In his third year in professional football, Urawa Reds midfielder Atsuki Ito has cemented himself as one of the J League's best, even breaking into the Japanese national team. The 25 year old at times seems like a man against boys domestically, exerting his physical and technical dominance in the heart of an Urawa side fighting for their first league title since 2006, topping his commanding performances with 4 goals and 5 assists in 2023.
Ito's positional heatmap for the 2023 season - sofascore.com
Urawa currently play in a simple 4-2-3-1, with Ito being the most advanced of the double pivot, usually playing as an '8' while his midfield partner Ken Iwao drops between the centre backs. Ito is given a lot of freedom positionally, rotating with his right back and right winger at will, making runs down the halfspace, and dropping back to link play when needed - being asked to cover this much ground is very demanding and requires near-elite physical traits, something Ito is blessed with.
Physical Traits
Standing at around 6'2" with long legs and broad shoulders, Ito stands out in a league that typically lacks size and power. While he is not the most explosive athlete, he has great running power aided by his long strides allowing him to eat up ground and cover every blade of grass on the pitch. This, combined with shockingly sharp change of direction ability, allows Ito to do the work of multiple men in the midfield, clogging gaps in transition, leading to Urawa having the best defensive record in the league.
There is certainly a massive gap between the average J League midfielder and Ito when it comes to raw strength, but this is something that rarely crops up when watching him. He is not an overly combative player and wants to lean more on his technical proficiency as opposed to simply bullying the opposition, something that I'll touch more on when discussing his dueling abilities. Should he make the switch to a European league, where there is more demand for combativeness and physicality, he will need to learn how to use his innate size and power.
Questions do arise regarding his stamina and ability to cover the ground that he does consistently for 90 minutes, week in and week out - on a few occasions he did begin to look gassed as the game dragged on. I am not overly concerned though, it is understandable to look tired putting in the work that he does, especially as more and more stoppage time is being added on due to rule changes in the sport.
Passing
Ito is very controlled and refined in possession. He has a deft touch, is very two-footed, and is shows great composure and tact on the ball - all of these traits allow him to consistently play two-touch football, keeping the ball moving and progressing his team up the pitch.
The way he is able to split the lines with both feet and at awkward body angles while not putting the ball is exceptional, very cliche but he makes it look easy. The natural instincts for linkup play really shine through, he is constantly able to find little pockets of space in the second phase, pushing and pulling the opposition around with his ability to safely pull off any pass in the short-to-mid range. One thing that is often overlooked is the ability to play passes that are easy for the recipient to control, meaning the pass is well weighted and doesn't bobble. Although he is sometimes not helped by subpar pitch conditions, Ito consistently play passes that his teammates can receive in stride with ease, allowing for fast interchanges and linkup.
Another thing that gets overlooked when discussing passing ability is the capacity to disguise your passes using your eyes and body position, moving defenders and creating a passing lane - another thing Ito is adept at.
Receiving the ball out on the right hand side, Ito closes off his body to the middle of the pitch, angling as if he is about to send the ball down the channel to his striker making a run off the Yokohama centre back's shoulder. His teammate in the middle of the pitch with no one around him has his arms out screaming for the ball, but none of the Yokohama defenders around Ito bother to close off that passing lane given his body position.
Ito is able to cut the ball across his body with pace and accuracy, straight down the passing lane opened up because of how he angled like he was about to pump the ball long. This is a far more difficult ball to pull off than just sending it over the top and hoping your teammate comes away with it, but because of Ito's proficiency passing from any and all angles he can pull it off, creating a dangerous attacking situation where Urawa are running with the ball at an exposed defence.
Again out on the right hand side (a position he loves to occupy so that he can see the whole pitch and operate almost as a quarterback), Ito is angling as if he is about to send the ball down the line to the runner or, more likely, going to play the ball into his strikers feet. The Kawasaki midfielder guarding the back four is going to look to intercept the ball by jumping the passing lane to his left, completely tricked by Ito's body language.
