Since his debut in 2020, Sota Kawasaki has been a foundational piece of the Kyoto Sanga side who have reestablished themselves in the Japanese first division after a decade in the J2, and was rewarded by being named team captain at the start of the 2023 season, aged only 21. In a sporting culture that rewards experience and longevity, this was a massive change from the norms, speaking volumes to Kawasaki's character and leadership capabilities. A stalwart in the centre of the Kyoto Sanga midfield, Kawasaki's impressive performances over the past year have earned him a call up to the Japanese national team in addition to interest from European clubs, most notably Championship club Coventry City.
Kawasaki's heatmap for the 2023 season - sofascore.com
Deployed usually at the base of a midfield trio, although has been playing slightly more advanced in recent months, Kawasaki is an energetic presence in the middle of the park who loves to play on the front foot, pressing high and vacating his position to engage in duels elsewhere. He is an incredibly tenacious footballer who works hard until the final whistle, though this does lead him to be positionally erratic and in a more structured system would most likely not be able to play as a '6'.
Physical Traits
Kawasaki does not have an imposing physical profile, standing at around 5'8" with a slight frame - he does not carry much muscle and therefore he is not an explosive and twitchy athlete. Despite this, there is a suddenness to the way Kawasaki moves; in short areas he is exceptionally quick and has great agility and body control, allowing his to change direction sharply and hound players down. He will get outpaced over long distances, the lack of natural athleticism and shorter strides don't lend him to winning these battles. Kawasaki is able to make up for this lack of athletic advantage with his mentality and competitiveness - he will never shy away from duels, clearly a big David vs Goliath fan, but in the grand scheme of things it's not always going to be enough to compete physically with more gifted athletes.
As far as stamina goes, Kawasaki is a hard worker and covers a decent amount of ground off the ball for the full 90 with no issue. Very seldom did he look tired or leggy, even tracking back in the dying moments of a game. He does stay more static and generally uninvolved in possession which I'm sure helps him conserve energy but overall he has great work rate and stamina.
Tackling
Kawasaki is a player who loves to engage in duels and, for my money, it is easily his best trait. According to the official J League stats database, he averages 3.1 tackles per 90 at a 65.7% success rate, both fantastic numbers which would put him in the top 5-10% of all midfielders.
Kawasaki is indiscriminate with his tackling, engaging box-to-box, using a variety of techniques, and is willing to throw himself at the ball in order to win it. If he doesn't win the first engagement he goes back in for a second. Although he is not the most refined in his technique, the fact that he essentially throws himself about and doesn't shy away from a physical duels despite his perceived deficiencies in this area makes it difficult to get the best of him. His defending, particularly in the box, is inspiring and exactly what you'd want from your captain, sacrificing his body for the sake of the team.
Despite his stature, he does have relatively long legs that aid him in the tackle, allowing him to engage from a multitude of angles - this is what we see from some of the best destroyers in football currently. He also engages with strong, heavy feet, meaning if he makes contact with the ball he is most likely going to win it, on many occasions he is essentially kicking through people and winning the ball.
One negative regarding his willingness to engage in duels anywhere and anyhow is the amount of fouls he concedes, particularly when engaging from behind. Although the competitiveness and aggression is great, Kawasaki needs to be reigned in slightly when it comes to the duels he chooses to go for, perhaps not being so rough when tackling from behind as referees will always penalise him in situations like that.
Reading of the Game
Defensively, Kawasaki can read the opposition well. He has a great understanding of defensive shape and tracks runners to snuff out danger just as much as he steps up and out of position to tackle. Although he doesn't have a high volume of interceptions (0.3 per 90 according to the J League database), Kawasaki is rather instinctual in knowing when to jump a pass to intercept it, using his great short area quickness to latch on to any slow or inaccurate passes from the opposition.
In this scenario, Yokohama are moving the ball outside the Kyoto Sanga box in what seems like a relatively threatening moment. Kawasaki, however, understands that there is little threat at this point in time and thus doesn't have to rush back into his own box to defend, knowing that his side currently has the numerical advantage and could hopefully deal with any cross with relative ease - instead, he looks towards the Yokohama midfielders, understanding that the ball is more likely to be recycled back in this particular situation.
