Having spent the first 3 years of his professional career in the lower divisions of Japan with Roasso Kumamoto, Kawahara impressed enough to earn a move to first division club Sagan Tosu and took like a duck to water, featuring in every single minute of every league game over the course of the 2023 season thus far. A hard working, do-it-all midfielder who will cover every single blade of grass over the course of 90 minutes, So Kawahara has proven himself to be among the best new arrivals into the J1.
Kawahara's positional heatmap for the 2023 season - sofascore.com
As shown by this heatmap, Kawahara is constantly roaming the pitch and loves to get up and down the half spaces, offering help offensively but not neglecting his defensive responsibilities. He is usually utilised in a double pivot alongside a more stable midfielder positionally which allows him to play with freedom and put his never-ending lung capacity to work. With someone who wants to be as active as Kawahara, it would usually be better to deploy them as an 8 in a midfield trio to ensure no holes open up in the defensive structure, however, as he covers so much ground it ends up not mattering, at times it seems like there is 2 of him on the pitch.
Physical Traits
Standing at 5'7" (at a stretch), Kawahara does not have an overwhelming presence in the middle of the park, but he makes up for this with his stocky and compact build, giving him the physical capacity to impose himself on others. His legs in particular are very well built, giving him great running power and strength in duels that others in the J1 just do not possess.
While I wouldn't say that he's rapid, it is clear that he has some real burst, again in part because of his tree trunk legs. Short strides and a low centre of gravity help him in moving laterally and in tighter spaces but the drawback is that he cannot maintain his top speed over long distances in the way that players with longer legs and therefore strides can. The way he moves is hard to describe but he is not a particularly smooth mover; he seems to stomp around, he is not an effortless and aesthetic athlete.
One trait that is very impressive is his stamina. As previously stated, Kawahara has played 90 minutes in every single league game thus far, all the while covering the most distance in the J1 by a rather sizeable margin. This is a proper workhorse who does not run out of the steam, constantly up and down the pitch, throwing himself around for the sake of the team - a managers dream essentially.
Passing
One important thing to note about Kawahara's overall ability on the ball and his passing in particular is that there is a rather noticeable lack of control and finesse in his actions, no doubt in part due to his muscular legs and seemingly massive feet that do not lend themselves to an acute and elegant style of play. This leads to inaccuracies, with only 83% of his passes finding the mark; a number you'd expect from a creative force in the final third sure, but not from someone in a double pivot who has a lot of build up and 2nd phase responsibilities.
This mostly shows up in first time passes, which Kawahara loves to play despite how often it seems to go wrong. He simply does not have the control and attention to detail to play the ball first time as much as he does and should instead look to slow down and exert more calmness in possession in order to safely and accurately move the ball through the phases.
While examples like these may not seem overly egregious, these small misses build up over the course of the season and are simply needless mistakes that can and should be ironed out. This is especially the case for Kawahara as he plays in a side that wants to play through pressure using intricate passing movements. One simple misplaced pass or heavy touch is something that can put your team in real danger trying to play this style of football, something we will look at when later evaluating his press resistance. Despite the fact that he averages 60 passes a game pointing to the fact that he can operate as a key part of the build up in a system like Sagan Tosu's, there is a clear lack of control that leads me to believe that he doesn't currently have the facilities to reliably perform as a key member of the 1st phase structure.
Of course, it is not all doom and gloom, there are parts of Kawahara's game in possession that are very promising. The one thing I would like to hone in on in particular is the ability to disguise passes using body language in order to open up a passing lane that previously didn't exist, something I feel is a vital component of playing through the lines and breaking teams down.
As he receives the ball from his centre half and turns up field, there is a clear pass to play in order to bypass the first line of pressure and create an opportunity to run at the Yokohama defence. In order to play this pass, Kawahara needs to deal with the striker in his face currently in a position to block the passing lane - a lot of players would play it to the other centre half and hope he can find the pass before the lane is blocked, Kawahara, however, smartly finds a way to move the striker away from the passing lane.
Kawahara angles towards his RCB, seemingly closing off a pass up field. What this does is drag the Yokohama striker across towards the passing lane Kawahara is angling towards, thus opening up the lane up field that was previously occupied.
Accurately passing across his body, Kawahara is able to easily progress the play and kickstart a Tosu attack. Being able to manipulate the positioning of opposition players using body language is something I love to see from a player, it shows great intelligence and allows you to safely progress play. Though there is a clear issue with control and composure in Kawahara's build up, if he is able to consistently use his body to create easy ball progression in this manor, he can still be an asset in possession.