Instead, the ball goes an Urawa attacker dropping off from the front line to the Kawasaki midfielder's right. This is not a pass that could've been pulled off had Ito not moved the midfielder with his body, the passing lane would not have existed otherwise. This is the power of disguising passes: you can create your own passing lanes in order to safely split the lines simply by fooling the opposition with body language. It requires great body control and the ability to sharply deliver the ball at awkward angles across your body, both things that come to Ito naturally.
However, it would be disingenuous to portray Ito as a perfect passer, as there is one key flaw in his game at this moment in time - he struggles to properly weight and place through balls. Although it is of course harder to play a decisive through ball than it is to play simpler, less incisive passes, Ito is very clearly better passing to feet than he is into space for a teammate to run on to.
A lot of his through ball attempts end up overhit, as if he is so concerned about the ball being intercepted and thus he needs to compensate but putting more pace on the ball - there isn't the same natural feel for weighting as there is with his short passing. As far as the decision making goes on these passes, I see no issue with it. Ito is quick to look for these passes in behind when possible, no matter where he is on the pitch, and usually picks the best path for the ball. This leads me to believe that he can develop into a more creative presence from deep once the weighting is cleaned up, making Ito a truly complete passer.
Another thing Ito needs to clean up slightly is his long passing, and again it is an issue of weighting the passes correctly. He does have the technical capacity to stretch the pitch and hit those big switches of play you need from a deep lying playmaker, it's just about hitting the target more consistently.
His desire to play balls first time is helpful in the short to intermediate range, but on these long balls all it results in is a lack of control over the pass - there is no need to rush in either of these situations, he has space and time to take a couple touches, get fully in control of the ball, and hit his target. Obviously you're always going to have misses when passing long, even the best players in the world can't change that, but not hitting these balls first time, for my money, will improve consistency and also allow him to hit the ball with less air under it - his flatter long range deliveries are far more accurate.
Notice how in these two scenarios Ito has far more control over the ball (it helps that one of them is from a dead ball), and thus is able to keep his technique tight and deliver a driven, flatter ball right where he wants it. Consistently being able to stretch the pitch like so would add another dynamic to his already astute passing, especially given the positions he likes to take up on the pitch.
Crossing
As Ito often operates from the right halfspace, he opens himself up to more crossing opportunities than your average midfielder. His whipped crosses with his instep are very accurate as you'd expect and, while they can drift slightly too high making them difficult to attack, they are dangerous. Ito is very good at finding time and space out on the right hand side, making his deliveries essentially set pieces as they are uncontested, allowing him to really pick out a target in the box and the whip the ball in to a dangerous area.
Given this much time and space, someone with Ito's technical prowess will always be a threat. He has two runners to aim for and a lot of space in the "danger-zone" between the penalty spot and 6-yard box to attack given the defenders positioning and the goalkeeper is glued to their line.
With power, whip, and accuracy, Ito delivers this ball right into the path of his runner who heads home, giving him his second assist of the game. This is as good as it gets from a technical standpoint and, while his deliveries might not always be so incisive, having this is your back pocket is a great weapon for any midfielder to have.
Ito is also adept as making underlapping runs and delivering cutbacks towards the penalty spot, one of the most efficient ways of breaking through a low block. His ability to play accurate balls at awkward body angles really help him here, as he is able to stretch for a ball going out of play and put it back across the box, creating chaos.
Ito notices space opening up in transition and bursts down the halfspace, a run he makes often to great success.
He receives the ball in the way that forces him to strike it across the box at an extremely awkward body angle - he is not centred and balanced, having to stab the ball across his body and leaning over a great amount to help him dig the ball out without completely falling over and sending the ball to the moon. Nevertheless, the pass arrives exactly where it needs to.
Although the ball does bobble slightly, which is understandable given the technique Ito was forced to use to get the ball in on time, this is a chance that should be finished with ease. Unfortunately his teammate does send the ball into orbit, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a massive chance, carved out by Ito's understanding of where the ball needs to be played to cause chaos and his ability to accurately deliver the ball from any angle.
