Kuryu Matsuki (FC Tokyo) – Scout Report

Name: Kuryu Matsuki	Date of birth: 30/04/2003
Position: CM – DM	Preferred foot: Left
Nationality: Japanese	Club: FC Tokyo
Contract until: 31/01/2025	Competition: J1 League
International: Japan U-23	Agency: Roberto Tukada

Report:

Kuryu Matsuki stands at 1.80m with an average build. He battles well in physical duels, always being aggressive and giving his all. Matsuki is quite strong on the ball, although he can occasionally get outmuscled. However, Matsuki does well to draw fouls in some situations. He has a decent burst of speed and also displays decent speed over longer distances, although he sometimes looks a bit slow while carrying the ball. Matsuki has good timing in aerial duels, also being very combative and using his body efficiently to disrupt his opponent. He has mixed results in aerial duels, as his opponent sometimes jumps higher. Matsuki has excellent stamina, plays with high intensity and works incredibly hard. 

His defensive positioning in the midfield third is sometimes not ideal, as he allows his opponent too much space between the lines, failing to block the passing lane. Matsuki tries to disrupt the opponent in transition from attacking to defending by holding him up but sometimes needs to give away a foul to stop his opponent. Matsuki reads the game very well in and near the box. He defends one-two’s well, also cutting passing lanes well dealing with both crosses, cut-backs and passes. Due to his constant scanning, Matsuki closes gaps well in transition as he often makes the right off-the-ball decision. Sporadically, his timing of stepping up is not optimal, getting dribbled past after stepping up too early or too late. He tracks runs in behind well. Matsuki is very combative and tenacious in physical duels. He is aggressive in loose ball duels, looking assertive but occasionally giving away fouls in the process. 

Matsuki is at the base of almost every FC Tokyo attack, either positioning himself between the two central defenders, just in front of the two central defenders or close to the touchline. He has a clean first touch under pressure with both feet, receiving well under pressure in first-phase possession but sporadically making the wrong on-ball decision despite scanning before receiving. Matsuki has a clean passing technique over short distances, but can sporadically be sloppy on the ball, especially passing through tight gaps. However, he likes to play one-touch football under pressure in first–phase possession and is quite successful in those situations. He is capable of switching play under pressure, while also displaying very good crossing technique from dead-ball situations. Matsuki is comfortable on the ball in tight spaces, showcasing good close control and vision. He is capable of dribbling past his opponent in first-phase possession. Matsuki has good ball-striking with both feet, while also displaying an eye for space in the box. 

Even though his defensive ability is at a good level, I think he would be even more efficient if he could play in a box-to-box role as one of the two holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1. His high intensity, eye for space in the final third, close control, ball striking, defensive vision and combativity in physical duels make an exciting box-to-box midfielder who could play for clubs battling for Champions League football in the top 5 leagues such as Borussia Dortmund in the future, depending on his development and career decisions.