Passing Range
There is a lot to like about Kawahara's ability as a vertical passer, be that playing balls in behind or simply progressing play breaking the lines. Indubitably there are many passes that are inaccurate or not quite weighted as they should be, but these are always going to be unavoidable when playing trickier passes, and there is clear feel and understanding for playing these passes within Kawahara. The timing of his through balls in particular I found to be fantastic; he gets his head up when receiving and carrying the ball in order to find the correct pass and has the confidence to execute, even when trying to fit the ball into tight spaces.
The further the passes travel the more wild they become, with his understanding of weighting the ball faltering over these distances, but this is something that is to be expected - consistently hitting the target on long balls requires a finesse that Kawahara simply doesn't possess. He is also willing and able to hit these vertical passes on either foot which is a real positive as it opens up different angles for attack.
There is a fall off in comfort and weighting when looking to spread the play horizontally out wide. Switches of play from Kawahara tend to have too much air under them, drifting through the air with minimal pace and too much height. Certainly he is more adept at punching the ball up the pitch aggressively than he is calmly spreading play, another reason why I see him as someone best suited further up the pitch as opposed to sitting deeper and being more involved in the build up.
Not only are these type of passes poorly executed, a lot of them are simply not the right choice. Needlessly spreading the play when it's clear that you don't have a natural understanding of these drifted passes is never a good idea, you are forcing your teammates into fighting a 50/50 duel in the air when you already have full possession of the ball. If Kawahara is to play deeper he cannot miss on these passes, it is his responsibility to make the correct decisions as he is in a position to see and read the entire pitch. For my money, he should be moved away from deeper positions where he's asked to spread the play and instead play more advanced in the half spaces where he can play vertically, also allowing him to press on the front foot when Tosu do lose the ball.
Press Resistance
Another reason why I just don't like Kawahara in these deeper positions is his shakiness receiving the ball under pressure, compounded by his lack of refined control of the ball. There is an evident lack of the ability to properly assess the situation under pressure and find the correct pass to alleviate said pressure, and this is in the J1 where the presses are not particularly aggressive.
Receiving the ball from his centre back, Kawahara has, despite a couple Kawasaki Frontale players in close proximity, an easy opportunity to turn out to his right and play to his winger in an acre of space on the left wing, bypassing the press. However, because he hasn't scanned the pitch prior to receiving the ball, he has no idea what is going on behind him.
What this results in is Kawahara immediately punching the ball back to the man who just passed to him, under the assumption that there is someone on his back stopping him from turning up field, to the dismay of his teammate on the wing who knows how simply he could've and should've received the ball.
By playing the wrong pass, Kawahara puts his team under pressure, forcing them to go back to the keeper who has no options and thus goes long, conceding the ball to the opposition. From what should have been simple progression through what was not an aggressive or coordinated press turned into a turnover. This is not good enough.
It seems that, when building out from the back, Kawahara has rehearsed passes he adheres to no matter the situation, thus making him unable to make decisions on the fly. He doesn't have the capacity to read the opposition in an instant and adapt, which I understand is hard when you're in the thick of it, but it is something you should expect from any professional midfielder.
As he receives the ball here later in the same game, Kawahara has decided before the ball has arrived that he is playing a ball across his body to the right hand side of the pitch first time. While I cannot say that this is the wrong pass to play, I do not think he is under as much pressure as he thinks he is and doesn't need to urgently pump this ball to the wing.
The ball arrives in an awkward manner, bobbling up and sitting fairly far to his right, making it hard for him to wrap his foot around the ball fully and deliver a decent pass. With hindsight I can easily sit here and say that there are a multitude of options he could've opted for (play to his right sided centre back as they have the number advantage at the back, let the ball run across his body and look for a pass on the left as it was already travelling that way, etc.) and I understand suggesting that as if I have all the answers is in bad faith, but still you cannot commit to playing this awkward pass across your body when the ball is sat up like this - especially not deep in your own half.
Shockingly, Joao Schmidt intercepts the ball as it bobbles over to its target, putting Tosu in an extremely difficult situation. The quick decision making isn't there at this moment in time and this makes Kawahara a liability in the face of the press as far as I'm concerned. This is a player who's natural instincts are not to dictate the play at the base of midfield, passing through pressure with composure and poise. This is a player that wants to outwork the opposition and operate in a transitional game, moving up and down the pitch vertically.
