Kota Takai struggles away from Tottenham but one impressive trait shines through
Tottenham’s Kota Takai had an outing to forget for Borussia Monchengladbach against Eintracht Frankfurt, but he did showcase one of his big strengths.
The Japanese international missed much of the first-half of the season with injury after arriving at Tottenham from K-League side Kawasaki Frontale last summer.
Takai was loaned out to Gladbach in January without making a single appearance for the Lilywhites.
The Japanese defender has featured in five Bundesliga matches since his January move, but Sunday was a day to forget for the centre-back.
Tottenham youngster Kota Takai showcases his impressive passing
Takai started on the left of Glaback’s back three away at Deutsche Bank Park as his side fell to a 3-0 loss against Frankfurt.
The on-loan Tottenham Hotspur man had the lowest match rating out of all the players who featured in the clash, as per FotMob, who gave him just a 4.9 out of 10.
While it was not a good outing for the 21-year-old centre-back, he did showcase his tidiness on the ball for the away side.
Takai had a pass completion rate of 96 per cent, completing 76 of his 79 attempted passes, including all three of his attempted long passes.
That suggests that the Japanese international is technically good on the ball, but Spurs would want him to improve defensively before he returns to Hotspur Way in the summer.
Takai needs time to adapt to the demands of European football
Some would be tempted to contrast Takai’s struggles with the performances of Luka Vuskovic, who is continuing to shine at Hamburg, in what is his first taste of Bundesliga football.
However, while Vuskovic has had loan spells in Belgium and Poland, and played first-team football in the Croatian top flight, this is Takai’s first experience of senior European football.
The centre-back will undoubtedly have some challenges over the next couple of months, and it will be interesting to see how he adapts.
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