The story started when VfB Stuttgart ai???wingerai??? Shinji Okazaki grabbed eyeballs with his stunning overhead kick rocketing into the top corner of the Hannover goal. Stuttgart might have lost that game but Okazaki caught the attention of Thomas Tuchel. The young coach made a note of the Japanese attacker, who was struggling in a wide position under Bruno Labbadia. The German coach was then in his fourth season with Mainz ai???05 and who wanted to make things happen at the club.
Since Jurgen Kloppai??i??s days as manager, Mainz showed promise but were plagued by inconsistency. In the 2012-13 season they finished
Tuchel brought in Okazaki in June 2013 which was not the best of times with the ongoing transition. There were many doubts over his ability owing to his below average season at Stuttgart where he was injured most of the time. Okazakiai??i??s fellow new recruits Dani Schahin and Sebastian Polter posed stiff competition for the lone striker Tuchel employed. But the Japanese attacker left little doubts about his starting berth by earning 31 starts out of the 33 games he played that season. He, along with fellow attackers Nicolai Muller and Maxim Choupo Moting, gave Mainz fans new hope. And much of this was down to Tuchel, who switched Okazaki from winger to central striker. Okazaki did not let his new manager down, notching up 15 goalsai??i??2 more than Szalaiai??i??s tally from the previous season. But even more important were the results. Mainz finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League, a massive turnaround for a mid-table club. It was big blow when the influential Tuchel left but the Rhineland club has finally found their feet in the German top flight. Coface Arena found a new hope in Okazaki and the striker found a new home where he was involved in his preferred role.
New season Hiccups and stunning starts
It was similar scenes for NullfA?nfer as Nicolai Muller and Eric Maxim Choupo Moting followed in the footsteps of Szalai using their season exploits as a launch pad to gain lucrative offers. But new coach Kasper Hjulmand was quick to bring on attacking reinforcements in the form of Filip Djuricic (loan SL Benefica), Jonas Hoffman(loan Borussia Dortmund) and Sami Allagui (loan return from Hertha Berlin) to support his star striker.
The new Danish coach endured a terrible start at his new club, as the team failed to qualify for the Europa League. His side failed to capitalize on a 1-0 home win against Greek minnows Asteras Tripolis to go down 2-3 on aggregate in the second leg in Greece. All the hard work of the previous season seemed to be in vain. The mood further dampened as Mainz crashed out of the DFB-Pokal in the very first round, losing to third-tier Chemnitz FC in a penalty shootout. ai???I think that we were knocked out of the Europa League and DFB Cup because I didn’t take the big chances I had,ai??? a responsible Okazaki reflected sadly on those disappointing results.
A poor showing at the World Cup with Japan didnai??i??t affect Okazakiai??i??s Bundesliga form as he picked up where he left off last season. His 5 goals in 6 games this season gave Mainz an undefeated start to the season . The most notable moment was his record breaking goal against Hertha Berlin that made him the highest Japanese goal scorer in Bundesliga history. The streak continued against Dortmund as the 28 year old forced Matthais Ginter to make mistakes thus handing former Mainz coach Klopp a second season defeat. ai???We started the season with defeats in the Europa League qualification and DFB Pokal which made us to an extra-mile in training sessionsai??? he said explaining the motivation behind the teamai??i??s improvement in a recent interview.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Though standing at a diminutive 5ai???7, Okazaki makes it tough for the defenders to keep him quiet. His constant movement inside the box makes it difficult for the defenders to keep tabs on him. In the previous season for Mainz, he created 105 chances for himself as well as his teammates which clearly shows his eye for the goal coupled with his excellent finishing. He is, however, unable to play in positions other than a central role. This might affect the tactical flexibility of the team if Mainz needs a different formation. Against pressing sides like Bayern Munich, he may be isolated at the front as defensive contribution is not one of his strong points.
Over dependence or an influential presence?
On matchday 6 Mainz failed to find the net against an undefeated Hoffenheim side, and the match ended in a goalless draw . They were missing the clinical finishing of Okazaki who skipped the match with a thigh problem. ai???It was difficult without Shinjiai??? said fellow attacker Filip Djuricic in a post match reaction. His other teammates echoed the same, clearly showing Okazakiai??i??s talismanic status at the club.
But as he returned on matchday7 at Borussia Park, his presence was enough for his club to cling to a 1-1 draw. Even though Gladbach dominated Mainz for most of the game, Mainz attacked well in those rare periods when they had the ball. Okazaki contributed with his clever moment in between the Foals defence. Even though some have criticized Mainz for over-relying on their star striker, the 28 year old is quick to acknowledge that he owes his excellent form to his teammates ai???I could see that our form is improving. That’s been noticeable for a while and this is one of the reasons why the final balls have been reaching me on a more regular basis,ai??? he said.
If Kasper Hjulmand has to make up for his disappointing Europa League slip and deliver Mainz their 3rd chance of European football, he needs the Samurai Blueai??i??s striker to keep on going with his impressive form.
~ written by Guest Author Samarnath Soory
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