＜Match Review＞
In the previous match, Tokyo started the Golden Week with a good start by defeating Albirex Niigata 2-1 at home Ajinomoto Stadium. The remaining matches will be away games, which will involve long-distance travel to Kyushu and Hokkaido, making it a challenging schedule.
This round, we will be playing against Avispa Fukuoka on the same day as last season.
There were changes in the member selection in the midfield and the backline in Tokyo. Yuto NAGATOMO was selected as the right fullback, Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who had been absent for two games, was chosen as the left fullback, and Seiji KIMURA, who made his first appearance in the league this season, was included in one of the center back positions.
1st HALF—Watanabe's shot hits the post amid a stalemate
In the early stages, Tokyo, with a strong forward mindset, had many opportunities to enter the opponent's half but could not find a clue to finish. They responded to Fukuoka's quick attacks by retreating quickly, and although the ball was carried deep, they slid swiftly to the ball side in decisive moments, preventing easy shots.
In the build-up phase, there were scenes where mistakes occurred when pushing up from the back and moving the ball in the opponent's half, and the flow was stopped by the opponent's counter before getting into rhythm. The number of ball losses in the midfield gradually decreased, but they were unable to create space in front of Fukuoka's defensive block and had to continue receiving the ball at their feet and resetting.
In the midst of not being able to create attacking opportunities, the first chance came in the 19th minute of the first half. Teruhito NAKAGAWA kept the ball in a deep position on the right side and entrusted it to Ryoma WATANABE, who had come to support. Watanabe, who had cut inside, found a shooting lane and aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal with a ground shot. The shot seemed to be on target, but it hit the left post and bounced back into the field, unfortunately not becoming a goal.
On the other hand, in the 22nd minute of the first half, a situation called "almost" was created from a corner kick. When the corner kick from the right side flowed to the far side, it was combined with one touch. There was no momentum in the shot, but the ball that headed towards the goal in a state of no player reacting in front of the goal slightly deviated to the right of the goal.
As the first half approached the end, the flow of the game shifted towards Fukuoka. They put the ball into the gap between Tokyo's defenders and attempted to break through the center, aiming for the gaps in the marking. On the other hand, Tokyo's players Yasuki KIMOTO and Kimura closed the center tightly, preventing Fukuoka from freely shooting despite being able to break through towards the goal.
There were shooting scenes that hit the post, but while trying various ideas to break down the opponent who pulled back, we maintained intensity in both offense and defense and reached halftime.
2nd HALF—Unable to Close the One-Goal Gap
As the second half began, there were increasing moments of being pressed. In the 3rd minute of the second half, a free kick was conceded near the right side of the penalty area, and Konno's direct shot hit the right post.
In the 10th and 12th minutes of the second half, there were shooting opportunities created in front of the goal, but both times Jakub SLOWIK quickly closed the distance and blocked the shots without any problems.
In the midst of not being able to grasp the rhythm of the attack, Tokyo made substitution cards in the 18th and 25th minutes of the second half, sending in four fresh players. Gradually gaining momentum, they also created situations where they pushed forward from the sides, but were unable to bring it to a finish.
On the contrary, in the 27th minute of the second half, when a starting point was created inside the penalty area, we were unable to completely steal the ball and allowed Yamagishi to score and take the lead.
Against an opponent who decisively focused on solid defense and quick counterattacks, Tokyo maintained possession of the ball but could not break through. They were unable to close the one-goal gap and the match ended.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Yasuki KIMOTO/Seiji KIMURA (32nd minute: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)/Shuhei TOKUMOTO (25th minute: Kashif BANGNAGANDE)
MF Keigo HIGASHI/Shuto ABE (25th minute: Masato MORISHIGE)/Kuryu MATSUKI (25th minute: Adailton)
FW Ryoma WATANABE/Diego OLIVEIRA/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (18th minute: Kei KOIZUMI)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
FW PEROTTI
GOAL
ー
＜Avispa Fukuoka＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Takumi NAGAISHI
DF Yota MAEJIMA / Douglas GROLLI / Tatsuki NARA / Itsuki ODA
MF Kazuya KONNO / Masato SHIGEMI / Yuya YAMAGISHI (29th minute of the second half: Kennedyegbus MIKUNI) / Hiroyuki MAE / Lukian (43rd minute of the second half: Takeshi KANAMORI)
FW Reiju TSURUNO (23rd minute of the second half: Ryoga SATO)
SUBS
GK Masaaki MURAKAMI
DF Tatsuya TANAKA
MF Sotan TANABE
FW Wellington
GOAL
27' of the second half: Yuya YAMAGISHI
[Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA Press Conference Comments]
Q: please review the game.
