Opportunity Primary Arhan appearing regularly with Tokyo Verdy in the J2 League is quite large. This is reflected in the gait of Thai players Theerathon Bunmathan.
Arhan is the latest Indonesian player who will try out the tight soccer competition in the Sakura Country. Previously, there had been Ricky Yacobi, Irfan Bachdim, and Stefano Lilipaly who had played there.
Speaking of position, Pratama Arhan is not the first left-back from Southeast Asia to play in the Japanese League. Previously, there was the name of the Thai national team left back, Theerathon Bunmathan, who had played for Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F. Marinos.
Theerathon first went to Japan in the 2018 season while on loan from Vissel Kobe for a year from Muangthong United. That season, he could play alongside big world names such as Lukas Podolski, David Villa, to Andres Iniesta at Vissel Kobe.
In total, that season he played 35 times for Vissel Kobe in all competitions with a record four assists, 28 of which came in the J1 League.
The 2019 season, Theerathon was again loaned by the J.League club from Muangthong, this time it was Yokohama F. Marinos’ turn to borrow him for a year. That season he was outstanding, playing 25 times with a record of three goals and four assists, and managed to bring Marinos to win the J1 League.
Theerathon Bunmathan was recorded as the first Thai to win the J.League. This slick appearance earned him a permanent contract, he then lasted for two years until the end of the 2021 season.
In total, Theerathon played 94 times for Marinos in all competitions, recording four goals and 11 assists, becoming an irreplaceable figure on the team’s left line of defence.
Left-back with specialist abilities
Theerathon and Arhan are both original position as left back. This position also more or less allows Theerathon to appear regularly and have a long career in the Japanese League.
This is in contrast to other Southeast Asian players, who have positions with many competitors, including foreign players from Europe and South America at their respective clubs. Teerasil Dangda (Thailand/forward) had a hard time finding a starting place in the front lines and scored goals for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shimizu S-Pulse.
Likewise with Dang Van Lam (Vietnam/goalkeeper) who could not even penetrate the main position at Cerezo Osaka as a goalkeeper. Two players from Indonesia, Stefano Lilipaly and Irfan Bachdim, who are positioned in midfield and forward, are also struggling to get a place in the first team.
Unlike all of them, Theerathon and Arhan play as left-backs, with Arhan having a big chance to start at Tokyo Verdy.
Players who play as left back at Tokyo Verdy are Tatsuya Yamaguchi (22 years) and Yuta Narawa (34 years). However, in the inaugural match of the season against V-Varen Nagasaki, neither of them appeared in the squad brought by coach Takafumi Hori.
The left-back position is filled by Daiki Fukazawa in a 4-3-3 formation, even though Fukazawa is originally a right-back. This is the first time Fukazawa has played at left-back, last season 15 times in the J2 League, always playing at right-back for Tokyo Verdy. He is the team’s main right-back.
It can be concluded, Arhan has a great chance to win the coach’s heart and become a core player at the left back post. Moreover, Arhan is known as a full-back who likes to attack, with Verdy indeed relying heavily on attacks from the wing, especially the left wing.
Arhan’s specialty, long throws, can also be his weapon to seize the main position. Theerathon also has the same thing, namely a specialist set-piece taker so that he eventually became the main player when playing at Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F. Marinos.
(cases/krs)
