Player Focus: Japan's Attacking Talents in the Bundesliga

It's fair to say that the influence of Asian players is growing in the European game nowadays, with the Bundesliga the forerunner for showcasing talents from The Far East. Even after the departure of Shinji Kagawa to the Premier League, a strong contingent of attacking players from The Orient remains, particularly from Japan.

With 13 players from Japan alone plying their trade across Europe's top 5 leagues, the state of the international team is stronger than ever, headed by the likes of the aforementioned Kagawa and Inter's Yuto Nagatomo. The key to their future success, however, lies in the fact that the majority of their stars have age on their side. Indeed, the team showed their promise by reaching the semi-finals of the recent Olympic tournament, beating favourites Spain on the way, as well as picking up a victory in a recent friendly in France.

With 8 of the aforementioned 13 playing in Germany's elite division - including the likes of Schalke's Atsuto Uchida and Stuttgart youngster Gotoku Sakai, who featured in a hot prospect focus last season - it is a trio of attacking midfielders that have caught the eye this time around. Interestingly, all three were recruited by their respective clubs this summer, and here we focus on the tremendous starts they have made.

Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nurnberg) - 22-years old

Signed from J-League outfit Cerezo Osaka this summer, playmaker Kiyotake has had quite an impact at Nurnberg this season. Only Europe's top assister Szabolcs Huszti has made more key passes in the Bundesliga this season than the 9-time Japanese international's 21, and with 4 assists to his name and a goal of his own, Kiyotake has a had a hand in 71% of his new side's meagre goal tally of 7.

Playing, in the most part, in behind lone striker Pekhart he has been Nurnberg's star performer by some distance, with defensive midfielder Hanno Balitsch the only other player to contribute to more than one goal. With set pieces a real strength, Kiyotake has delivered more accurate crosses than any other player in the league (25), and with an impressive 35% accuracy, whilst also ranking in the top 20 for successful dribbles, with 16.

It is fair to say that defensively the 22-year old is ineffectual; given the free role to create rather than graft in a side that has very few others who can influence a game in the final third. Unbelievably he hasn't made a single interception in 7 appearances, and with just 4 tackles and 1 aerial duel won it is no surprise that his WhoScored characteristics highlight a weakness in defensive contribution. However, with an average rating of 7.39 this season his offensive exploits could be the difference between survival and relegation for Nurnberg.

Takashi Inui (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 24-years old

Also making the move from the Japanese league via a season-long detour in Bochum, Takashi Inui has helped newly promoted Frankfurt to a fantastic start upon their return to the Bundesliga. The 24-year old has 3 goals for an up-to-now free-scoring Frankfurt side, having mustered a hefty 24 shots this season - only fewer than Stefan Kießling in the entire division.

Playing from the left wing, his creation is way down on that of Kiyotake, with just 5 key passes to his name, though a tally of 2 assists in 7 games suggests that his final pass has been decent. The Frankfurt wide man is, indeed, economic in his use of the ball, and with an accuracy of just under 88% from an average of 29 passes per game he rarely surrenders possession when attempting to find a teammate.

More hardworking than the Nurnberg midfielder before him, Inui averages 2.4 tackles per game in comparison, though he too struggles to anticipate opposition passes at times, with just 0.6 interceptions per match. A WhoScored rating of 7.23 is remarkably only 4th for the second placed side, but as one of 9 ever presents for Frankfurt this season it is clear that he will continue to play an integral role throughout the campaign.

Takashi Usami (Hoffenheim) - 20-years old

The youngest of our featured trio here, 20-year old Takashi Usami has been given a chance at Hoffenheim on loan from Gamba Osaka having been sent to Bayern Munich last season. The teenager, at the time, was a hit in the Champions League finalists' second string and did enough to persuade Markus Babbel that he was ready to play at the top level.

In just 5 starts Usami has repaid his manager's faith with 2 goals already, though it is his dribbling statistics that really stand out. With 3.3 successful dribbles per game only three players have beaten an opponent more often in the Bundesliga this season (23). However, like Inui, and playing from the same position as his compatriot, Usami's chance creation is weak, with just 2 key passes and 1 successful cross all season.

With 1.9 tackles and 1 interception per game the youngster does do a shift the other way, unlike Kiyotake, and having only exited his teens earlier in the year, has plenty of time to develop his team play. With a WhoScored of 7.23 thus far - up at 7.49 in the 5 games he has started - a permanent move looks likely come the end of the season, though if he continues his early season form it could end up being to a bigger club in the summer of 2013.