Outside of these two techniques, there is not a lot of variety to Ito's crossing. While he is very effective within these two specific types of crosses, a lack of variety limits how dynamic of a crosser he can be. He also doesn't look to cross when on the left side of the pitch, again limiting his dynamism as a creator. There is room for growth in this department, I trust in his overall technical ability and believe he does have more varied crosses in his locker that he is seldom using, or at the very least has the capacity to improve on his crossing with relative ease. Still, Ito's crossing is still a key part of his game and he can be dangerous when given time and space, it's just a matter of further improving and becoming a truly dangerous halfspace creator.
Press Resistance
Being able to sense and bypass pressure is arguably the most important part of a midfielders game in an era dominated by possession football and the high press. Ito naturally wants to receive the ball from his defenders and turn upfield to progress play and therefore he requires a high level of press resistance to effectively play the way he wants to play. By constantly scanning the pitch and being of a calm disposition by nature, Ito is consistently able to avoid pressure and kick start an attack, although it must be said that there is a lack of intensity in the press in the J League as teams are more than happy to sit off in a mid-block. He is very notably good at turning away from pressure, letting the ball run across him and staying in between the ball and the pressing defender; a very simple and effective way of bypassing pressure without risking a bad touch causing you to forfeit possession.
One concern that I have regarding his press resistance is that, at times, he is far too relaxed on the ball - he has zero concern about players on his back trying to win the ball from behind, so much so that he actually gets caught from behind a fair amount. The good thing is that it's not due to a lack of awareness, which would be very troubling, it seems it's down to the fact that Ito is so confident on the ball that he doesn't concern himself with people attempting to steal it from him. All it takes to fix this minor issue is to simply tell him to move the ball with more urgency.
His big frame to shield the ball, two-footedness to turn either way against pressure, deft touch and footwork in tight areas, and his general scanning and reading of the game should lead to him being exceptional against any and all types of presses, all that needs to be touched up is the speed at which he plays at - be relaxed mentally while being sharp and quick on the ball.
Ball Carrying
Due to his long strides and powerful running, Ito can eat up ground carrying the ball in transition, outrunning the opposition midfield and kick starting an attack. While he is not someone who looks to carry often, as he prefers engaging in short passing moves or making runs off the ball, he does look very comfortable when striding upfield with the ball.
There is nothing flashy about runs like this, but being able to turn on the pace and carry your team up the pitch is a valuable ability to have in midfield - the Declan Rice's and Rodri's of the world all do this to great effect. Although it doesn't look like he's exploding out of the blocks, Ito reaches top speed rapidly and glides past defenders completely uncontested.
Ito unfortunately doesn't have the flair and quick feet to beat his man consistently when stood up and can only use his body language to attempt to fool the defender, angling as if he's going to pass to one side and carrying the ball to the other. This caps Ito's potential as a ball carrier, in tight spaces he is going to be dispossessed more often than he will escape with the ball. That being said, it is by no means easy to take the ball away from Ito, he has very strong feet, which gives him an advantage when he and an opposition player look to kick the ball at the same time, and he also has a knack for shielding the ball when under pressure. Trying to engage Ito shoulder-to-shoulder will too not wield great success, he is not someone that will easily be moved off the ball. Due to his physicality, if Ito can improve his footwork in these tight areas he will become a more complete dribbler, opening up more avenues for breaking down defences.
Goal Threat
While Ito doesn't rack up a huge amount of shots on goal and will most likely never be the sort of player who is scoring double digit goals in a season consistently, I found him to have great ball striking and smart movement in and around the box, which would suggest he could maintain and even improve on his goal scoring production of the past two years. He is proficient and accurate taking shots at goal on both feet, making him a threat from most angles around 20 yards from goal, and is also capable of using a variety of ball striking techniques, although sometimes his technique selection was lacking (using his instep when he should've connected with his laces, for example).
Looking at his goals from the past year, three things stand out to me: firstly, every single goal was scored on his weaker left foot, suggesting great confidence in his technique using his wrong foot, even attempting shots from distance with it; secondly, the variety of different angles and situations these goals were scored in, showing he is a well rounded threat in the attacking third; and finally, Ito is able to perfectly place these shots into the bottom corner, even on the volley, thanks to his refined body manipulation, balance, and technique - everything is done exactly as you would teach it.
