Why Japanese star’s arrival “signals a new dawn” for Aston Villa Women

Following their promotion to the WSL last summer for the first time in their history, it’s fair to say that Aston Villa Women have not caused many problems for the other teams in the league. This was highlighted this week by the change in manager, with Gemma Davies remaining as the club’s head coach, but former EFL manager Marcus Bignot has come in as an interim manager, acting as a mentor to the current coaching staff and steering the club forward until the end of the season, as they look to stave off relegation back to the Women’s Championship. However, before Bignot’s arrival, Davies made a key decision in their fight, adding Japan international forward Mana Iwabuchi to the squad from INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan’s Nadashiko League.

Iwabuchi brings with her a wealth of experience and quality, particularly in the final third. In this tactical analysis, we will look at how she gets her teams on the front foot, and how she links play up between different areas of the team. The scout report will also look at her versatility, and how she can play anywhere in the final third, making her a central part of Aston Villa’s tactics.

On the front foot

The first thing we will examine in this analysis is how Mana Iwabuchi naturally gets her team on the front foot.

Iwabuchi likes to attack and stretch the play as much as possible. She constantly looks for gaps in opposing defences, making runs through them, and this means those defences have to permanently watch her. These kinds of runs also allow the Japan captain to thrive against teams with a high back line, because she likes to operate in the space behind them.

As you can see in this image, from the SheBelieves Cup in 2019, the ball is in a good area of the pitch, and Iwabuchi’s teammate has time to select the right pass. England have come up the pitch, leaving the space open, and Iwabuchi can now get behind them and create a problem. Her teammate has seen her run, making the long pass towards her. Therefore, with Iwabuchi on the pitch, her teams instantly have different passing options, and this is why she is such an important player for them.