Shinji Kagawa will claim the inaugural Bundesliga Football Player of the Year award after winning a majority of the votes as selected by our readers and listeners.
It’s been quite a season for the Japanese international The midfielder has been an important cog in the Borussia Dortmund machine and his value to the club has been emphasised by a £20 million price tag being put on his head as some of Europe’s top sides compete for his signature.
It’s easy to forget that a mere two years ago, Kagawa was playing for Cerezo Osaka in the Japanese second division. The leap from the second tier in Japanese football to the Bundesliga can’t be taken lightly, it says a lot about the Japanese star though that his talent, as well as his character, were more than comfortable with the switch.
Sluggish Start
The start of the 2011/12 campaign saw Kagawa put to bed any fitness doubts relating to the broken foot he suffered the previous season, as he started the opening match against Hamburg.
The early form of the Japanese midfielder drew criticism from various quarters, including in his homeland, and it wouldn’t be until the sixth game of the season that he netted his first goal in an away defeat at Hannover. Dortmund’s poor start to the campaign mirrored Kagawa’s below par form and with two wins in six matches they looked to be in trouble.
After the fixture against Mainz on the 24th September, which was the first victory in an unbeaten run lasting the rest of the season, Jurgen Klopp took the decision to rest the playmaker for a couple of games, as he tinkered with his line-up. Kagawa returned against FC Köln and made an immediate impact scoring after just seven minutes in a resounding victory. Although only scoring once, his overall performance was a marked improvement than in previous outings and so began a rich vein of form for the player.
The first 15 games of the season saw Kagawa score four goals and provide four assists. One of the highlights was away to Wolfsburg in November, a man of the match performance saw the playmaker score once as well as lay on strikes for Götze and Lewandowski in a five-goal drubbing.
Rückrunde Revelation
An injury to Mario Götze at the start of the Rückrunde, effectively ruling him out for the rest of the season, meant one of Dortmund’s main creative influences was missing. Kagawa took the opportunity in his stride, becoming the talisman for the team, and the second half of the season highlighted his influence on the defending champions and their dependence on him when it mattered.
Match-winning strikes against Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen along with a dazzling display and late winner against Mainz, showcased Kagawa at his brilliant best. The 14 appearances in the Rückrunde heralded nine goals and six assists but more importantly, his link up play with his team-mates improved as Kagawa struck up an understanding on the pitch with Lewandoski, showing a more selfless approach in his play.
The big games brought out the best in Kagawa and no more so than in the DFB cup final. The Japanese international scored within the first three minutes and also provided an assist for Lewandoski for the crucial third goal. The win confirmed Dortmund as domestic double winners for the first time in their history.
Stats for the season:
Kagawa’s overall stats for the season make for impressive reading. The midfielder found the back of the net 13 times in the Bundesliga and had eleven assists to his name. His form in cup competition was just as notable with four goals and two assists in 11 European and DFB cup matches.
The only disappointing factor for the ‘Samurai Blue’ star was Dortmund’s poor showing in the Champions League. A goal against Arsenal at the Emirates was a personal highlight but as Dortmund finished bottom of their group, he will look on it as an opportunity missed.
Enjoy the moment.