Crossing
Kawahara takes corners for Tosu fairly often and so you'd assume he is at least an effective crosser, but much like his switches of play there is a lack of correct placement which often results in balls that his teammates cannot attack and direct towards goal. His corners have a tendency to travel slightly too far into the box and behind the runners, meaning that the people attacking the ball are forced to lean back in order to make contact with the ball. Obviously, you don't want to be leaning back when attacking a header as you can't generate any power and you can't properly directly the ball towards goal. When they're not too far into the box, they are too short, being headed away by the first man - needs to just meet in the middle. The flight and pace of the corners are decent, the placement is the issue here.
From open play or from deep freekicks, the ball will often fall short or land nowhere close to anyone on his team. There is a lack of whip on the balls from open play, they are often lofted too high, again not allowing his teammates to attack the ball at it's apex and direct it towards goal with power and venom.
Despite my issues with the placement, there is a lot of potential here, particularly from dead ball situations. He is able to generate a good amount of power and whip, the flight of the ball is nice and flat, the only thing missing is placing the ball in a position for his teammates to attack it. This can become a real asset and a key part of his game with a slight bit more refinement. From open play I think he loses that dangerous flight on the ball that he has from a dead ball, perhaps he overthinks things and tries to be too delicate which doesn't suit him. The fact that he is able to get in a variety of crossing positions is a massive positive and shouldn't be overlooked because of the often poor final ball, once he can really nail the delivery Kawahara can become a legitimate threat on the underlap from deep.
Tackling
Kawahara, while not being the most productive tackler, averaging 1.9 per 90, he is very effective at winning the duels he engages in, boasting a 62.7% tackle success rate. This efficiency is not entirely backed up by the eye test, but not because I see him as a bad tackler - Kawahara has a very scrappy approach to duels, often forgoing technique in favour of simply winning the fight.
This example best displays the desire and combativeness Kawahara leans on to win duels. The Tosu defence here is wide open and not tracking well so as this through ball is played in Kawahara has to make up a lot of ground to prevent a shot at goal, something that does not deter him in the slightest.
Expecting a shot, Kawahara slides in looking to put his body on the line but is left fooled and aimlessly sliding across the attackers face. Despite this, he is able to to recover, spin around, and stick a leg out poking the ball away. This is obviously not how you want to engage in a duel, especially not in the penalty area, but because of Kawahara's tenacity he is able to pry the ball away.
The sequence ends with Kawahara still on the floor, yet somehow shielding the ball from the Sapporo player, allowing his teammate to come and collect the ball, once again showing the workrate and desire to win the ball. Throwing himself around is a common theme in Kawahara's ball winning but he is able to make it work.
With a player who always plays with such passion and effort, there are going to be mistakes and Kawahara tends to lunge in a lot. When it works, he wins the ball with strength and is able to carry up field; when it fails, he is left chasing or is forced into committing a foul. Overall, it is something that should be reigned in, however Kawahara is the type of player to chase down and make up for any mistake in an admirable manner which makes you forgive the over-aggressiveness at times.
Regarding the technique of his tackling, I think his slide tackles in particular are quite poor. He often goes to ground for the sake of it, resulting in aimless slide tackles that rarely win the ball and often fall short - he is much better going shoulder-to-shoulder and letting his tenacity shine through rather than engaging in a style of challenge that requires great technique and timing.
Interceptions
Much unlike how he plays when receiving the ball under pressure, Kawahara seems like he has eyes in the back of his head when defending in shape, allowing him to seamlessly follow runners and block passing lines. When he is able to face the man on the ball and read his eyes and body language he shows a great deal of awareness.
With his eyes on the Kobe centre half, Kawasaki is still able to feel the run in behind him. From the Kobe players perspective, this pass into the space behind Kawahara is on simply because of his body position - his hips are faced away from where the ball is going, meaning he'd have to flip his hips in order to attempt to intercept the ball.
However, as Kawahara was fully aware of the run in behind him and had eyes on the man with the ball so that he could know exactly when the pass was coming, he was able to plant his foot in the ground, turn, and easily jump into the passing lane, intercepting the ball and kickstarting an attack with runners in front of him.
Again, with his eyes on the man with the ball while still staying aware of the runner behind him, Kawahara is able to time when he jumps into the passing line, taking the passer by surprise. This is a particularly difficult situation, however, as the Tosu defence is very exposed and the man making the run behind him in rather quick - he has to track the run well and safely clear the ball.
