Tsuyoshi Takano is not your typical football coach. With a career that spans Europe and Asia, Takano has built a name for himself as a pioneer of “Collective Football” a tactical and developmental approach that transforms limited resources into long-term success.
He holds the UEFA Pro License and has worked in environments as diverse as the Premier League, J.League, Belgium’s youth system, and the Thai top flight. Known for his sharp tactical mind, commitment to player development, and a philosophy that focuses on synchronized team play, Takano has consistently helped clubs punch above their weight. At STVV in Belgium, he led the youth sector as Managing Director and U21 Head Coach, producing a record number of first-team players without a recruitment budget.
Whether guiding Southampton into the Premier League, mentoring talents like, James-Ward Prowse, Maya Yoshida and Takehiro Tomiyasu, or building bridges between Asia and Europe, Takano’s profile is that of a modern, globally connected coach who turns potential into performance.
Here are five questions for the man behind the philosophy.
Our Exclusive Interview with Tsuyoshi Takano
You describe your football identity as “Collective Football.” What does that mean in practice and how does it shape your teams?
“Collective Football” enables a team to become more than just the sum of its individuals. It’s about creating a team that doesn’t just play together, but thinks together ,through shared interpretation, not scripted patterns.
The way I see football, the game is made up of three types of situations: some are more fixed or structured ,like set-pieces or building out from the goalkeeper ,some are chaotic like 50-50 balls or play in tight areas and many fall somewhere in between. That’s why I lead and coach the team to handle these moments through a shared way of anticipating and interpreting the game, so we can outplay the opposition as a collective unit.
So, in practice, I spend less time structuring the team with rigid movements and roles, and more time structuring the players’ thought processes. Of course, we discuss systems and use them as reference points. But for us, it’s the shared interpretation that allows players to move as if within a structured system ,not because they’re following fixed patterns, but because they understand the situation in the same way.
When I start building a team, I begin by learning each player’s background and how they see the game. In parallel, I guide them toward common reference points ,guiding players to connect individuals into a cohesive unit. Once that’s in place, we train under more complex, unpredictable conditions to sharpen decision-making and execution. During the season, this is further refined through opposition analysis ,always with the aim of keeping our identity while remaining tactically flexible.
Over time, as the team gains experience competing against different teams and repeating situations, players begin to recognize emerging trends within the league. That pattern recognition becomes part of their intuitive decision-making ,further strengthening our collective intelligence. So, my team gets stronger towards the later part of the season and the 2nd season.
You’ve worked across England, Belgium, Thailand and Japan , all with very different football cultures. How have these experiences influenced your coaching philosophy?
Working in such diverse football cultures has helped me develop real versatility ,not just in tactical terms, but also in managing people within clubs and teams. I’ve coached across different levels of competition, with varying degrees of football intelligence and ability, all shaped by different cultural values and beliefs. Each country and each club came with its own unique context.
These experiences have taught me to adapt quickly when entering a new country or environment. And I believe that this speed of adaptation is essential, especially when it comes to managing players and staff effectively to deliver a successful campaign.
Different cultures and setups present different types of challenges. They constantly push me to find new ways to help teams grow within their own realities. That process has taught me that there’s never just one way to succeed and, therefore, pushed me to become more creative, more adaptive, and more resilient, both as a coach and as a leader.
At STVV, you developed players with no recruitment budget, yet achieved one of the highest academy promotion rates in Belgium. What’s your secret to spotting and nurturing talent?
When it comes to spotting talent, I’m not looking for the balanced or well-rounded player. I look for something unique, a quality the player seems to have been born with. Then, I try to imagine what kind of player he could become in two or three years and how he would get there. I focus on potential built around that unique asset, not on chasing perfection.
For example, Matte Smets, who transferred to KRC Genk and eventually became a full national team player, had an incredible ability to sense danger. He could recognize those dangers three or four steps ahead (before no one detected, even coaches), and it wasn’t something anyone had taught him. So I focused on developing more on his attacking qualities and helping him build a wider awareness of the pitch to make his stregnth to the super stregnth.
In terms of nurturing talent, I fully embrace the ups and downs that come with development. Every event , positive or negative, is an opportunity for a small step forward. I also expect the same mindset from my staff for the player and himself, “We don’t give up on a player after three or four months” and “We, coaches, also must admit our own mistakes and learn from it”. Development is a process, and belief is a big part of it.
Working without a recruitment budget means I have to offer something else. That is trust. In today’s environment, people are often told what they want to hear. I take the opposite approach: I’m honest from the start. It doesn’t always make things easier, but it builds real trust over time. That honesty, I believe, is why both players and parents often value my feedback more than any financial incentive, coupled with the proven history of player development and football activities.
You’ve been called a “bridge between Asia and Europe.” What role can Japanese players and coaches play in the future of European football?
One of the most valuable contributions is discipline. That’s something deeply rooted in Japanese culture and history. But it’s not just about being respectful or following rules. It’s a daily mindset, staying positive, training with full focus, and supporting teammates, no matter what.
In some countries, what stands out is explosive emotional energy or strong personality. In Japan, it’s the quiet commitment to doing what you need to do, not just what you want to do. That kind of discipline may not be flashy, but it has a real, lasting impact in the dressing room.
It builds a foundation of trust, consistency, and humility, the kind of culture that helps teams grow and stay together through a full season. In the long run, I believe that mindset can be a powerful ingredient for success in any European club.
That’s why I see Japanese players and coaches as having more and more value in Europe, not just for their skills, but for what they bring to the team’s internal culture.
You’ve mentored top-level players like James Ward Prowse, Maya Yoshida and Takehiro Tomiyasu. What do you look for in a young player who could succeed internationally?
To succeed abroad, talent and professionalism alone aren’t enough. I believe a player needs two key qualities: mental resilience, the ability to keep dealing with setbacks while accepting that the environment around him is not at his home country, and flexibility, the willingness to adapt to new environments, both on and off the pitch.
The world is more connected than it was 30 years ago, but cultural differences still matter. Even small habits, customs, weather or communication styles can influence a player’s emotional stability. This is a highly subjective area, but it’s something coaches and clubs need to be aware of and support properly.
Maya Yoshida is a great example. When he joined Southampton, he made his Premier League debut within a week. He was already solid in what he did best, possession and building up, but he also adapted quickly to the demands of a new league. Fast adaptation, for instance, is a major factor in the Premier League. I remember one morning. We talked about a specific situation from the previous match. Later that same day, in a small-sided game, he had already adjusted his response to that situation.
That adaptability is one of the reasons he survived six managerial changes at Southampton and is still going strong today as captaining his club in MLS. That is the fifth country of his career.