For a midfielder, Ito has great instincts in attacking areas, always making good runs and looking to get involved in the box. I wouldn't say that he has top end ball striking, perhaps he lacks the venom in his strikes and relies more on placement to beat the keeper, but it is still decent and very rarely will his technique break down when striking the ball. Importantly, he is a threat on both feet which will always make him tricky to defend, he also has the size and physicality to threaten in the air, although he is much better with the ball at his feet.
Aerial Ability
Given his stature in a league that is generally not as big and physical as those in Europe, Ito has natural advantages that make him a force in the air. He is rarely challenged in the air and is able to head clear long balls with ease, so much so that teams will often look to go to other side of the pitch if they wish to play through the air. However, Ito is only so good in the air because of his size in comparison to your average J League midfielder, he lacks bravery and commitment in the air and doesn't have the ability to out-jump those of a similar height who look to contest him. Ito, while overall being a great athlete, lacks spring and explosion and this is something that will show up the most in the air - a vertical jump is the best measure of explosive power, Ito's vertical would not be all that impressive if measured.
When faced up against Kawasaki Frontale midfielder Joao Schmit, who is of a similar height to Ito, he could not compete (and Schmit is by no means an exceptional athlete).
Neither man jump particularly high in this engagement, but Schmit comfortably wins. On top of jumping as if he has lead in his boots, Ito struggles to attack the ball correctly - he jumps directly under the ball and slightly too early, meaning he hangs in the air while Schmit leaps over him. Obviously a high, looping ball like this is rather hard to attack, but you wouldn't expect someone of Ito's physical profile to be beaten in an duel like this.
His ability in the air is something that I have the most fears about translating to the European game should he decide to take the next step in his career, the game will become more physical and he'll be matched up against real elite athletes - he will no longer be a big fish in a small pond and will have to learn how to be more combative in the air.
Tackling
Another aspect of Ito's game that I fear will not translate well against better competition is his tackling, something you wouldn't expect to be a weakness of a player built like him. The biggest gripe I have with Ito's tackling is the lack of assertiveness he engages duels with, he is far too timid when he should be bullying opposition players off the ball. Most of his attempted tackles involve him dangling a leg out trying to poke the ball away, often resulting in the opposition player just skipping around his leg, leaving Ito in a poor position to recover. He is very risk-averse in his tackles, never wanting to go to ground or use his body to force an opposition player off the ball - in most cases this would be a good thing in my eyes, but only if you engage with proper technique when you do look to win the ball, which Ito does not.
Here, Ito rightly looks to close down the man receiving the ball on the edge of the area, stopping him front getting either a free shot at goal or a cross into the box. Although, I don't think there's any need to engage in a tackle here as all you have to do is block his shooting and crossing opportunities, if you win the ball here you can kick start a counter attack so I don't hate his decision to look for a tackle.
What I do hate is how Ito chooses to engage. He squares himself up to his man as he should, but weakly sticks out his left leg, a completely telegraphed move that the Gamba Osaka attacker reads and skips past, opening up space for a shot. You can't expect to consistently win the ball lunging in like this when the opposition player is in full control of the ball, you're just asking to be beat.
Later in the same game, Ito again looks to step out and engage, this time in far more favourable conditions seeing as the opposition player has his back to him, is receiving a throw-in which he'll need to bring down, and is in the middle of the pitch where there is no immediate threat to the Urawa goal - this is exactly when you'd want to look to engage.
However, instead of making contact with the opposition player, getting in his back and stopping him from turning upfield, Ito again wants to square himself up and lunge in, attempting to poke the ball away.
Shockingly, he once again misses the ball, leaving himself in no position to recover and the Gamba Osaka player is free to run down the wing with the ball. For someone with a clear physical advantage over most players he'll face, Ito rarely looks to be physical and combative, there is no attempt to win the ball with real conviction. In addition, Ito will never go to ground when tackling, which sometimes you have to do if you're to win the ball, even if it's more risky.
