right sided centre-back as Yasui was still occupying a pocket of space in between the lines to receive possession and play a gentle one-touch pass into the next line for an attacker to burst forward. He moved into the opposition half to receive possession and play a forward pass to an attacker as he nearly facilitated an opportunity being created before he created an opportunity of his own, chesting down a high ball to turn and flick the ball past a defender to drive the ball forward and thread a through ball into the box for an attacker to take a touch and fire home. After a turnover in his own box, Yasui would take down another high ball to lob a pass into the nine-space for a striker dropping deep to receive possession as the midfielder can sometimes act as a one-man transitional medium for his teams.
Away to Ryukyu, Yasui received possession after a turnover to play a progressive pass to the nine-space with his first touch. In the defensive phase, he would show tremendous awareness and defensive scanning to cover space as he would look over his shoulder to see his fullback pushing up to engage an opposition player while an opposition attacker was making a run into the channels for the 23-year-old to track the run and make a sliding tackle. He received possession in the six-space to allow the ball to roll across his body and play a line-breaking pass to instigate an attacking move. He would instigate another attacking move, moving towards the flank to receive possession after a turnover, constantly scanning before he received possession to adjust his body, taking a touch and play a line-breaking pass to the nine-space. His team would lose possession as the Japanese midfielder was perfectly positioned to make an interception in the counter-pressing phase.
Yasui specialises in receiving possession on the half-turn, scanning to re-orient his body while allowing the ball to roll across his body before making a progressive pass to instigate attacking moves as this has made him a key player for Machida Zelvia of late. He executed this manoeuvre in a congested midfield zone as he allowed the ball to roll across his body before playing a progressive pass before repeating the trick, receiving possession in the six-space to swivel and thread a pass in between the lines. His first touch allows him to be consistent in connecting play and being an effective distributor of possession from the deeper areas as he received possession in the eight space with an opposition player pushing up to press him, taking a touch with his weaker left foot before threading a pass in between the lines with his right foot. In defensive, offensive and build-up situations, his head is constantly on swivel, scanning for space before moving to the left half-space to receive possession and swivel while receiving possession before threading a line-breaking pass forward to instigate an attacking move.
The 23-year-old then made an interception in the counter-press to play the ball forward before he received possession, flicking a pass through two defenders with the outside of his right boot as he received a lay-off to play another line-breaking pass to the nine-space for a lay-off as a midfielder sent a strike past the goalkeeper. Yasui managed to regain possession in the opposition and orchestrated a goalscoring with incisive penetrative passing as he would not be credited with the assist. He made another interception in the counter-pressing phase, driving the ball forward to play another progressive pass to an attacking player. Yasui regained possession once more to turn and play a progressive pass which was laid off to him to play a one-touch line-breaking pass to facilitate a counter-attacking move. Defensively, the midfielder scrambled back into the box to make a timely tackle before receiving possession in the eight space to play a progressive pass into the wide zone.
Yasui has only recently become a starter over the last five games as he has already accrued 2 assists in progressive passing situations in that time period as he is an undervalued chance creator. Two years ago, in the 2020/21 season where he accrued the most minutes for Vissel Kobe, he finished 12th in passes to the final third per 90 for U23 players as he finished in the top 25 in the overall metric for his age-group. He finished in the top 25 for progressive passes per 90 in the J League as he was the 4th highest ranked midfielder for his age-group on a list dominated by defenders while he finished in the top 30 of the overall metrics with the sixth least minutes played in his age-group. In progressive runs per 90 for U23s, he ranked in the top 10 while finishing in the top 25 of the overall metrics with the 6th least minutes played as he ranked 2nd for central midfielders. For general ball progression by passes, he ranked in the top 25 with the 7th least minutes played for U23s as the 4th highest ranked midfielder. For ball progression by runs, he ranked in the top 20 with the 8th least minutes as he ranked 2nd for U23 midfielders. For through passes for U23s per 90, he ranked 2nd, ranking in the top 20 for all available players in the J League (with 5th least number of minutes played) while for overall through balls for U23 players, he ranked third with the 2nd least number of minutes in the top 10.
For key passes per 90 for U23s, he ranked 3rd, finishing in the top 10 for key passes in his age-group while in deep completions, he ranked in the top 10 for U23s as he ranked in the top 15 for overall deep completions. In the J2 League, he has crept into the top 10 for through balls per 90 with the 2nd least number of minutes in the top 10 for U23s as with more minutes, he will continue to climb in this metric as he ranks in the top 30 for key passes per 90 for U23s. For Deep Completions, he has broken into the top 15 with the 5th least number of minutes for his age-group as this is impressive, given the fact that he has only recently become a fully-fledged starter. As he continues to accrue playing time, his metrics will continue to grow as he can hopefully fulfil his potential.
Yasui’s metrics make it clear that he can certainly operate at a higher level than the J2 League as he also has not played as much as he should have which is not necessarily his fault due to the managerial turnover at Vissel Kobe. He is a progressive midfielder who can receive possession, connect play, scan his surroundings to pick the perfect area and adjust his body shape to the situation to play a progressive pass in between the lines. He constantly allows the ball to roll across his body to evade markers and pressure while when he is confident, he can also carry the ball forward, surging into alleys of space in between opposition attackers to drive forward. He is an essential attacking conduit as after his team regains possession, he can play the ball forward with purpose to instigate attacking moves. Defensively, he is focused while having the size to make tackles as well as the mobility and educated instincts to cover passing lanes to make interceptions in the defensive phase and counter-pressing phase.
However, Yasui’s greatest strength is his through ball ability in the final third as he is unafraid in threading passes into the channels for crossing situations or playing penetrative passes into the box for shooting opportunities. In the final third, he can orchestrate attacking moves with his progressive passing, vision and movement to create opportunities for his team as he can play the pass before the as well as the assist itself. The 23-year-old can lose possession, trying to thread through balls into the box but can also be an essential chance creator as a creative and press resistant box-to-box midfielder. Few midfielders are as well-rounded as the Japanese player with his defensive focus, progressive passing from the deeper areas as well as his eye for creative genius in the final third as Yasui is certainly an undervalued young midfielder.
Yasui has signed with Machida Zelvia for a year as he will be a free agent in the upcoming transfer window as with more minutes, he could be one of the more undervalued midfield prospects for clubs in the middle rung of European football. He is also undervalued due to his appearances in Asian Champions League football which could make him eligible for a British work permit as teams like Rangers, Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Swansea, Coventry City, Huddersfield, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City should be interested in him. Yasui would also thrive in the Eredivisie as a replacement for Fredrik Midstjo at AZ Alkmaar or Orkan Kokcu at Feyenoord while Heerenveen, Utrecht, Groningen and Vitesse Arnhem would be good moves. In Italy, teams like Spezia, Hellas Verona, Sassuolo, Bologna and Empoli would also suit him. In Ligue 1, teams like Toulouse, Brest, Strasbourg, RC Lens, Auxerre and Angers should also be interested as in the 2. Bundesliga, he would suit Tim Walter’s Hamburg. If Stuttgart sell Orel Mangala, Yasui would prove to be a phenomenal replacement as Frankfurt, Schalke, Freiburg, Augsburg and Werder Bremen would also be good landing spots for the 23-year-old. Yasui’s playing style would also suit La Liga or the Segunda Liga as Rayo Vallecano, Granada, Real Valladolid, Las Palmas, Eibar and Girona would be good landing spots as would teams in Portugal like Vitoria, Santa Clara, Familicao and Vizela. If Yasui continues on his current trajectory, he should have no shortage of suitors come January as he will certainly be playing at a higher level than he is now.
