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The story
Real Sociedad’s Japan international midfielder Takefusa Kubo was again left out of the starting lineup for Matchday 1 of the Europa League against Bournemouth on the 17th, marking his third consecutive match starting from the bench. He didn’t take the field until after the 80th minute, and his side went on to suffer a 1-2 defeat at home at the Reale Arena. Kubo was a key player for Sociedad the last time they featured in the Europa League, but this time the situation appears to be shifting. On 5channel discussion threads, posters voiced growing concern over his slump, pointing to his lack of goals so far this season and the buzz around his valuation in the summer transfer market.
On the 17th, in Matchday 1 of the Europa League’s league phase, Real Sociedad lost 1-2 to Bournemouth at their home ground, the Reale Arena. Japan international midfielder Takefusa Kubo started on the bench for the third straight match, coming on after the 80th minute.
Will Takefusa Kubo end up as “just another player”? At 25, his deadline to reach world class is closing in 【On-the-ground report】
Sociedad won the Copa del Rey last season and returned to the Europa League stage for the first time in two seasons. Kubo was an undisputed key figure for the team the last time they played in the competition, but this season’s opening EL match signaled a change in his standing.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
No wonder the World Cup round of 32 is the best we can manage.
He must have gotten seriously full of himself.
he'll probably start against that garbage-tier Valencia next, huge chance for him.
They won the cup competition without Kubo.
go beg on your knees to a club like Ipswich.
of course his playing time is shrinking.
No wonder we only make the round of 32.
Ah, so that was just a reward for winning the Copa del Rey trophy? lol
Big bro Kang-in scored some golazo with his right foot yesterday, huh? lol Toying with a tough side like Osasuna lol
You should've put 'cousin of Kubo Rin' (the figure skater) in the thread title.
Baseball's the same – even Ohtani-san (Shohei Ohtani) is starting to show it in his 30s. Pathetic, lol.
Also factor in his Basque ties, and the club preparing for his absence during the Asian Cup.
'The young guys aren't developing'
Look who's talking.
Total jinx right there.
You're seriously romanticizing the past.
But didn't Take-cchi (nickname for Kubo) have like two golazos disallowed in a match against Real [Madrid] back in the day?
But wasn't Salah, one of the Premier League's top scorers, also a late bloomer? Maybe Kubo will have a massive awakening too if he gets his own 'Welcome to Anfield' moment (i.e., signs for Liverpool).
This past summer transfer window:
Kubo's market value crashed from ¥11.1 billion to ¥3.7 billion
No offers from anywhere in Europe
That's how it went.
This is just his actual level.
Might be down to that MCL injury (knee ligament) from our guy Danfuri's tackle back then…
Background and Key Points of Debate
Sociedad won last season’s Copa del Rey and returned to the Europa League this season, but their form hasn’t necessarily improved – they currently sit 10th in La Liga. Behind Kubo’s reduced playing time appears to be both a shift in the manager’s selection policy and changes in the club’s squad depth. Two main points of debate emerged in the thread: how to interpret his declining goal tally, which has fallen year over year from 9 to 7 to 5 to 2 to 0, and comparisons with his fellow-generation rival, South Korea international midfielder Lee Kang-in. Opinions were split on the first point, with some attributing it to a genuine decline in ability and others pointing to issues with formation and tactical usage. It’s worth noting that the figures cited for the drop in Kubo’s market value during the summer transfer window (from ¥11.1 billion to ¥3.7 billion) come from posts within the thread and could not be verified against the original article.
※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Kubo Takefusa’s slump continues, becomes Sociedad’s ‘backup option’… benched three straight matches, comes on after the 80th minute. Team loses 1-2 to Bournemouth.”
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