As the ball gets played back, Kawasaki isn't actually in a great position to make a play on the ball - he was standing fairly square and flat footed and so wasn't in the proper stance to burst into the path of the ball, even in this screenshot he isn't in a particularly athletic stance. However, because he was mentally prepared for the ball to go back, he is still in a better position to intercept the ball than a more athletic footballer without the in-game understanding he has would be.
The ball almost reaches its target but Kawasaki is there to meet it, resulting in a 50/50. Ideally, you'd like him to cleanly win the ball here, but the point is that Kawasaki was able to pressure and almost intercept the ball in a settled scenario as far as Yokohama is concerned, all because he correctly understood where the ball will go due to multiple external factors (positioning of his teammates in relation to the Yokohama players, numerical advantage, where is the space for the Yokohama players, etc). This is great awareness and understanding of the game.
This scenario shows Kawasaki's great instincts and short area burst (when he's not standing flat footed), allowing him to intercept a pass. Two of his teammates have stepped up into the same exact area, leaving an opposition player completely free to receive the third man pass and carry up the pitch. Kawasaki is aware of this and is sprinting over to try and block the pass, knowing that this is most likely a better option than holding his position and allowing the Kobe player to run at him and an exposed back four.
He covers a decent amount of ground in a split second and slides in to just barely reach the ball, poking it to his teammate and allowing his team to start an attack of their own, completely flipping the situation - a very risky play but one timed to perfection. This is the type of instinctual play you need in the midfield if you're constantly having players stepping up and playing aggressively on the front foot. Using his quickness, great understanding of where the danger is, and a gladiatorial mentality towards to jumping out of his shape and engaging on the ball, Kawasaki is able to effectively intercept play, despite what the low statistical volume may suggest.
Aerial Dueling
Much like how he is in ground duels, Kawasaki has a fearless and bullish mentality towards aerial battles, even despite his obvious physical disadvantages in some cases. The metrics are not particularly kind to him as he only boasts a 39.3% win rate in aerial duels, however, I feel the fact that he is so brave and brash in the air makes up for this - you may win most of your duels against him but you won't win them easily, nor will you retain possession with certainty.
There is a tendency to jump slightly too early leading to him just hanging in the air under the ball, not attacking the ball at the apex, and on many occasions, even if he has a free header, he heads the ball back to the opposition team as opposed to out of harms way - it seems he is far more focused on winning the header to begin with and doesn't give much thought into directing the header to safety.
While there are a multitude of deficiencies regarding Kawasaki's aerial ability which lead me to believe he could end up being a liability as a 6, a position in which aerial ability is becoming increasingly more necessary, there is a lot to like regarding his mentality towards getting in the air and competing for the ball, making sure he's challenging whoever he's up against. In addition, Kawasaki is able to do something that is fairly rare in the modern game, especially for people of his height, and that is generating power with a header. This is something best seen in his singular goal this season against FC Tokyo:
Kawasaki does a great job attacking the ball with the correct timing, cocks his head back and unleashes into the ball, leaving the keeper with no chance. There is a fair amount of spring here too which is promising, he clearly jumps higher that the Tokyo defender despite his height.
Goal Threat
As he only has one goal this season, it is safe to assume that Kawasaki is not someone who currently is a massive goal threat. Given that he has been playing at the base of midfield for the majority of his career thus far, he doesn't find himself in shooting opportunities all that much and, when he does shoot, he is not particularly lethal. Having said that, I feel that his ball striking ability is not bad at all - he may not be able to generate an immense amount of power, nor does he have an array of shooting techniques in his locker, but his overall technique is very clean and compact, even on his weaker foot. While I don't predict him to ever become a prolific goalscorer from midfield who can get you around 7-10 goals a year, he does have the ability to crop up with a few vital goals, particularly from outside the box.
As shown here against Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki has no problem taking shots from distance on his weaker foot; he clearly has great confidence in his technique and ability on his weaker foot - if the ball sits up nicely for him, no matter the distance, he has the courage to strike it.
