Saturday 20 June 2015

Ryo takes his unselfish genes elsewhere

It's the silly season, as far as transfer rumours are concerned, but there has been a bit of concrete business recently completed by the Arsenal: Ryo Miyaichi has left.

I can't say I'm surprised, as Ryo was on loan at FC Twente last season and ended up playing more games for the reserves than he did the first team.

It was hoped that he would emulate his achievements at Feyenoord, where he excelled enough to earn the nickname 'Ryodinho'. However, it wasn't to be.

Back at Arsenal after that successful loan spell, Ryo struggled with injuries and that may have affected his confidence. And let's be honest, every footballer needs confidence. Some more than others, it's true. In that area, Ryo needs a huge injection of that 'feel good' feeling. It just wasn't forthcoming at Arsenal, where despite his speed and skill, it was difficult to justify his selection ahead of too many experienced and even less experienced performers.

Given a run in the team, which he should get at his new club St Pauli, I'm expecting Ryo to come good. I'm not saying he will amass loads of caps for Japan, but slowly he should be able to get his career back on track.

Surely he can't be dogged with injuries forever. Some people say with today's medicine you come back stronger after injury, but that's not always the case. Ask Abou Diaby!

However, a certain Robin van Persie was able to put injuries behind him to become the best player in the English leagues at one point. Hopefully, Ryo - who has a similar build - will fare better in the future.

I also wonder, though, how well Ryo settled in England. It's so different to Japan, where efficiency and team-work are always expected. Perhaps Germany is more similar in that respect: it seems more about the group and less about the individual. Surely, Ryo can flourish in such an unselfish environment.

We will just have to watch and see.



Sent from my iPhone

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