Kaoru Mikasa, who played 215 minutes against Liverpool three times this season, has made a total of 10 passes. The Japanese star, who rivals Lionel Messi in the box, has become a new hot topic in the Premier League.
Breaking through Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, he has scored 4 goals and 1 assist in the past 6 games, and he has begun to be dubbed the "three-goal king" by more and more people.
01. 25 years of life: enough to make an idol drama
a. Small assists in the World Cup
Kaoru Mikasa's name began to be known to fans because he assisted Bi Tanaka in the World Cup and defeated Spain to help Japan reach the round of 16.
Because the goal was controversial, it was mentioned repeatedly, which led to more stories of Kaoru Mikasa and for him to start getting more attention.
Bi Tanaka, who received his pass at that time, happened to be Kaoru Mikasa's teammate in elementary school. The two met early and will be selected for the Japanese national team together in the future.
So after scoring a key goal in the World Cup, Tanaka said in an interview: "I knew Kaoru Mikasa would pass the ball and give it this position. Kaoru Mikasa gave a similar answer: "I knew Bi Tanaka would be in that position and receive my pass." ”
b. A tough life doesn't need explanation: going to college and writing football papers & it's full of drama
When it comes to Kaoru Mikasa, the most amazing thing about him is that he turned down a professional contract from the J-League and chose to study at the University of Tsukuba.
But in the ivory tower, he focused on honing his dribbling skills, and wrote an academic paper on dribbling for it.
Helping the University of Tsukuba make an appearance after the Emperor's Cup, shocking Japanese football with a goal, followed by a year of playing in the J-League before coming to Europe as the best newcomer.
It is worth mentioning that Kaoru Mikata is not only "doing research" on campus (not just dribbling, but also scientific nutritious meals to improve muscle content), trying to make each of his muscles perform fake movements.
Off the court, Kaoru Mikasa is also "amazing acting", when he played for Kawasaki Frontale, he once filmed a commercial film, and he was full of drama, which still makes people who have seen it relish.
Although he is an idol-level player, Kaoru Mikasa found his true love when he was in college.
She is also a college track and field athlete who has won the Japanese triple jump twice in a row.
Although he is only 25 years old, Kaoru Mikasa's previous life is enough to make an idol drama.
Even his own motto has been released: "There is only one chance in life, so I must be ambitious and do my best." ”
02. Messi (35-year-old version): Arnold has a deep understanding
a. Second only to Messi in the box: the change of direction is really similar
Barca coach Xavi said: "Kaoru Mikasa's dribbling reminds me of Messi. This statement is confirmed by the data, and Kaoru Mikasa is second only to Messi in the number of successful passes in the five major league boxes this season.
You know, this is still because before Porter went to coach Chelsea, Kaoru Mikasa was placed by him as a substitute, and it was not until Dezelby took over that he really shined.
As you can see from the competition, Kaoru Mikasa has an extremely high level of change in the center of gravity and the frequency of continuous movements.
This time playing Fabinho, Kaoru Mikasa completed a change to start on the ground with a backward speed change, easily throwing off his opponent, forcing Henderson to foul him behind his back.
Let's look at Kaoru Mikasa's breakthrough, surrounded by three Liverpool defenders, he first made a feint in the direction of Keita, making the opponent think that he could use his strength to grab.
When Keita threw his center of gravity, Kaoru Mikasa suddenly accelerated with an inward cut and instantly started to throw away the Liverpool midfield.
Kaoru Mikasa's redirection moves are very realistic and make opponents defenseless. Bayčetić was still relatively immature, and as a defender, he did not choose the right defensive position.
Kaoru Mikasa changed his left foot to shoot backwards after hitting the wall with center Ferguson into the box and making another beautiful smash. He also has the ability to shoot with both feet, although the quality of his left-footed shots is not very high.
b. Very good at dribbling, but it doesn't have to be too sticky
Mikata enjoys the feeling of being passive, and he rarely even bows his head when passing people, shaking his body and changing the center of gravity, which has become a natural habit.
Some media complained that if he were British, perhaps he should be worth 150 million euros at this time.
Kaoru Mikasa's first change of direction is very strong, but his explosive power is limited after all, and he lacks the ability to accelerate continuously.
If he dribbles too much, he will need to pause and take advantage of the change in technique and rhythm to start again. If you blindly accelerate, the effect is not good.
This time against the Chelsea defender, Kaoru Mikasa explained why he is second only to Messi in dribbling statistics.
In the box, he teased his opponents with continuous rhythm and center of gravity changes, and finally sent a cross to his teammates, but unfortunately he was a little short.
03. Continue to practice your transmission ability: Future achievements may surpass Son Heung-min
a. Not just dribbling: his passing is good
Kaoru Mikasa himself is keen to play as a striker, but for reasons such as strength and explosiveness, the coach prefers to put the attacker with super dribbling ability on the wing.
However, placing Kaoru Mikasa on a wingback should not happen in the arrangement of European coaches, after all, his characteristic is attack.
Brighton's split to both wings was characteristic, and Kaoru Mikasa this time received a long pass from the back, came to the 30-metre area, and found Marsh in the middle of the box with a wonderful pass from the outside foot.
Although his teammate failed to seize the opportunity, Kaoru Mikasa's pass won full applause.
Looking at the attack again, Kaoru Mikasa once again crossed the outside instep, but unfortunately his teammate's shot hit the upright.
b. Shooting skills improve quickly: a hat-trick on the debut of European football that year
Kaoru Mikasa, who has scored 15 Premier League shots so far this season, has scored four goals (and a beautiful goal against Arsenal has been cancelled) and has scored in both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
The wide attacker with strong dribbling ability is still good in terms of shooting (the choice of shots needs to be improved, and some of the inside shots are still too forced).
You must remember that he was loaned to the Belgian league and scored a hat-trick on his debut, helping the 10-man home team complete a 0-2 to 4-2 comeback.
Kaoru Mikasa always seems to have played well against Merseyside side side. This time against Everton, he received a transfer ball from Caicedo, and after cutting inside, he calmly pushed the goal.
Let's take a look at the FA Cup goal against Liverpool, Kaoru Mikasa's sense of the ball is very good, both feet can control the ball, the continuous touch action is bright and light, and the goal can be described as a one-go.
Not only that, but Kaoru Mikasa's no-ball movement level is also quite high. Against Arsenal and Liverpool, there were shots of no-ball penetrating the back of the box, scoring and assisting after receiving the ball in the ribs.
It was his first season in the Premier League, although he was a few years late to Europe because of his university studies. But that's probably why he's going to improve in the future, because he's well prepared for success.
Conclusion:
With an annual salary of only €600,000 before tax, will Kaoru Mikasa get the opportunity to enter the giants in the future? After all, he is not young anymore, and the next 2 years are a crucial stage in the development of his career.
Can he go to a team that is willing to trust him, will it surpass Son Heung-min's achievements? What heights the three-ball king can reach, these questions are full of expectations of countless fans.