Hiroki Itō: The Key to Unlocking Bayern’s Full Potential
If not for a devastating injury during the pre-season tour, Hiroki Itō would have been a key player in Bayern Munich’s refreshed squad under Vincent Kompany. The Bavarians scored 26 goals and conceded just seven in seven games across the Bundesliga and the Champions League, raising the question: how could the €23 million Japanese international from Stuttgart improve an already dominant FC Hollywood?
Following the Footsteps of his Fellow Countrymen
Japanese players have a long history of excelling in the Bundesliga, from Shinji Kagawa’s time at Borussia Dortmund to Daichi Kamada’s success at Eintracht Frankfurt. For Stuttgart, this trend has been especially consistent in recent years, with players like Shinji Okazaki, Hajime Hosogai, and now Liverpool’s Wataru Endo all leaving their mark on the club.
This brings us to Hiroki Itō, who initially joined Stuttgart on loan from J2 League side Júbilo Iwata in 2021 before making the move permanent a year later. Since arriving in the Bundesliga, the left-footed defender has become a mainstay in Stuttgart’s lineup under four different managers, clocking over 2,000 minutes in three consecutive seasons.
Photo: Transfermarkt
A Centerback? A Left Back? A Striker?!
Despite putting in consistent performances during his first two seasons, it was the 2023-24 campaign, where Stuttgart made a historic run to qualify for the Champions League under Sebastian Hoeneß, that saw Itō emerge as one of the top players in his position in the Bundesliga.
As his seasonal heat map shows, Hiroki Itō was primarily deployed as a left-sided center-back in Hoeneß’s 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, or 3-4-3 formations. However, what made Itō such an important piece in Stuttgart’s tactical set up was his versatility, offering his manager another option for the left back position when needed.
Photo: Sofascore
In fact, the Japanese international is capable of playing across different position, having even filled in as a number six, a left-sided midfielder, and at times, as a striker during his time with his former club in Japan’s second division.
Photo: Transfermarkt
An Essential Build-Up Cog
As mentioned earlier, Hoeneß relied on various tactical setups throughout last season, and this flexibility wouldn’t have been possible without versatile players like Itō, who could perform across multiple positions. Stuttgart’s fluidity was most noticeable during their build-up phase. Whether in a 3-2-5 shape, a 4-2-4, or the more daring 2-4-4, Hiroki Itō was consistently deployed as the left-sided center-back during the first phase of play.
3-2-5 Build-Up
2-4-4 Build-Up
Even when starting at left-back, as seen during Stuttgart’s 3-1 win over Bayern last season, Itō was often instructed to tuck inside and function as a left-sided center-back during the build-up phase. This allowed Stuttgart to maintain their structure and fluidity, no matter where he started on the pitch.
Hoeneß’ emphasis on utilizing Itō as a key figure during their build-up phase is a direct result of the player’s exceptional technical ability on the ball. When it comes to passing, Itō stood out as one of the top performers among Bundesliga center-backs last season.
Beyond his impressive 88.7% pass completion rate per 90 minutes, what truly set him apart was his capacity to progress the ball through the phases, with 4.81 passes into the final third and 0.85 into the penalty area per 90 minutes. Itō’s creativity also shouldn’t be overlooked. He averaged 0.77 key passes per game, placing him in the 90th percentile among all Bundesliga center-backs.
Photo: FBRef
Itō has a keen sense of when to play a line-breaking pass, when to lay the ball off to a teammate to shift play wide and stretch the opposition’s press, or when to simply recycle possession in his own third. His decision-making is sharp, and he avoids taking unnecessary risks with the ball.
However, Itō’s technical prowess extends far beyond just his passing. Under pressure, he remains remarkably composed, using his skills and smart pass selection to navigate out of tight situations.
His ball-carrying ability is often underrated as well—he has the power and control to burst past opponents, progressing the ball forward and relieving pressure when needed.
