The opening of the new season is finally approaching. Led by the new coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI, the blue-red squad will face Yokohama FC away on February 15 (Saturday). Among the players who are determined to give their all for the opening match, there is one man who is burning with an extraordinary fighting spirit for this game. Marcelo RYAN, 22 years old. The striker, who has newly joined the blue-red team from Sagan Tosu, is expected to be the “successor” of the great predecessors and is ready for a season to enhance his value by bringing glory to the club. "My motivation is very high. I am confident that we can have a good season," he said, looking ahead as he shared his thoughts on the opening match, which he considers "important," and his passionate feelings for the new season.
──Finally, the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League will kick off. This time before the first match is indeed an exciting period.
Personally, since the opponent is my former club Yokohama FC and this will be my first game after transferring to Tokyo, I absolutely want to deliver a result. I believe everyone shares similar feelings heading into the opening match, and I don’t think it will be an easy game. We want to train well together right up until just before the match and start the 2025 season with a victory. My motivation is very high, both for the fans and supporters and for myself.
──About one month since the team started training, how is the adaptation progressing to the style of play that new coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI aims for?
I think things are going well. Personally, I am very happy to be able to compete as a member of Tokyo, and my honest feeling is that I want to get on the pitch for an official match as soon as possible. Over the past month, we have focused on training mainly at the Okinawa camp, and we have been able to prepare well under the new coach. I hope to approach the opening match in good form and make 2025 a wonderful season.
I believe that the style of football that Rikizo MATSUHASHI, the coach, advocates, which emphasizes valuing the ball while attacking, is similar to the style he practiced at his previous club, Sagan Tosu.
There are certainly parts that are similar to the style of football at Tosu. I think the emphasis on valuing the ball is close, but while connecting passes and maintaining possession, we also use long balls depending on the situation. For me, I feel that Tokyo's style suits me better.
──Handling the ball accurately. Sending precise passes from good judgment. Coach Matsuhashi demands a commitment to technique from the players.
I believe that is very important. As has been mentioned earlier, technique is necessary to value the ball and take control. It has been one month since the team started, and I think we are beginning to build good coordination. However, of course, it is not yet 100 percent. I want to make quicker decisions on the pitch and link up our play more effectively.
Coach Matsuhashi emphasizes that the goal is the top priority, not just connecting passes.
After all, soccer is a sport where you cannot win without scoring goals, so this is something the entire team is strongly aware of, and to win, prioritizing goals is essential. Of course, maintaining possession of the ball is important. However, it is not enough to just value possession; you need to hold the ball while thinking about making the opponent leave space, and actively seize the moment when the target space opens up.
In aiming for a style of play that retains possession of the ball, what kind of work do you think is necessary before reaching the finish?
Since the ball doesn’t come to us forwards very often, we always look for places where space is likely to open up, anticipating and sensing it, and prepare to dive into those spaces to get involved in the finish. Each player has their own playing style, and some try to draw the ball in from midfield. Compared to those players, I might spend more time positioned up front. That’s because being closer to the goal increases the chances of scoring. While I sometimes hold up the ball with post play up front or spread the play to the sides, my strongest style is sharply breaking through the front line. I consider my speed in exploiting the space behind the defense to be my greatest strength.
The 14 goals scored last season in Tosu had a variety of scoring patterns.
Last season, I was able to score goals in various ways. I believe the main reason for this was staying as close to the goal as possible. Besides the pattern of breaking behind the defense, depending on the situation, if I am in a position to be involved in the finish, many variations naturally arise, and I think the chances created by my teammates lead to goals.
While the shooting technique is impressive, there is an impression that they excel at creating conditions that make it easy to take shots.
Personally, the highest chance of scoring comes from breaking into the space behind the defense and taking a one-touch shot. I believe that is the closest to the goal. However, the reality is that I’m not often allowed to have such an ideal situation (laughs). I position myself around the space I want to target, hold off opponents to keep possession of the ball, carry the ball forward from there, and aim for a shot—depending on the situation, I consider various approaches.
──How is the combination with the surroundings?
I believe the understanding has deepened during this one-month preparation period, so from now on, I want to mature it further by playing more matches. After all, the most important thing is communication. Naturally, it’s impossible for everyone to be on exactly the same "wavelength," so I think it’s about properly discussing with those around you and aligning the plays you wanted to make with the plays your teammates wanted you to make, gradually adjusting as you go. Since I also get along well and interact with everyone off the pitch, I am confident that the 2025 season will be a very good season for me.
As mentioned at the beginning, the opening match will be against Yokohama FC, the first team I was a part of in the J-League. What are your thoughts on this?
Although some players from Brazil, such as CAPRINI and Gabriel, who played together with me, have transferred, many former teammates are still with the club, and personally, I have a strong attachment since this was the first club I played for in Japan. I believe they will also show a passionate performance in their home opener, so it won’t be an easy match. However, now I am playing wearing the blue and red of Tokyo. This will be my first match in Tokyo. I absolutely want to win and get off to a good start.
──I believe there are also expectations for you to become the successor to Diego OLIVEIRA, who retired at the end of last season.
When I decided to transfer to Tokyo, I heard from the club that they were looking for someone to become Diego's successor. I believe the fans and supporters have similar expectations, and of course, I share that awareness myself. However, he is a wonderful player who made a tremendous contribution to the club and team called Tokyo. Although I cannot immediately reach his brilliant achievements, I want to positively accept everyone's expectations and turn them into my own power.
──I hope it will be a good season.
I believe this will be a special season for me. Until now, I have relied on my youth and played with reckless abandon, but I feel that I have reached a position where I must go beyond that and deliver results. When I first came to Japan, I had few opportunities to play and went through very frustrating times, but even so, I kept believing in my own ability, and finally, people have started to recognize the name "Marcelo RYAN." I want to achieve better results than last season here in Tokyo and truly become a player who is loved and needed, just like Diego. And I want to carve my name as the ace in Tokyo’s first league championship. For that reason, I absolutely want to win the opening match.
Text by Katsu Goto (Freelance Writer)
