<Review of the Previous Match: Sanfrecce Hiroshima>
With five matches remaining in this season's Meiji Yasuda J1 League, the match following the International Match Week will be a Friday night game held away in Hiroshima. Tokyo will face the match with Yuto NAGATOMO returning from the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan national team) and Kim Seung-gyu, who contributed to a clean sheet victory against Paraguay as a member of the South Korean national team, rejoining the squad.
From the start, we faced Sanfrecce Hiroshima's high press and struggled to create attacking opportunities, but everyone showed focused play and fought hard. We confronted the opponent with battles for the ball and physical defense in front of our goal to prevent them from creating clear chances.
At the start of the second half, with the score still goalless, goalkeeper Sungyu made a series of fine saves to protect the goal, and then in the 11th minute of the second half, the defense blocked consecutive decisive shots after being pressed by the opponent. With a spirited defense, they did not allow any goals.
Furthermore, in the 30th minute of the second half, against Hiroshima's powerful counterattack, Nagatomo showcased brilliant defensive tactics by covering behind while confronting and running alongside the attacker to block the shot. Following that, from a corner kick, Sungyu displayed an outstanding reaction with a flying super save to stop a headed attempt, with the Japanese and Korean national team players impressing defensively.
In the 40th minute of the second half, academy graduate Taiyo YAMAGUCHI made his professional debut as a substitute. Despite the short time, he showed his presence by becoming a focal point in the forward line.
In the final stages, Tokyo maintained possession while aiming for counterattacks, pressing into Hiroshima’s territory, but despite the open play, they were unable to shake the net. Leaving some issues in attack, they endured the tense match with high concentration and brought back 1 point from the away game.
Match Preview
How to score goals while maintaining a solid defense. This is the biggest point emphasized in this match and by the current "Rikizo Tokyo."
After three consecutive clean-sheet victories with 1-0 scores, the Sec. 32 match against Yokohama F.Marinos revealed a vulnerability with three goals conceded in 11 minutes. In the following match against Shimizu S-Pulse, despite conceding one goal from a precise cross during a brief lapse, a style rooted in hard work and building from minimizing goals conceded has taken hold. The issue of increasing goals conceded from crosses is also being addressed, and in the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the team recorded a clean sheet with focused defense. Cases where the entire team aligns their focus and can play stable matches have increased.
While valuing this base, everyone must focus on how to score goals through flexible and adaptive attacks. Naturally, just defending will not bring victory. Head coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI emphasizes the awareness of scoring, saying, "How much can we deliver the ball to the place where goals are most likely to be born? How many times can we receive the ball there? Even if we execute good breaking plays, if there is no one there or the ball does not get in, no goals will be scored. It’s not just about holding onto the ball all the time; even if we try and lose the ball, I have always demanded from the players to quickly switch and immediately recover possession to connect to secondary and tertiary attacks. Above all, I want to cherish the essence of scoring goals."
In terms of offense, a challenge has been that passes do not connect as well as desired after regaining possession of the ball. Captain Kei KOIZUMI said, "It is necessary to play with good distance. We want the whole team to be conscious of helping our teammates instead of leaving it to others," and added, "There are only two more matches left this season at Ajinomoto Stadium, and since we haven't been able to win so far, we want to firmly secure a victory here and carry that momentum into the Emperor's Cup," expressing his enthusiasm for the big title that still holds potential.
Fagiano Okayama, their opponent, currently stands 15th with 11 wins, 8 draws, and 15 losses. They have struggled with no wins in their last seven league matches, but despite being in their first year in the J1 League, they have steadily achieved results with solid soccer centered on aggressive defense. Regarding Okayama's style, Coach Matsuhashi also tightened his focus, saying, "Their defense is truly solid, and their attack is not just dynamic; they are not a team that relies solely on the power and height of their forwards. They connect well on the ground and have players who can convert that into powerful attacks. We must be very cautious about those aspects."
While the team approaches the upcoming game with a determination to win at all costs, this is also a time to improve their readiness for the Emperor's Cup scheduled for next month. Keita ENDO, who reached a milestone of 150 J1 League appearances in the previous match, commented, "The only title left for us is the Emperor's Cup. As a team, how we prepare and enhance our coordination is what matters. We just have to head straight for that. For that reason, we want to win the match in front of us." He views the entire team’s high motivation and daily pursuit of growth positively and is eager to achieve further level-ups.
In the previous away match, we suffered a 0-1 defeat late in the game due to a strike by TABEI, who was awarded the J1 League Monthly Best Goal for April, resulting in a frustrating return to Tokyo. The team wants to come together to avenge that loss, aiming to secure a victory that leads to the Emperor's Cup by showing strong defensive solidity and high scoring ambition.
