Southampton 2018/19 Player Review: Maya Yoshida
The 30-year-old had a solid season for Southampton and was a great on-field leader for a team that had a lot of youth this season, especially in the back.
The Japanese international made 17 starts in the Premier League this season and garnered an average match rating of 6.85 according to whoscored.com and is the very definition of consistency. Whenever Yoshida is on the pitch, Saint fans know what they are going to get out of him.
He is a solid defender who is best at intercepting passes and clearing the ball but most notably is he will give 110% every time he puts on the Southampton kit.
Yoshida averaged 2.5 interceptions per match and 5.9 clearances. He had two matches this season where he collected 11 clearances and they both came against top 6 sides.
His best match came against Chelsea on January 3rd. If you recall, it was a 0-0 draw and Yoshida put on a clinic in the back.
Here are his statistics from that match at Stamford Bridge:
Tackles: 3
Interceptions: 8
Clearances: 11
Blocks: 2
Match Rating: 8.24
This was the one of the better defensive performance I have seen from a Southampton defender for some time and it was great to see Yoshida excel against a tough opponent.
He may not be the best defender in the league or even on Southampton but he is loves this club and will do whatever is asked of him to help the club succeed.
It came out earlier this year that he could have left the team for more money elsewhere but he turned it down because his love of the club was greater than a raise in pay. There are not many players who would have turned down more money to stay with a club that is battling relegation but Yoshida did and we should be thankful we have a man like Maya Yoshida at Southampton.
Next. Saints keeper Angus Gunn in England squad for U21 Euros. dark
He has been a mentor for younger defenders on the team and is a class act on and off the field.