Takuya Takagi

After finishing his playing career, he worked as a soccer commentator on television. He also acquired the S-Class Coaching License that was a prerequisite to manage a J.League club in 2004.

At the beginning of 2006, he was appointed an assistant coach at Yokohama FC. He was unexpectedly promoted to the manager of the club to replace Yusuke Adachi who was sacked only after the team lost to Ehime FC in the opening match of the season.[2] Takagi's lack of coaching experience and untimely dismissal of Adachi worried the fans who decided in protest to watch the second match of the season (the first match under Takagi) in silence.

However, Takagi quickly convinced the supporters as he guided the club unbeaten for the first fifteen matches under his reign. This was the record unbeaten run since appointment of a new manager in J.League. The club made another J.League record when they did not concede any goal for 770 consecutive minutes by breaking Shimizu S-Pulse's 731 minutes recorded in 1993. They kept 7 consecutive clean sheets which was also a tied J2 League record.

Yokohama FC, who had been languishing in the bottom half of the standing previous 5 seasons since their accession to J2, won the title and gained the first-ever promotion to J1 League.

The club made a drastic change in their squad before the beginning of the 2007 season in preparation for the fight in the top-flight. Eleven players left while another eleven joined the club. Those who left included the striking partners Shoji Jo and Alemão who scored 30 goals together out of club's 61 goals in the previous season. Long-serving Tomotaka Kitamura and Tsuyoshi Yoshitake also left. Takagi enhanced his squad by recruiting former Japanese internationals Tatsuhiko Kubo and Daisuke Oku (both from Yokohama F. Marinos), and Gilmar Silva (from Tokyo Verdy).[3]

They beat Marinos in a Yokohama derby in the second match of the season, but otherwise the things didn't go well for Takagi.[4] New team leaders Oku and Kubo were sidelined due to injuries and the club was anchored at the bottom of the standing. The club signed high-profile former Japanese international midfielder Atsuhiro Miura in August. Apparently there was a conflict between the management and Takagi as he expressed disgruntlement on Miura's signing quoting that what the club needed at that point was a good defender or forward. He was sacked on August 27, 2007 and replaced by Brazilian Júlio César Leal.[5]

In 2008, Takagi signed with Tokyo Verdy returned to J1 and he served as assistant coach under manager and his former international team mate Tetsuji Hashiratani in 2008. However Verdy was relegated to J2 in a year and Hashiratani resigned end of the season. Takagi was promoted to the manager as Hashiratani successor. However he was sacked for poor performance in October.

He was appointed the manager of Roasso Kumamoto in 2010, and managed until his resignation after 2012 season.

On 20 December 2012, Takagi's local club V-Varen Nagasaki made an announcement that they appointed Takagi as the manager of newly promoted club to the 2013 J2 League.[6] In 2017 season, the club won the 2nd place and was promoted to J1 first time in the club history. In 2018, V-Varen gain several players who Takagi's junior at his high school, Yuhei Tokunaga, Hokuto Nakamura and Kenta Tokushige. However the club finished at the bottom place and was relegated to J2, Takagi resigned end of the 2018 season.[7]

In 2019, Takagi signed with J2 club Omiya Ardija.[8]

• Dynasty Cup Top Scorer : 1992

• 1992 Asian Cup (Champions)
• 1992 Dynasty Cup (Champions)