THE PROFESSOR OF DRIBBLING

Brighton and Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma knows so much about dribbling he wrote a thesis on it

- Mike Plastow

Kaoru Mitoma is the Japanese enigma who has taken the Premier League by storm since the World Cup, yet only became a 90-minute player for Brighton & Hove Albion in November. He headed his first Premier League goal in that first full match against Wolverhampton Wanderers just before going to Qatar, and followed it up with further goals against Arsenal, Everton, Leicester City and Bournemouth after returning from the World Cup. There was also a sublime late winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup, a masterclass of vision and tight ball control.

Even at the World Cup, Mitoma, arguably Japan’s most influential player, was entirely restricted to appearances from the bench. Samurai Blue coach Hajime Moriyasu’s strategy was to save his most dangerous players until late on and hit his opponents when they had no time to regroup and respond, but the result was that the world only caught glimpses of Mitoma’s magic.

That magic starts with the dribbling. In recent months, a lot has been made of the fact that Mitoma wrote his university thesis on dribbling; that it was no mere academic study is blindingly obvious every time he touches the ball. Mitoma’s now trademark technique requires tremendous skill as well as understanding. His use of the outside of his foot gives him extra speed by letting his legs run naturally, allows him to keep his head up to see around him, and also makes it easier for him to push the ball either way, left or right, leaving opponents not knowing which way to turn.