Photo: FBRef
Now, combine all of this with Itō’s constant movement to offer his teammates a passing option during the build-up phase—evidenced by his 67.62 passes received per 90 minutes—and it becomes clear just how vital he was to Stuttgart’s play down the left side. Not only does his act as a metronome at the backline, but can also launch accurate diagonal passes or long balls into the wide channels for his teammates to chase.
The 25-year-old finished last season ranked 15th across all positions and seventh among defenders for the highest xGBuild-up, with a total of 15.85. This metric reflects the expected goals generated from possessions a player is involved in, excluding key passes and shots, further highlighting Itō’s impact in orchestrating Stuttgart’s build-up play.
Photo: Understat
But it doesn’t stop there! The two assists Itō recorded last season further emphasize his exceptional passing ability and understanding of space. The first came in the Bundesliga opener against Bochum, where he delivered a perfectly weighted pass to Serhou Guirassy, setting up the striker to open the scoring.
The second assist came against Freiburg, where Itō demonstrated his ability to surge forward down the left-hand side, exploiting the space before setting up Guirassy once again.
Stats Do Not Paint the Full Picture
While Itō’s outstanding technical abilities often steal the spotlight, it doesn’t mean his defensive skills should be underestimated, even if some stats might suggest otherwise. He is far from a below-average defender.
Photo: FBRef
Much like his smart, calculated passing, Itō’s approach to defending is cautious and measured. He prefers to defend space rather than rush into challenges.
His excellent reading of the game allows him to pick his battles, while his center-back partner, Waldemar Anton, often handles the more aggressive defensive duties. This is also what makes him a great box defender as he often find himself at the right time and place to clear a cross or shield the ball away.
This calculated approach explains his low tackling volume—he ranks in just the second percentile for tackles per game. However, he compensates for this with his positioning, sharp intercepting instincts, and ability to defend wide areas. In fact, his experience as a left-back gives him an edge in covering long distances, as reflected by his 5.05 ball recoveries per 90 minutes last season.
Enhancing What’s Already Working!
As for Itō’s potential impact once he recovers from injury, it might be hard to envision him adding much if Vincent Kompany’s side continues the strong performances they’ve shown in the early stages of the season. However, when considering Kompany’s style of play and what Bayern Munich currently lacks, it becomes clear why Itō was the club’s top center-back target.
Throughout his managerial career, Kompany has favored a 3-2-5 build-up, where one of the midfield pivots drops into the left-sided center-back role to form a back three. This pattern is evident at Bayern as well, with Pavlovic often slotting into that space while Alphonso Davies pushes high up the pitch.
Kompany’s structure has evolved even further, as he’s begun to leverage Manuel Neuer’s ball-playing ability by positioning him as the central center-back during build-up phases, while Kim Min-Jae and Dayot Upamecano split wide to create more space for the keeper to step in.
Bayern currently lead the Bundesliga in build-up completion percentage at 91.46%, so it’s clear the system is working well. However, this side still lacks a left-footed center-back capable of circulating possession on the left and progressing the ball. Both Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae are right-footed and more comfortable on the right side of the defense. With Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, two players who could fill that left-sided build-up role, now at Manchester United, Bayern are left with Itō as their only viable option for this role.
Not only will Itō’s return give Kompany more tactical flexibility, but his left-footedness will create new passing angles and further improve an already efficient build-up phase. Beyond his technical qualities, Itō’s spatial awareness and excellent anticipation will also allow Kompany to maintain and even improve his aggressive rest-defense and high line, both aspects of the Belgian’s style that came under question in recent games.
Whether Itō will return to his previous form after the horrific injury remains uncertain, but one thing is for sure: if he can overcome this setback, there’s no doubt he’ll elevate an already impressive Bayern side to another level. His presence will provide much-needed squad depth and tactical flexibility, which will be crucial as the team navigates deep into competitions like the Champions League.
By: Mohamed Fathalli / @FathalliMohamed
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Sebastian Widmann – UEFA