From the reverse angle we get a better look at his striking technique. All in all it's pretty decent, the only negative to note is that his foot comes straight up through the ball from directly underneath, as opposed to cutting across the ball from left to right, resulting in a shot that, while still powerful, loops up and down. Cutting through the ball would've resulted in a flatter strike that moves from left to right, spinning away from the keeper and towards the bottom corner.
Unfortunately, the ball ricochets of his teammate and goes wide, preventing us from seeing how or if the strike would've challenged the keeper, although it does seem like he has it covered.
Passing
The first thing that needs to be noted regarding Kawasaki's passing ability is that he is not someone who wants to be constantly on the ball, dictating the flow of the game - he averages just less than 35 passes per 90. With the way Kyoto Sanga play, Kawasaki is often bypassed as they look to go long, meaning he is seldom picking the ball up from his defenders and progressing the play. This isn't to suggest that he is unable of dictating play, but as of right now it is not something he has much experience with and it doesn't seem that he has the natural inclination to being a metronome in the centre of the park.
Kawasaki is also rather erratic as a passer and on the ball in the general, completing only 72.5% of his passes despite the fact that he is not often playing longer, more difficult passes. The placement on what should be easy short passes in settled possession is far too inconsistent, the ball doesn't arrive to his teammates feet in stride as much as you'd expect it to - these slight errors are something you trust would be cleaned up in time but it is worth noting as right now it really does negatively impact his ability as a passer.
There are glimpses of great interplay and quick passing moves in the midfield where everything is accurate, in rhythm, and on time. The moments offer a foundation to build on as they show Kawasaki does have the capacity to link play and create from the midfield, also suggesting that he should be played as an 8 more often, where the spaces between him and his attackers is shorter and thus allowing for more of these moments.
Here, Kawasaki has taken a more advanced position than usual, looking to combine with his attackers in the midfield. As he is naturally a very aware and switched on player, as he receives the ball here he knows that there will be immediate pressure on him and he needs to find a pass with haste.
With his first touch, Kawasaki opens up his body and plays the ball perfectly up field while also staying in an athletic stance, ready to spring forward and receive the 1-2.
All it takes is one touch and some sharp movement for Kawasaki to put his team in an advantageous and dangerous situation, with space, time, and four teammates ahead of him ready to make runs in behind, stretching the opposition back 4.
To finish off the move, Kawasaki again opens his body up and plays a cutthroat through ball in between two defenders with perfect weight and precision - he is in his element in these quick passing sequences, everything flows and seems easy for him.
If not for a fantastic last ditch tackle from the opposition defender, this move most likely results in a Kyoto Sanga goal, created almost entirely off the back of Kawasaki's quick thinking and decisive passing. Again, when he is in situations where he has multiple teammates to play off further up the pitch, Kawasaki becomes extremely dynamic and creative, and should be utilised in this way more often.
When forced to play balls over longer distances, there is not the same fluidity and effortlessness that is evident in these midfield link up moments - Kawasaki loses that decisive passing ability, with the weight and placement of his balls once again becoming erratic and inconsistent. His long balls over the top or in behind, in particular, I found to be overly ambitious and often overhit, completely lacking the precision needed for it to be a key part of his game. His strengths do not lie in his passing range, he is a player that needs to be involved in the quick passing game to be effective.
It is important to note that, for my money, the decision making in these particular scenarios is not an issue, it is only the placement of the passes where improvements need to be made. The mental side of the game is usually harder to develop than the technical side, leading me to believe that, because Kawasaki already has the right ideas, he will develop into a more decisive passer in due time - still, his natural strengths lie in short passing as opposed to long passing.
One specific aspect of long passing that Kawasaki does have down is the ability to open up and switch play to the open man out wide, a vital part of the in possession game of a 6. When you're playing in a deeper role where you can see the entire pitch, it is vital that you are able to make these passes towards the touchline, aiding in recycling possession as well as forcing the opposition defensive shape to move and adjust - 'overload to isolate' is one of the most common ideas in football, having the ability to spread play is a key part of executing that concept efficiently. He has a great eye for finding the space on the pitch.
