How Aoi Plays This Role
Aoi’s transition to a full-back is not easy. The obvious weakness in his play is his defensive awareness. As a former striker, Aoi doesn’t know how to defend. In his early match, his position is always targeted by the opponent. His team conceded many unnecessary goals thanks to his mistakes. For Aoi, this is frustrating.
Luckily, his hard work pays off. When Aoi adapts to his new role, he becomes one of the team’s main attacking threats. It’s because Aoi is able to spot the space in the opponent’s defense and occupy it. From this panel, Aoi realizes that the opponents are moving toward Otomo and Yoshitsune and leaving a space in the middle. He moves to that space, creating a passing triangle with Otomo and Yoshitsune.
In that position, Yoshitsune gives the ball to the unmarked Aoi, and it surprised the opponent. Aoi uses this chance to give a dangerous pass to Otomo, who attacks the opponent’s defense line. Because of this, Otomo gets a chance to shoot near the penalty box.
With his vision, Aoi is also capable to switch the ball to the other flank. We can see this in the match again Tokyo Musashino FC. In that match, Aoi sends a long ball to Asari who is free on the right side. It disturbs Musashino players’ concentration since now Musashino FC has to shift their focus to the other side. This lapse of concentration leads to even more space on their defense, which is what Aoi intends.
This is what coach Fukuda expects from Aoi. He wants Aoi to find spaces in the opponent’s defense and attack them. Aoi could do this either by sending the ball to that space or occupying the space himself. Putting Aoi on the back means Aoi could spot those spaces easier. Now, Aoi could play his full potential as a player who creates dangerous situations from the back.
Conclusion: The Importance of Spaces
After reading this article, you may spot a common theme that has popped up over and over again: space. Space is an important concept in football. Pep Guardiola is notorious for making his team play a certain way to create a space in a specific area of the pitch. To achieve this, he devises a detailed plan on how to move the opposition players around. By moving them around, Guardiola aims to disorganize the opponent and free the space.
This is why a player like Aoi is so important in football. He has the ability to expose the space, and coach Fukuda positions Aoi in a place where Aoi can use this ability. It’s not that Aoi has to play at the back. There’s a player like Thomas Muller who can exploit the spaces high up the pitch. But Fukuda also takes account of Aoi’s limitation. Aoi isn’t fast. His first touch, while improved, isn’t as good as other Esperion players. He won’t stand out in a crowded place because it will be easy to mark him. For Fukuda, Aoi’s best chance to exploit spaces is in the wide position at the back, the full-back position.
And this is what makes Aoashi interesting. It’s not the first manga that talks about football tactics. However, there’s no title that delves this deep into the concept of space. Aoashi invites us to explore this concept and makes us understand why certain things happen in football. It’s not only about skill, it’s also about the tactic. Aoashi reminds football fans about something that people would see when they watch a football match, but only a few would notice: space.
Many said that football isn’t just a game, but also an art. If that’s true, then just like many other arts, there is a creative process behind it. Aoashi, in a sense, is similar to series like Bakuman, Shirobako, or act-age. It’s a manga that treats football as a creative process, a manga that let us understand what’s inside the player’s heads and the decision-making behind their action. For what Bakuman does to manga creation, Aoashi does it to football, and it’s enlightening.
References:
SPIELVERLAGERUNG, 2016. “Glossary: Zone 14.” Spielverlagerung.com.
COX, M., 2019. “Who is Your Team’s True Playmaker? This New Metric Has the Answer.” The Athletic.
COX, M., 2019. “Trent Alexander-Arnold is Reinventing the English Definition of a Full Back.” The Athletic.
CAST IRON TACTIC., 2019. “Full-back as Playmaker.” Medium.com.
The Indonesian Anime Times | Written by Dany Muhammad | The author is an anime manga fan who is also a football tactics nerd | This opinion is the personal view of the author and does not represent the views and editorial policy of The Indonesian Times or KAORI Nusantara
