Match Review
Two weeks after their first victory against Avispa Fukuoka, Tokyo is aiming for their first consecutive win of the season as they face Kawasaki Frontale in the Tama River Clasico. The starting eleven remains unchanged from the Fukuoka match. Yuto Nagatomo, who returned from the Japan national team, will play as right back, while U-23 Japan representative Kashif BANGNAGANDE will play as left back, forming a partnership with Ryotaro ARAKI and Kuryu MATSUKI in the front line.
The feeling we grasped in the Fukuoka match was definitely there, and the team atmosphere is good. We want to build momentum with a victory at Todoroki for the first time in 6 seasons, and then the upcoming two consecutive matches at Japan National Stadium against Urawa Reds and Kashima Antlers.
1stHALF—The ball was held but the enemy's territory could not be broken through.
The game progressed in a very tense atmosphere. In the beginning, Kawasaki Frontale took control of the ball, but Tokyo calmly responded and as time passed, they were able to move the ball more. Since Kawasaki did not press high, Tokyo had no trouble building up and advancing from their own half. Players such as Takahiro KO, Kei KOIZUMI, and Matsuki stood out as they touched the ball.
However, the build-up and attack after entering the opponent's half were monotonous, and there were few scenes where the ball entered the wings in a good shape, and no scoring opportunities were created. Although crosses were sent in from both sides several times, they were all cleared.
As a result, Kawasaki gradually takes control of the pace. Even when pressing, there are more scenes where they are broken down in the build-up, and when players like Wakisaka and Ienaga move fluidly and face forward in their own half, they end up conceding the first goal in the 34th minute of the first half.
KIMOTO Yasuki, who responded to MIURA's cross from the left side back position in the area, attempted to clear the ball with a sliding tackle, but it hit the post and fell in front of WAKISAKA. HATANO Go also jumped out and the ball was slid into the unguarded goal.
In addition, in the 44th minute of the first half, they lost the ball in their own half during the build-up and were hit by a decisive shot from player Segoshi, but it missed the goal. On the other hand, in the 45+1 minute of the first half, player Matsuki attempted a volley shot with his left foot from a corner kick, but was unable to shake the goal net, and the game went into halftime with a one-point deficit.
2ndHALF - 2 goals conceded after a player was sent off
The second half, chasing one point, the game structure did not change significantly, and Tokyo also searched for attacking opportunities while connecting the ball. However, although they were able to carry the ball without difficulty until entering the enemy's territory, the quality and ideas of the attacking third were lacking, and scenes where they could not bring the ball to a shot continued.
On the other hand, they were caught behind the high line and faced dangerous situations from counters. In the 14th minute of the second half, Ellison broke through the final line and shook the goal net, but was saved by an offside call.
After that, in order to change the flow, three substitution cards were used in the 19th minute of the second half. Diego OLIVEIRA, Jája Silva, and Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, who possess strong individual talents, were sent in to break through. However, they were unable to score in a good position, and in the 27th minute of the second half, Hatano, who tried to clear the ball by jumping out of the area, ended up fouling Ellison and was sent off. In the midst of being behind, they were forced to face a situation where they were outnumbered.
Tokyo, who wants to make a comeback, set up a 4-4-1 formation and aims for the goal with Diego Taba as the top player, but in the 38th minute of the second half, they were caught behind the final line again and conceded their second goal, and in additional time when they became more aggressive, they conceded their third goal. It was the end of missing the first consecutive win of the season.
However, we will face two consecutive games at the Japan National Stadium in just three days from here. There is no time to look down, and it will be a week to test Peter Tokyo's rebound mentality.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Masato MORISHIGE/Yasuki KIMOTO (39' Hotaka NAKAMURA)/Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF Kuryu MATSUKI (19' Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA)/Takahiro KO/Kei KOIZUMI
FW Keita ENDO (19' Jája Silva)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (30' Teruhito NAKAGAWA)/Ryotaro ARAKI (19' Diego OLIVEIRA)
SUBS
DF Kanta DOI
FW Kota TAWARATSUMIDA
GOAL
－
＜Kawasaki Frontale＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Sung Ryong JUNG
DF Yusuke SEGAWA (19th minute: Asahi SASAKI)/Jesiel/Kota TAKAI/Sota MIURA
MF Kento TACHIBANADA/Tatsuki SEKO/Yasuto WAKIZAKA (45th minute + 5 minutes: Yuki YAMAMOTO)
FW Akihiro IENAGA (45th minute + 5 minutes: Yu KOBAYASHI)/Daiya TONO (37th minute: Hinata YAMAUCHI)/Ellison (37th minute: Shin YAMADA)
SUBS
GK Naoto KAMIFUKUMOTO
DF Takuma OMINAMI
GOAL
First Half 34th Minute: Yasuto WAKIZAKA/Second Half 38th Minute: Shin YAMADA/Second Half 45th Minute + 2 Minutes: Kento TACHIBANADA
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI, Manager]
Q, please look back on today's game.
