Kanta Doi is a 20-year-old defender who plays for F.C. Tokyo in the J-League. Doi is a graduate of F.C. Tokyo’s academy and broke through as a regular part of the first-team squad last season.
Doi is usually listed as a wide-centre back in a 3-4-3. However, in possession, Doi pushes out to a right-back position and gets relatively far forward in possession. So, in a team that plays with a back four, he would probably be a right-back. Doi is on the small side for a pure centre-back being listed at 6’1″ (1.86 m) with a very slight build. Doi is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. Stats-wise, he is not credited with a lot of progressive passes. However, he is very good at playing short forward passes under pressure to keep things moving for his team. Doi is very good at using feints to disguise where he is sending the ball. He does occasionally play longer passes and has decent vision and accuracy. Perhaps, this is a skill that could become a bigger part of Doi’s game over time, but right now he does not do it very often. Doi is generally comfortable carrying the ball over short distances. He has good close control and his feints can help him beat players. But like with his long passing, he isn’t demonstrating these skills with very much frequency. Doi is not a very big threat from set-pieces at this stage.
Despite his limited threat from set-pieces, Doi is pretty decent in the air. He is not a physically dominant player but through good positioning and jumping ability, he avoids being a liability in physical battles. Doi is solid but not outstanding as a 1v1 defender. He is generally well positioned and has good body shape, but he is beaten by players who simply push the ball past him into space a little too often for my liking. This is partly because his speed is mediocre, which is a little bit of a tough pill to swallow considering he does not have that exciting of a physical profile otherwise. Doi is a little more aggressive than average for a centre-back, largely due to his role in F.C. Tokyo’s system, but he does a good job of picking his spots and is rarely caught out of position.
Doi isn’t the most scintillating prospect of all time. He does not stand out physically and he does not put on-ball stats that pop off the page. But, he is a technically sound 20-year-old who plays every game in a league that has a strong track record of producing talents. So, he will surely be interesting to somebody. Belgium seems like a hot landing spot for Japanese players at the moment. If teams in Belgium are looking for a right-sided defensive fullback or wide centre-back, they could do a lot worse than Doi.
Target Scouting 