Shinji Kagawa’s Return to Form

Shinji Kagawa: A Man in Form

Shinji Kagawa has played a crucial role for Borussia Dortmund in the last few weeks. He has found a significant increase in playing time of late, with 6 goals and 6 assists in all competitions this season. Shinji has made 8 starts since the match against Hertha Berlin on March 11th.

Shinji has been in stellar form lately, making an impact on the pitch each time he steps on. His creativity and technical ability have been highlighted in his recent run of form.

The beloved Japanese superstar arrived in Dortmund in 2010, but after a few seasons transferred to play at Manchester United for a fee of €16M. His time in England started off well, however it did not go as smoothly as expected, ending in a season of extreme frustration.

He never found favor under manager David Moyes. After the retirement of the legendary Sir Alex, Moyes took the helm, and Kagawa’s playing time took a significant hit.

It was a frustrating time for the attacking midfielder. After playing very well in his debut season for the Manchester club, Kagawa suddenly saw his time on the pitch vanish.

In his most notable performance for Manchester United, Kagawa scored 3 goals against Norwich City, becoming the first Japanese player to score a Premier League hat-trick. With Manchester United winning the Premier League in 2013, Kagawa became the first Japanese player to win the top prize in England.

Shinji’s Dortmund Return

In 2014 Borussia Dortmund signed Kagawa back from United for €8M, which is a move that has proven to be wise for both parties. This is not the first time that Dortmund have shown willingness to buy back former players.

Injuries to Götze, Reus (returned), Sahin, Rode, and Schürrle have opened up more space in the starting 11 for Kagawa, and he has done a great job when he has played. Without Gotze being fit (metabolic disorder), Kagawa is the most experienced attacking midfielder in the Dortmund squad.

Kagawa’s best match this season was against Hamburg on April 4th, a match in which he scored a goal, had an assist, and did enough for a man of the match worthy performance. His rating on Whoscored.com was 9.14 for this match.

Kagawa’s ability to dribble in tight spaces has always been one of his best attributes. This has been on display in his recent run of form.

Kagawa’s Influence at Home

Shinji Kagawa is arguably the biggest Japanese footballer on the planet. Kagawa has a massive following in his native Japan, and he generates an enormous amount of attention for Borussia Dortmund back in Japan. He has paved the way for other Japanese footballers in the Bundesliga, like Yuya Osako.

Dortmund has announced that they will be travelling to Asia this summer to play preseason matches. On July 15th, Dortmund will play Urawa Reds, a Japanese J-League side. On the 18th of July, Dortmund will play AC Milan in China.

The Japanese following for the club that Kagawa has helped to develop is very similar to what Pulisic has had an impact on in the United States.

Shinji’s return to form is another prime example of how Tuchel can get the most out of the players in his squad.