There were two Tokyos in the first and second halves. Regarding the first half, we weren't able to make any particularly outstanding plays, but we were able to express our play and create multiple chances. However, the second half had a different content from the first half, and we weren't able to express our soccer. At the same time, we continued to lose in the ball-winning situations and struggled in defense. Therefore, we switched to a 3-back formation to fix our defense. However, we weren't able to fix it well and it led to conceding a goal. After conceding the first goal, we naturally played aiming for an equalizer or a comeback, but Avispa Fukuoka's defense after taking the lead is very solid and they excel at controlling a 1-0 game result. We have been battling against them for four seasons and we recognize that as their weapon. We couldn't break their solid defense and ended up losing.
We knew that once they scored the first goal, they were good at effectively defending a 1-0 lead. Therefore, we had planned a game strategy to score the first goal, but contrary to that intention, they scored first. We were unable to defend the central zone, which should not have been breached, and being broken through there remains a point for improvement.
Q, I think you changed your position a lot, what point were you not satisfied with?
A, regarding the first half, I thought that placing Ryoma WATANABE in a more central position when building up from a low position would allow us to smoothly advance the ball, so I made the change. I think that change worked well. And in the middle of the second half, there were many scenes where we were dominated by the opponent in the center. At the same time, we were struggling with being attacked in the left center-back position, so in order to prevent conceding a goal, I tried to make adjustments there along with multiple substitutions.
Q: Did you feel the pressure from the opponent in the second half? Please tell us the reasons.
Regarding the content of the second half, I think the biggest reason was that we were unable to play the way we wanted to. Of course, in a home game, if it's a tie in the second half, it's natural to aim for a victory by scoring. Losing game control easily against such a team is evidence that our play is not working. If we aim to be champions, we need to make adjustments to the parts where we lost game control in the second half. If we aim to be champions, every game will be difficult like today's. I think it is the duty of a champion to win those games. In order for Tokyo to become that, I think we need to firmly improve the points for improvement that came out today.
Q, I think the movement of the third person was lacking and the start was a bit slow in the scene before going for a shot.
A, that is still a part that we are working on as a challenge. Regarding that part, we are training and aiming for improvement. Sometimes it goes well, but it didn't go well today. I think we need to do that part properly. I think it is certain that we were not able to play effectively in the part of building up the attack. I also understand that there is plenty of room for improvement. That's why we need to take our time and grow steadily day by day. The game won't wait for us, and we have to accumulate points. That's why we need a mentality that is committed to victory. However, I think that part was missing in the second half today.
[Player Interview]
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, it seemed like there were trial and error attempts from the first half.
A, when we had possession of the ball, the opponent dropped back to defend, so we communicated about how to break them down. It's good to create time on the same side, but there was only Diego OLIVEIRA player in the middle, so I think it would have been better to simply cross the ball and try to win the second ball from there.
Q, you seemed to be very conscious of switching between offense and defense to avoid being caught by the opponent's counterattack, didn't you?
A, Avispa Fukuoka also tried to defend and aim for counterattacks, so I felt it was very difficult. I think we need to become a team that can beat such teams.
Q, do you ultimately want to become a team that can break down teams that sit back?
A, yes. Because that's the kind of football we're looking for, we want to make sure we can build up from a low position.
Q, I think this was a match where we wanted to secure at least 1 point. How do you feel about it?
