Hayao Kawabe Scout Report
In our latest scout report, we turn our attention to Hayao Kawabe, a versatile Central Midfielder currently turning heads at Standard Liege in Pro League A. At 28 years of age, the Japanese playmaker has proven himself a significant cog in the team's machinery throughout the 2023-2024 season.
What stands out immediately in Kawabe's player stats is his outstanding goal efficiency, towering in the top 2 percentile of his peers. Coupled with his high goal threat and brilliant goal and assist rates per 90 minutes, Kawabe exhibits an innate knack for making his mark on the scoreboard. His style of play clearly leans towards a direct attack, despite having fewer touches; every touch he gets is more likely to culminate in a goal or assist. The midfielder also sheds light on his creative aspect, with his chance creation and expected assists per 90 minutes sitting in the upper echelons of the distribution.
However, Kawabe isn't faultless. The considerable weaknesses in his game come in the form of his ball retention and recovery abilities, which leave much room for improvement. This deficiency inhibits his effectiveness in duels, with his duel win percentage sitting disappointingly low as well as his aerial duel win percentage. His pass accuracy also presents a major area of concern, dropping beneath the 40th percentile, which curbs his ability to maintain possession and dictate the tempo of the game.
In terms of activity and possession, Kawabe is equally comfortable disrupting plays in the midfield third and orchestrating attacks in the attacking third, vividly highlighting his versatility. Yet, his presence is barely felt in the defensive penalty area and is relatively quiet in the attacking penalty area. To enrich his game, he needs to harness his insuperable goal threat and bring that veneer of menace into the opponent's penalty area more frequently.
In summation, Kawabe has the weaponry to terrify opponents with his goal-scoring prowess and artistic approach. The challenge for him is to polish the rough edges, specifically through honing his ball-retention, recovery skills, and passing accuracy. If he successfully does so, Kawabe's name could reverberate even louder in the footballing world.