Ryunosuke SATO, who is currently on a developmental loan from FC Tokyo to Okayama, participated this month in the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Chile as a member of the Japan national U-20 team. At Okayama, he mainly plays as a left or right wing-back and has scored 6 goals, becoming the team's top scorer, including the opening goal from a cut-in in the previous match against Cerezo Osaka. Although he will not play this match due to contractual reasons, attention should be paid to the future performance of this 19-year-old who has shown significant growth at Okayama.
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q. Following the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, what kind of feedback did you give to the team?
A. I appreciate that we were able to defend firmly. In a match with that kind of flow, there were long periods where we had to focus heavily on defense, but we managed to hold them off solidly. I told the team that there will likely be tough periods in the next match as well, and that we should cherish this as a confidence boost.
Q, Before the Hiroshima match, there was also talk about how to break the opponent's momentum and connect it to our own attack.
A, We were conscious of aligning our actions and focus with what we had planned, and although we received the ball well and at good points, many times the subsequent plays did not lead to the next phase. Because the opponent is a team that pushes forward aggressively, we made transition (switching between offense and defense) one of our key points, but I think we were unable to carry out the attack effectively.
Q, Based on that, what kind of things did you instill in the team?
A, There are no major changes. Since Fagiano Okayama uses a system similar to Hiroshima's, I think there are no significant differences in structural weak points or target areas. Within that, both in attack and defense, regardless of the opponent, I believe it is important to repeatedly practice without being swayed.
Q, What is your impression of Okayama?
A, They are truly a defensively solid team, and their attack is not just about utilizing dynamism, power, and height up front, but they also connect play at their feet while targeting key points. They have players who can convert this into powerful attacks, so we must remain fully alert.
[Player Interview]
<Marcos Guilherme Player>
Q. I think the last match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima was a tough game with a lot of defensive time.
A. Hiroshima is in good form, and it was a difficult away game for us as well. Indeed, we spent a lot of time defending, but I think it would have been better if we had been able to convert the few chances we got by exploiting the opponent’s gaps. We take it positively that we finished without conceding, and I want to focus more on the accuracy of our attacks.
Q, This match's opponent is Fagiano Okayama, which has a player lineup similar to Hiroshima. Based on the Hiroshima match, how do you want to approach this game?
A, Okayama is also a team that bases its formation on a three-back system, and just like in last week's match against Hiroshima, I think we have been able to thoroughly share our strategies and countermeasures from training. We want to break down the opponent through good relationships among the players. Personally, I want to contribute by turning set plays into goals. I also feel that my kicking touch has gradually improved through practice, so I want to make use of that in the match.
Q. Depending on the match, you form vertical partnerships with Sei MUROYA and Yuto NAGATOMO. How is your combination with them?
A. Both of them are truly excellent players, and having such highly skilled players behind me is very reassuring. I communicate with NAGATOMO in Spanish during matches, and we can smoothly discuss what happens on the pitch and share our opinions. MUROYA is also an experienced player, having played in Europe among other places. I communicate with MUROYA in English, and he actively calls out from behind during matches and training. Both are wonderful players.
<Keita ENDO player>
Q. You reached a total of 150 appearances in the J1 League during the match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
A. When I reached 100 appearances with Yokohama F.Marinos, it didn’t feel like it took that long, but after that, I transferred to Germany and experienced a period where I couldn’t play in matches. In that sense, I want to think about how much more I can increase my appearances here in Japan from now on. At Tokyo, there are seniors who have played hundreds of matches more than I have, so I don’t feel that 150 appearances is that amazing. I want to continue steadily building up match by match.
Q. In the match against Hiroshima, it ended in a goalless draw, and I think the defense was well organized, but what do you think was necessary to win the game?
A. Good defense alone is not enough to win a match. You have to take the ball and score goals to win, so maintaining that balance is important. Especially for attacking players, I think it is essential to be conscious of playing with balance in mind.
Q. It seems that after winning the second ball, the passes are not effectively leading to attacks. What do you think is important in this regard?
A. I believe it is largely an individual issue. It changes just by the receiving player showing themselves and creating passing lanes. Especially in tough situations like the Hiroshima match where the pressure is tight, it is important for the receiver not to run away but to consciously create passing lanes, and for the whole team to have the awareness to receive the ball. When the flow is good, everyone wants to receive the ball and can immediately face forward upon receiving it, but when the match situation worsens, including myself, sometimes players hide from the opponent. If the entire team can consistently show themselves in such situations, the second balls will naturally be recovered, leading to better attacks.
Q. Although there was a break due to national team activities, it has been about a month without a victory.
A. The only title left for us is the Emperor's Cup, but we need to prove how we will prepare for it and what we can do in tomorrow's match. It is important to improve our team cohesion as much as possible, and the entire team must move forward together. Personally, my numbers are not sufficient, and I want to continue scoring more goals from here on. Tomorrow's match is no exception, but winning at Ajinomoto Stadium is something special, so I want to make sure we win.