A, it was a tough away game, and it’s frustrating that we couldn’t get either 1 or 3 points. With only two days before the match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, we want to prepare well to win that game.
<Seiji KIMURA>
Q, it was your first appearance and first start in the league this season, but it ended up being a tough result. Please share your thoughts on the game.
A, during the scouting phase, I knew that Avispa Fukuoka was a team that would kick the ball, so I understood that we had to bounce everything back. However, since we were also losing the second balls, I think we needed to push the line up more to compact the distance with the midfield, and if we couldn't connect clearances accurately, we had to clear the ball far. In the scene where we conceded a goal, the cover was late, and there was a situation where someone close to the goal had to clear the ball, but we lost sight of the ball, and it became reliant on Yasuki KIMOTO. We wasted time, made a pass, and conceded a goal. I believe that scene was definitely my responsibility. The fact that we couldn't build up throughout the game is also my responsibility as someone in the back, so I think we need to raise our level more; otherwise, we won't win in such difficult matches. I felt that there are still many areas for improvement to become a player who can shine not only when the team is in good condition but also when it is in bad condition.
Q, regarding the first half, there were times when we pushed back, but A, we were losing the second balls and often simply couldn't carry the ball forward. There were also moments when we lost the ball due to our own mistakes. Since we couldn't create much time in possession, I think the opponent was able to take control of the rhythm.
Q, the result was only two shots throughout the match, but what do you think was lacking?
A, in the first half we were able to carry the ball to the middle zone, but I think we lacked the ability to expand the ball to the opposite side when there were too many players on the same side. This is something we have been working on in practice, so I think it's something we should do in the game as well. Also, I felt that it would be difficult to reach the goal if we don't reduce the scenes where we lose the ball due to our own mistakes. If we could have carried the ball a little further forward, I think we could have given the forward players more room to work with, and I don't think the result of only two shots is solely the responsibility of the forward players.
Q, you switched to a 3-back system midway through the game. Had you been practicing this as well? Did you have any concerns about changing the system during the match?
A, I have done it several times in the game, and of course I practice it as well. With 3 backs, there are more people behind, so my positioning range becomes narrower, but I need to move forward a little, so there is a difference from 4 backs. With 3 backs, we basically have to defend tightly, but we conceded a goal after switching to 3 backs, so I feel a heavy responsibility. I think we conceded a goal by being caught in a momentary gap, so I want to work hard to become a center back who can pay attention to the whole team.
<Shuto ABE>
Q, the 100th game, became a tough match.
A, looking back on today's game, personally there were many bad plays and noticeable mistakes. My body felt heavy and I couldn't make many good plays. Regarding the 100th game, it was unfortunate that it didn't become a good commemoration.
Q, you changed the system from the first half. How was it for you as a player on the pitch?
A, there was no shape in the attack until the last shot, so I talked with Ryoma WATANABE and Kuryu MATSUKI, and I was conscious of receiving the ball in many situations regardless of the formation. However, we couldn't create a good shape and the first half ended. In the second half, we entered the game with the same flow, so we conceded a goal without success.
Q, until now, there have been many scenes where Hotaka NAKAMURA's aggressive and dynamic play has displaced the opposing defenders.
A, all the players looked physically heavy. There were few instances where they were able to catch up, and I think that if they can't run when they should, it won't bring energy to the team and they won't be able to put pressure on the opponent. I felt once again that such plays are important.
Q, regarding the second half, I think the play continued while feeling the opponent's pressure.
A, Avispa Fukuoka had many good scenes, but we also made many passing mistakes and there were many scenes where we struggled to defend against the opponent's long balls. Tokyo managed to endure those plays for a long time. However, I think that if we continue to receive pressure for a long time, we will eventually collapse like we did in today's conceding scene. So first, we want to focus on not losing and not making passing mistakes.
Q, There is a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo with only two days in between. Please share your enthusiasm for that game.
A, today I will return and the day after tomorrow I will move, it is a tight schedule, but I think it will be a total war, so when I can rest, I will rest and take away fatigue, and I want to challenge the game in a fresh state as much as possible.