Against better opposition, this issue will only be amplified and Ito will be caught out more often. Players in Europe are sharper on the ball, if you're unable to poke the ball in Japan there's little chance you'll be able to in Europe - there needs to be more physicality to compete and stamp your mark on the game defensively.
Reading of the Game
Fortunately, Ito does have one way to ensure that he's not a near-liability defensively - his position and expert reading of the game. He is a very aware player, very switched on, allowing him to understand where an opposition player wants to go with the ball and adjust his positioning in order to block the passing lane and intercept the ball. In the same way that he can move defenders with his body language on the ball, opening up passing lanes, Ito can fool those on the ball that he is in no position to block a passing lane, only to change direction at the last second and utilise his long legs to take the ball - mentally he is on another level to the opposition.
This example from the Gamba Osaka game (in which he was struggling defensively) best shows how he is able to combine his natural athleticism with his understanding of the game to win the ball. Here, he has his hips flipped towards his own box, and is running back to urgently defend the massive amount space the Gamba Osaka striker has. The player on the ball sees this and assumes that a passing lane to his midfield partner on the left side of the pitch will open up in the space Ito is currently vacating, a fair assumption to make.
What the Gamba Osaka player didn't realise was that Ito had his eyes on him the entire time, waiting to see where and when he would look to play the ball. As the ball leaves his foot, Ito halts his sprint back towards his own goal, plants his left foot into the ground and pivots, ready to intercept the pass. While this is by no means a great pass, it wouldn't have been an issue had Ito continued running back towards goal - instead he read the opposition like a book and easily wins possession.
Ito has also been deployed as a right back and centre back in previous seasons, giving him a better understanding of defensive structure and positioning, as well as making him tactically versatile. There are very few times that Ito can be found out of position in defensive situations, even despite the amount of deep runs he makes into the box. He has the athleticism and long speed to recover position, as well as the fundamental understanding of the game to sense danger and disrupt it before it manifests fully - for the most part Ito is a very smart player, you wouldn't think that he's only been playing professionally for three full seasons.
Summary
Overall, Ito is a fantastic midfielder who has outgrown domestic competition in Japan and is certainly ready to make the switch to a top European league. He is extremely refined on the ball, being able to split the lines and retain possession effortlessly, is two-footed which opens up his arsenal of passes, and has fantastic body control allowing him to play passes at awkward angles that others cannot. Naturally he wants to keep everything two-touch and, while this aids him when it comes to short interchanges of passes in midfield, does lead to some wayward long balls - however, when he takes his time with these passes there is no issue with the accuracy. I cannot in good faith claim that he can develop into a massive creative force given some issues he has regarding weighting of passes in behind and he is far more adept passing to feet as opposed to passing into space; that being said, I am a fan of his crossing capabilities and this, combined with his linkup ability, gives him a strong foundation as a passer that will help him succeed anywhere. While he doesn't have particularly neat and quick footwork, Ito is an effective dribbler and can escape the press consistently, though he needs to make sure to not be too relaxed under pressure as he often is as it will lead to being dispossessed in dangerous areas. Ito possess a decent goal threat from the midfield due to his clean ball striking, excellent movement in the box, and ability to strike with both feet - he already has an admirable catalogue of goals three years in to his professional career. For someone with physical traits that are high in demand currently in football (tall, broad shoulders, long legs, strong, athletic), I don't think Ito makes the best use of them when it comes to dueling - his tackles are poor and lack commitment, aggression, conviction, etc. plus I don't think his aerial prowess will translate well in Europe against bigger and stronger opposition. With regards to Ito's decision making and reading of the game, I struggle to find any issues - he is exception in this area of the game, there is a clear natural understanding of football that can't be taught.
Despite his build and athletic traits profiling him as a '6', as he currently is he is better deployed as an '8' or in a double pivot with license to get up and down the pitch (how he is currently used at Urawa). It's a similar conundrum to that of Declan Rice in that he has the ideal traits to be a top level defensive midfielder but his natural instincts lead him to wanting to go box-to-box. No matter where he is deployed in midfield, Ito will be a very good player with lots of room to grow - he may be 25 but he's only been playing professional football for three years, there is little wear on his legs and he is still inexperienced although he doesn't show it.