Dribbling
Because of his lack of long speed and ability to eat up ground with long strides, Kawasaki is not a midfielder who is going to power through the middle of the pitch like fellow Japan international Atsuki Ito can. He also doesn't have the quick feet and flair that would allow him to weave in and out of defenders in tight spaces. However, Kawasaki still boasts an impressive 57.1% dribble success rate, in most part due to his deceptive feints, specifically his ability to angle as if he is about to play a pass, only to take the ball in the other direction.
With a man on his back and no options to pass to safely, Kawasaki is forced to carry away from pressure in a dangerous area where if he loses the ball his team is going to be in danger.
After riding a challenge from the man on his back, he knows he only needs to beat the man in front of him in order to escape the pressure, while also understanding that he most likely doesn't have the running power to simply carry past him. In order to beat him, Kawasaki angles ever so slightly to his right as if to pass to him teammate, just dragging the defender towards his teammate, opening up a hole towards the centre of the pitch he can easily carry into.
It's not flashy or something you'll see in highlight reels posted all over social media, but this is effective manipulation of the opposition to create space, a vital aspect of avoiding pressure and dribbling in the midfield without any dominant physical traits to lean on. All it took was a simple feint to have the defender off balance and scrambling to reach him. On top of this, Kawasaki is adept at inviting contact and riding challenges to beat his man, despite his small stature, aiding him in his press resistance.
Press Resistance
As previously stated, Kawasaki is not the type of player who is going to be constantly receiving possession from his defenders and thus is rarely in situations where he has to deal with the press. In the few times that he does look to receive with his back to play, he is naturally very physical and competitive and thus invites contact, only to then use his leverage advantage to spin away, often drawing fouls.
Despite being good at drawing contact and receiving on the turn, in the grand scheme of things Kawasaki is not particularly press resistant. He relies on the contact and physicality to beat his man as he doesn't have the desired amount of awareness for the position - he doesn't have that same natural feel for pressure that most 6's have, the contact is his trigger to turn up field. If an opposition chooses to not make contact with him, staying patient and just behind him, Kawasaki can be easily dispossessed.
In addition, he is not particularly great at passing out of pressure. When there is someone on his back his passes are more forceful and harder to control, often bobbling off the ground into the recipients shin, thus putting more pressure on them. The fact that Kyoto Sanga often go long giving him minimal reps receiving under pressure certainly doesn't help, but at the same time you can completely understand because, at this moment in time, Kawasaki is unreliable when faced with a press.
Summary
Kawasaki's intense competitiveness and tenacious make him a fun player to watch. He is a willing dueler who is strong in the tackle and will never hide from a physical battle despite his smaller stature - this nature can often result in him being penalised, something that needs to be reigned in, but you can't help but love the passion he shows on matchday. Personally, I see him more as an 8 than a 6 due to a multitude of reasons. Firstly, in an age where taller, more physically imposing defensive midfielders are becoming a necessity to deal with balls over the top of the press, Kawasaki simply doesn't have the natural gifts needed, being 5'8" and not being particularly great in the air despite his willingness to compete. In addition, his ability receiving under the press is not where it needs to be; too often does he rely on receiving contact and using that to spin away from the pressure, which is good when it works but at the same time is easily countered. He is not controlled enough of a passer to reliably and consistently recycle possession, offering stability in the middle of the park. When further up the pitch, not only can Kawasaki play on the front foot as he likes to do, leading the press, but he will be closer to his attackers, thus allowing for quick interplay which he has such a natural affinity for. This is a player who wants to play vertically and at a high pace, putting in more advanced situations where he can be involved in these quick passing moves would help him greatly. It is hard to evaluate the intangibles having only watched him online, however it is clear that Kawasaki is a natural leader who leads with example, shown by being entrusted with the captains armband aged only 21.
There are a lot of ups and downs with Kawasaki, but there is potential for a really dynamic and exciting player to emerge, he has been called up to an increasingly strong Japanese national team for good reason.