Why Liverpool Should Consider This Playmaker Who Dribbles More Than Coutinho.

Philippe Coutinho’s injury, coupled with the suspension of Luis Suarez, left Liverpool lacking in attack against Southampton. It highlighted a lack of depth in Brendan Rodgers’ squad, something which he will hope to right in January and next summer. Should Liverpool consider Hiroshi Kiyotake? The Japan playmaker created a staggering 82 chances last season, in 31 appearances.
Kiyotake can play both on the wing and in the hole behind the striker, and this versatility would suit Rodgers – he recently mentioned his preference for players who are capable of performing in more than one position, a category which Kiyotake certainly fits. This suggests that the Japanese midfielder would be a good addition to the Liverpool squad.
Additionally, the Nurnberg midfielder, despite playing in a team which is yet to taste victory this season, has created 34 chances in just six matches. This is more than any Liverpool player and totally dwarfs Coutinho’s total of six, evidence of the extra attacking threat which Kiyotake could give the Reds.

As well as possessing the ability to create chances, Kioytake poses defences a threat whilst dribbling too. In the Bundesliga this season, the Japanese playmaker has been successful with 70% of his attempted take-ons, and this makes him a daunting player for defences to face. He also made more dribbles than any Liverpool player, including Coutinho (8 take-ons).  This, coupled with his tendency to create chances for his team-mates, would make Kiyotake a very dangerous player for Liverpool.


Finally, Kiyotake’s Performance Score is 50 points higher than Nurnberg’s next highest scorer, goalkeeper Raphael Schafer. The Japanese’s figure of 183 is around 23% of his team’s total of 813, indicating that he has effectively carried a struggling Nurnberg side in attack this season; the ability to shine in a weak side is something which marks out a very good player.

Nurnberg Highest Performance Score

From the statistics above, it is quite evident that Kiyotake is a very dangerous attacking threat, someone who would certainly add creativity in the final-third and from set-pieces. Furthermore, with Kiyotake playing for a struggling side, if a club like Liverpool were to show interest in him, perhaps there is a chance that the player would be interested in making the move, should The Reds target him.