As shown in this screenshot, Kawahara has no issue getting acrobatic and throwing his body around to prevent the ball from reaching its target - once again his workrate and desire is showing, aiding him in winning the ball.
Kawahara is a diligent defender who will always track the runners and cover for his teammates, even slotting in to centre back positions at times. Combine this with sublime defensive awareness and Kawahara becomes very hard to bypass in the centre of the park.
Goal Threat
Having only one singular goal this season, it is fair to say that Kawahara is not particularly a threat in the final third, something I think is due to his ball striking as opposed to any mental deficiencies. There is a tendency for him to find a decent amount of space arriving late at the edge of the box but rushing his strike, and thus the ball either flies harmlessly wide or straight into a defender - much like his crossing, there is a lack of correct placement. I think his shots from distance are needless, often attempting to fire them through a crowd of people but, again, he doesn't have the accuracy to do so.
Sometime to notice about his shooting technique is his odd follow through, particularly on the left footed shot against Vissel Kobe, where he stops his follow through short and then does this strange hop right after - obviously not going to help the path and pace of the ball. He seems very uncomfortable in his technique, as if he has little body control or as if he is rushing through the motions.
If we look beyond the technical deficiencies in his ball striking, Kawahara has a lot of traits to work with that can aid him in becoming a threatening presence in front of goal, particularly his movement in the final third, something that reared its head in his only goal this season.
Tenacious movement and energy makes up for a couple bad touches and a misplaced pass, this goal was made completely by Kawahara's desire to get forward into the box and make things happen. The finish itself, while admittedly very well placed on his weaker foot, is again not caught particularly well but on this occasion it did not matter because of the position in the box he took up. Watching Kawahara, I couldn't help but think that he should be deployed slightly further up the pitch because he does make some fantastic runs, whether that be running up the half space to act as an outlet or crashing the box unmarked to overwhelm the defence.
Because of where the ball is positioned here, the Kobe midfield are not suspecting any kind of immediate threat and are simply jogging across on autopilot. Kawahara, being one step ahead, sees a massive hole that he can run into, giving his teammate on the wing an option to aim for with an early cross while the Kobe defence is sleeping.
As the ball comes in, the man responsible for Kawahara is nowhere close to him, completely unaware that a run has already been made. Kawahara is in a full sprint towards the open space in the box while the Kobe defence is static. These are the sort of movements that open up a teams defensive shape.
Although he is unable to reach the mark with the header, the fact of the matter is that one sharp run from Kawahara was all that it took to create a goal scoring opportunity from midfield. While Kawahara is generally very poor in the air, having only a 35.1% aerial duel success rate (understandable given his height), on another day a similar situation may occur but the ball is played on the flood and he is able to tuck home. The runs are smart and they are threatening to a defence, this is something we need to see more of.
Dribbling
Much like in the air, carrying the ball is something Kawahara struggles with greatly, having only a 25% dribble success rate. As previously stated, this is not a player that boasts a wealth of control and finesse, thus he doesn't have the ball manipulation and quick feet to reliably beat his man in the midfield. Because of his stockiness and innate strength, Kawahara wants to bulldoze through the midfield with the ball, holding players off, bouncing off tackles, and drawing fouls on the odd occasion that he does chose to carry the ball; for the most part though, he is simply using a change of pace and a quick first step to beat his man just enough to create and angle for the pass.
Kawahara will run into crowds for seemingly no reason, and he will get caught out due to not having the control and technique to wriggle out of tight spaces, but he is hard to move off the ball and will draw a lot of fouls from people getting frustrated at being unable to easily dispossess him. There is potential here as a vertical ball carrier, but not much else.
Summary
It is important to understand that Kawahara is quite flawed technically: there is a lack of care in his passes that can lead to issues in build up, especially against the press; he doesn't have great awareness against the press either and can be easily trapped; he doesn't have the ability to spread the play reliably, the weighting of his passes are off; and there is a lack of ball striking ability. But, there are a lot of positives that transcend technical ability, namely his workrate. This is a guy who will not stop running for the entirety of the 90 minutes, constantly up and down the pitch, making box-crashing runs one second, tracking a runner in behind the next. He is compact and strong, despite his small stature, giving him presence in the midfield that you wouldn't expect. While there is lack of tackling technique, he is scrappy and refuses to lose a battle, giving him excellent ball winning ability.
Kawahara screams captain material and is someone who leads by example. Maybe he doesn't have the ability to become a European-calibre midfielder, but his grit and workrate are beyond admirable and he can certainly cement himself as one of the top players in Japan over the coming years.