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The story
In Matchweek 8 of the Premier League on October 24, Aston Villa edged out Manchester City 2-1, snapping leaders City’s 7-match winning streak. Japan national team goalkeeper Zion Suzuki started and made save after brilliant save to secure the win, with stats showing he stopped both shots on target he faced. On 5ch forums, posters brought up how Suzuki had been harshly criticized back home after shaky defending at the January 2024 Asian Cup, sparking both the comment “He was already rated highly in Europe back then — only Japan was bashing him” and the counterargument “No, he really was bad at the time, and he’s grown since then,” with the gap between domestic and European evaluations becoming the focal point of debate.
Zion Suzuki starts against Man City
England’s Premier League side Aston Villa faced Manchester City in Matchweek 8 on October 24 (local time), winning a close 2-1 battle. Starting goalkeeper and Japan national team player Zion Suzuki made save after brilliant save, contributing significantly to the win.
In the 6th minute of the first half, City lost possession in their own half when defender Marc Guéhi gave the ball away. Forward Nicolas Jackson picked it up, beat his marker, and fired a sharp shot into the top-left corner, giving home side Aston Villa the lead.
Source: football-zone.net / Original article here
What people said
He's really grown since then
In Europe he's been rated highly since his Belgium days
Only Japan was bashing him
People always say 'Europe flip-flops on players,' but Japan's no different
Shows how blind these armchair keyboard managers online really are
There was this trend of treating 'lacks experience' as 'he's bad'
Even though it was obvious he's a freak athlete if you actually watched him
That makes no sense
If it hadn't been for Moriyasu, Zion would've been finished after the Asian Cup
The type who tries to bash Moriyasu and ends up writing nonsense
What's there to 'using' a keeper besides guarding the goal?
Second-highest match rating, behind only Jackson who scored both goals
https://imgur.com/fQuHXUn.jpeg
2/2 shots on target saved, that's amazing right?
lol did Donnarumma let in both of his 2 shots on target?
https://imgur.com/fQuHXUn.jpeg
Zion's amazing, getting asked for a jersey swap by Haaland
ps://i.imgur.com/9leZN0l.jpeg
What's with this guy, so condescending
Don't pretend to be an old baseball otaku (yakibuta, 5ch slang for die-hard NPB fans) just to mock baseball fans lol
In terms of worldwide name recognition, Zion wins hands down
No, he really was bad during the Asian Cup
He's improved massively since then
Yeah, he got absolutely roasted on 5ch too
Part of it was just that he hadn't played much for the national team yet and wasn't used to it, plus the defense's mistakes were brutal
At STVV, his manager was already praising him to the skies before the Asian Cup, and right after the Asian Cup his permanent transfer was confirmed — five months later he moved to Serie A and immediately became the starting keeper
That's exactly what lack of experience means
Against Iran it was just high ball after high ball and Japan got worked over
Blaming that on Zion isn't fair
The starting keeper ahead of him back then must've been incredible
Nishikawa really is one of the top-tier keepers domestically
Shusaku Nishikawa is a plenty well-regarded keeper too
Suzuki at the time was no match for him at all, and even now at 40, Nishikawa's still a regular starter
Honestly, for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups I think he deserved the starting job over Kawashima…
He was the Japan national team's first-choice keeper, you know?
The guy who was competing with Zion for the starting spot at Urawa back then
And actually, Urawa's goalkeeping coach at the time —
at the end of the day, he's coached four different Japan national team keepers lol
Background and Key Points of Debate
Zion Suzuki was born in 2001 in New Jersey, USA, and raised in Saitama, Japan. A product of the Urawa Reds youth academy, he made a permanent move to Belgium’s Sint-Truiden in 2022. At the January 2024 Asian Cup, shaky defending stemming from inexperience drew harsh criticism back home. He later transferred to Serie A side Parma, where he immediately became the starting goalkeeper, before joining Aston Villa this past summer. The thread was split over how to judge his Asian Cup struggles, with some arguing “he had the talent, it was just inexperience” and others insisting “he really was bad at the time.” Meanwhile, some pointed out that European clubs had already rated him highly before his big transfers, making the gap between domestic and European assessments the central point of discussion. Later in the thread, some posts touched on Suzuki’s background and ethnicity, but since these had no bearing on his ability or performance on the pitch, they have been omitted from this article.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisokuho+) thread “[Soccer] Zion Suzuki’s Barrage of Great Saves Sinks Man City — Aston Villa Stops League Leaders’ 7-Game Win Streak… Makes His Presence Felt in Attack Too.”
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