Insider im Gespräch über … Hiroki Akiyama (#16)

/ kardinalmatzinger

Mit Hiroki Akiyama hatten die Lilien in der Vorbereitung einen weiteren unbekannten Spieler auf Leihbasis verpflichtet. Der Mittelfeldspieler führte seinen Klub Albirex Niigata in Japans J1-League phasenweise als Kapitän aufs Feld. Der 24-Jährige ist nach Yosuke Furukawa der zweite Japaner im aktuellen Kader. Die beiden sind Ausdruck der von Sportdirektor Paul Fernie verfolgten kreativen Herangehensweise, was das Scouting anbetrifft. Der Blick geht jedenfalls inzwischen nicht nur ins europäische Ausland, sondern auch nach Fernost. Ich erkundigte mich bei Ryo Nakagawara über Akiyama. Der Japaner schreibt für Shogun Soccer.

Ryo, Hiroki Akiyama is joining Darmstadt 98. You praised his technical skills and his qualities in build-up play on Twitter. Was he one of the most eye-catching players in the Japanese elite class in this respect?
In terms of passing and build-up I would say he was one of the best players in J1. He is the type of player that in previous years would’ve jumped to one of the bigger J1 clubs before going to Europe. However, the transfer market environment has accelerated now that even players from „smaller“ teams are quickly getting snapped up.

What exactly does Akiyama do so well that he stood out that much?
He has an excellent sense of positioning to support his teammates with his passing accuracy at various ranges to take advantage of the places he can receive the ball. His movement also creates space for others and he is very good at directing play from deep. Akiyama is very good under pressure with both feet.

That sounds like he is a player who knows how to set up others rather than shine himself?
Yes, he operates very deep and helps with the build-up. His stats in 2024 showed that he overperformed in terms of passing, passing under pressure, progressive passes and switch passes. In any aspect his stats were better than stastically expected.

Which position suits him best and whereelse on the pitch could he also contribute to the teams success?
Deep lying center midfield position. Either in a double pivot or by himself.

What about his defensive qualities and his play against the ball?
This is the biggest issue with him. His defensive ability is quite poor and also doesn’t really get involved in the first place.

That corresponds with you’re doubts you expressed earlier on: Whether his physical component is good enough for the 2. Bundesliga. So where does he need to improve?
He does cover a lot of ground per game but he doesn’t have a whole lot of intensity or explosiveness. Of course he is the type of player that doesn’t really rely on this and the team style also dictates his physical output somewhat but nonetheless it is an issue and connected to his lack of defensive output as well.

Nonetheless, do you think he will develop in a good way and proof himself being a permanent starter sooner or later? After all, with Furukawa he has a compratiot in the squad who should make it easier for him to settle in?
Given this is a loan and the fact that he’ll be 25 years old in December, he’ll really need to hit the ground running. I expect him to be a starter based on his excellent technical ability. I imagine his weaknesses can be covered by his teammates and the tactics.

Which of the two, Akiyama and Furukawa, do you think has more potential and why?
I had much higher hopes for Furukawa in previous years but he’s had a hard time adapting to the demands of professional football and getting consistent starts at the first team level so far. I do think Furukawa has nevertheless shown a lot of promise in his substitute minutes especially in the past season in Poland so he is worth taking a chance on.

Thank you for all the insights, Ryo.

 

Die wichtigsten Aspekte, die Ryo im Interview angesprochen hat:

  • Für Ryo zählte Akiyama in der J1-League zu den besten Profis im Passpiel und im Spielaufbau.
  • Akiyama zeichne sich als alleiniger Sechser oder Teil einer Doppelsechs durch sein ausgezeichnetes Stellungsspiel und große Passgenauigkeit aus.
  • Akiyama erkenne gut die Räume, in denen er sich anzubieten habe. Zudem könne er das Spiel aus der Tiefe lenken und sei beidfüßig.
  • Akiyama habe in der Saison 2024 im Passspiel, bei den Pässen unter Druck, bei progressiven Pässen und bei den Diagonalpässen einen besseren statistischen Wert, als zu erwarten gewesen wäre.
  • Akiyama habe laut Ryo allerdings deutliche Schwächen im Defensivspiel.
  • Wenngleich Akiyama laufstark sei, so habe er Defizite bei der Intensität und Explosivität.
  • Ryo glaubt, dass Akiyamas Defensivschwächen durch die Teamtaktik und die Teamkollegen aufgefangen werden könnten.
  • Da Akiyama im Winter 25 Jahre alt wird, sieht Ryo ihn fast schon unter Zugzwang, in Darmstadt durchzustarten.
  • Angesprochen auf Akiyamas Landsmann Furukawa sagt Ryo, dass er in Furukawa viel größere Hoffnungen gehabt habe. Furukawa habe allerdings Schwierigkeiten gehabt, sich an die Anforderungen des Profifußballs anzupassen. In der letzten Saison in Polen habe er jedoch als Einwechselspieler gezeigt, dass er zu vielversprechenden Leistungen imstande ist.

 

Bisherige Insider-Gespräche zu Verpflichtungen des SV Darmstadt 98 (Sommer 2025)
Yosuke Furukawa (japanischer Offensivspieler von Gornik Zabrze/Júbilo Iwata)
Serhat-Semih Güler (Angreifer von Viktoria Köln)