A, everyone feels the pain of not getting the result. Looking at the performance, I think not much happened from the start until around the 60th or 70th minute. In a close match, the opponent capitalized on one decisive moment. We continued to fight, believing that if we kept playing our football, the momentum would return and we would be rewarded. During that time, we found ourselves a player down, which made the match difficult. The players fought aggressively, desperately trying to equalize, but we conceded more goals and the game was decided. Everyone feels the pain, so we want to become stronger.
Q, three substitution cards were cut at once in the second half. Was it a planned substitution?
A, I used substitutions with the idea of bringing in fresh players. We wanted to inject energy into our attack, and although Ryotaro ARAKI, Kuryu MATSUKI, and Keita ENDO were doing very well, we tried to add attacking energy by bringing on Diego Oliveira, Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, and Jaja SILVA. Up to that point, I don't think there were any decisive moments in the match, but then we were immediately reduced to 10 men, which made the mountain we had to climb even higher. The players fought desperately to equalize even with 10 men and gave their all, but we couldn't secure any points here. I am disappointed that we couldn't bring smiles to our fans and supporters.
[Player Interview]
＜Ryotaro ARAKI＞
Q, please review the game.
A, we were doing well until we conceded a goal, but I think we couldn’t recover after that. I believed before the match that scoring the first goal would allow us to control the game, so if we had converted our chances, the outcome would have been different. However, personally, I wasn’t able to show much of my performance, so I should have been more of a focal point. Also, when the opponent started to counter our play, I wasn’t clear on what to do. It’s difficult to make changes during the game, but I want us to communicate more and be able to adapt against the opponent.
Q, I had the impression that it was difficult to mark player Araki. What were you conscious of while playing?
A, I thought my job was to handle the ball as usual and move it toward the goal. I didn’t have the impression that the man-marking was particularly strict, but today the ball didn’t settle well at my feet, or rather, my ball touch condition wasn’t very good. My desire to win doesn’t change in any match, but the Kawasaki game was one where I was really motivated, and I regret that there were many disappointing plays today. However, it’s not possible to have a good game every time, and I think there will be matches like this, so I want to use this as one experience, switch my mindset, and move forward to the next game.
Q, How do you plan to rebuild the team from here?
A, I definitely want to improve our scoring ability. Even if we concede goals, I want us to be a team that can score two or three goals. I believe that if we switch gears and play our own style of soccer, we can get results. Since we have consecutive matches, everyone will recover quickly and prepare for the next game.
<Takahiro KO>
Q: How do you feel about the continued struggle to bring out the best performance? Please review the game.
A, It was a very frustrating result. The opponent capitalized on their chances decisively. We had few shots ourselves, and we need to increase the number of opportunities. I believe we must significantly improve both the frequency and quality of our entries into the penalty area. Of course, we also need the ability to convert those chances, and since we cannot win if we concede goals, we want to thoroughly focus on keeping a clean sheet.
Q, there were also scenes where we struggled against the opponent's press.
A: However, I personally think it's easier to shake off the press when they come at us that aggressively, and I conveyed at halftime that I wanted them to look at me a little more. In the second half, since we had to go for the goal, there were more vertical plays, but I want to improve the quality of those aspects as well. I also believe that the team as a whole needs to demand better positioning and quicker decision-making against opponents who press us.
Q: How is the collaboration with Ryotaro ARAKI?
A, I wanted to deliver good vertical passes, but from what I gathered after talking post-match, it seems he wanted to focus a bit more forward, so we midfielders need to coordinate whether to take a higher position or drop the ball back to them.
Q, What part would you say you could have done better if you had the chance?
A, Yes. We should have played forward with quality, rather than backward. As a team, conceding goals and the red card were painful, but we need to increase the number of times we get into the penalty area. I also feel that game control is necessary even while playing more offensively, so we need to improve on that. I don’t think we are there yet, so I hope the whole team can coordinate better to improve further.
<Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA>
Q, how do you look back on the game?
A, I think the point to reflect on is that after Diego OLIVEIRA, Jája Silva, and I came on when we were down 0-1, we couldn't really turn the game in a positive direction. There were chances to score, like when I broke through, and I believe the coach sent us onto the pitch with the intention of equalizing, so missing that chance led to this kind of result.
Q, What kind of play did you want to make?
A, today Ryotaro ARAKI and Kuryu MATSUKI were positioned up front, but since neither of them are originally forward players, I think when we forwards came on, we were expected to bring a sense of threat and to challenge the opponent’s goal. I believe that can only be demonstrated by scoring goals, so it is frustrating that we were unable to show that in the end.
Q, How do you think about the improvement points in the future based on the game development?
A, We were down to 10 players early on, so the opponent had the ball for longer periods, and I think there were few scenes where Takahiro KO, our defensive midfielder, could hold the ball freely. However, even within that, there were gaps, and I believe we lacked the technical skill to exploit them. From the first half, we were able to maintain possession, but we fell short in creating shooting opportunities. After all, we can't win without scoring goals, so I hope we can continue to pursue a more threatening presence.
