Match Review
The away match against Nagoya Grampus. The winning streak in the league was halted at three matches due to a draw in the previous game, but that is why we must remain focused and seek results in this game.
The starting eleven has three changes from the previous match against Kashiwa Reysol. Goalkeeper Taishi Brandon NOZAWA, who returned from the U-23 Japan national team, makes his starting return since the match against Kashima Antlers in Round 7. Yasuki KIMOTO is utilized as a center-back in a match against his former club, and Kei KOIZUMI, who has completed his suspension, is placed in the defensive midfield. Additionally, Ryotaro ARAKI, who has been focusing on recovery due to an incident during the U-23 Japan national team match, has made his return and is included on the bench.
The tight schedule with three days in between is the same for both teams. The match, which is set to take place on 'J League Day' on May 15, kicked off at 19:03 amidst heavy rain that started just before the match.
1st HALF - Unable to find an attacking option, conceding a one-point lead
The first chance came in the 4th minute of the first half, when Kosuke SHIRAI, the right side back who overlapped from the center, delivered a low cross in the negative direction. Kota TAWARATSUMIDA aimed for it with a direct shot using his right foot, but unfortunately, the ball went just over the bar.
In the 8th minute of the first half, Diego OLIVEIRA, who received the ball in the front line, turned and faced forward, then struck with his right foot from long range towards the goal. Although it went straight to the opposing goalkeeper, he showed an aggressive attitude from the start.
Tokyo initially took the offensive, but Nagoya set up a compact 4-3-3 formation, solidifying the center, making it difficult to find a way to attack.
The back-and-forth battle continued, with neither side able to create shooting opportunities, but the match took an unexpected turn in the 30th minute of the first half.
While attempting a difficult build-up from deep on the left side of their own territory, they were pressed by the opponent, resulting in a foul called on Masato MORISHIGE in the penalty area, giving Nagoya a penalty kick. This was converted by Kasper JUNKER, leading to them conceding the opening goal for the third consecutive match.
Tokyo intensifies pressure from the front line in anticipation of a counterattack. They aim to penetrate the opponent's territory by connecting precise passes.
In the first half's additional time, a free kick from Nagoya's right side was powerfully met in the center, shaking the net, but this was ruled offside with the support of VAR, resulting in a halftime score of 0-1.
How will we break down Nagoya, who aims for a counterattack while creating a 'red wall' by tightening the center? The strategy will be carried over to the second half.
2nd HALF - The return of "Taro"'s counterattack was not enough
Tokyo attempts to break through Nagoya's solid defense. In the 5th minute of the second half, Diego TABA switches to his left foot for a shot after a cutback. In the following 6th minute of the second half, from the left side, Takuya TABATA's right-footed cross finds Teruhito NAKAGAWA and Shirai, but they are unable to shake the goal net.
While looking for attacking options with angled passes, vertical passes from a wedge, and side changes, the bench made a move in the 16th minute of the second half. Kuryu MATSUKI, who excelled in the U-23 Japan national team, and Araki were both brought on to the front line to seek a breakthrough.
However, the next goal was scored by Nagoya. In the 21st minute of the second half, player Junker received a long ball and spread it to the left towards the front line. Player Izumi, who received this pass, then spread it to the center, and player Junker, who had made a run forward, struck with his left foot after a one-touch to make it 0-2.
In the 26th minute of the second half, after a loose ball from a left corner kick by Nagoya was thrown in from the right, Kasper JUNKER's header at the near side went over the goalkeeper's head and into the goal. A hat trick was allowed.
Tokyo, aiming for a counterattack, brought in Yuto NAGATOMO and Jája Silva in the 27th minute of the second half. This substitution leads to a counterattack goal.
In the 33rd minute of the second half, after a throw-in on the right side, Nagatomo connected the play and dashed into the space behind. From there, he received a superb through pass from Takahiro KO and, while falling, made a return pass, which was met by Araki in the center. Returning to the pitch, "Taro" immediately made an impact by scoring a goal that encouraged the team.
In the 41st minute of the second half, Matsuki picked up a loose ball that was knocked down at a high position on the left side and dribbled. The opponent's sliding block, which tried to stop the grounded early cross, headed towards the goal but was cleared just before it could become an own goal, unfortunately resulting in no score.
They launched a fierce attack during the 4 minutes of added time. They created a close chance from a set piece, and despite Araki's long-range shot and Matsuki's decisive shot, they were unable to change the score as they continued to assault the Nagoya goal until the end.
Although there was good news about Araki's return goal, it was a frustrating defeat away at Nagoya. This marked the first loss in five league matches.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Kosuke SHIRAI/Masato MORISHIGE/Yasuki KIMOTO/Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF Takuto UHI (40th minute: Riki HARAKAWA)/Kei KOIZUMI/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (16th minute: Ryota ARAKI)
FW Diego Oliveira (16th minute: Kuryu MATSUKI)/Kota TAWARAZUMIDA (27th minute: Jaja Silva)/Soma ANZAI (27th minute: Yuto NAGATOMO)
SUBS
GK Tsuyoshi KODAMA
DF Henrique TREVISAN
GOAL
33 minutes into the second half: Ryotaro ARAKI
<Nagoya Grampus>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK LANGERAK
DF Akinari KAWAZURA/Kennedyegbus MIKUNI/Haruki YOSHIDA
MF Masahito ONO (substituted in 68th minute: Ken HBAI)/Keiya SHIIHASHI/Sho INAGAKI/Tsukasa MORISHIMA (substituted in 82nd minute: Takuji YONEMOTO)/Takuya UCHIDA (substituted in 68th minute: Katsuhiro NAKAYAMA)
FW Casper JUNKER (substituted in 82nd minute: PATRIC)/Kensuke NAGAI (substituted in 58th minute: Ryuji IZUMI)
SUBS
GK Yohei TAKEDA
DF Ha Chan-Rae
GOAL
33rd minute of the first half: Kasper JUNKER / 21st minute of the second half: Kasper JUNKER / 26th minute of the second half: Kasper JUNKER
[Peter CKLAMOVSKI Coach Interview]
Q: Please summarize the match.
A,it turned out to be a disappointing result. It was a match we could have seized ourselves, and I felt we weren't far from achieving victory, but we made the game difficult for ourselves. I believe that conceding easy goals had a painful impact. I felt we could fight strongly towards the end of the match, but regarding today's game, I think it was a match that became difficult due to our own actions.
Q: The scoring scenes showed your usual strengths, but on the other hand, the number of goals conceded has increased. How do you plan to improve this?
A, first of all, while thoroughly analyzing the match, in the first half we conceded a goal from a penalty kick. I don't think this was due to the defensive shape, structure, or defensive rules. This is something that can happen in football. Regarding the second goal conceded, I believe there are areas we need to improve, and that became a decisive moment. Up until then, we had chances to score, and if we had converted those, I felt we could have turned the game around. However, Nagoya Grampus finished their chances well, and we made it difficult for ourselves.
The third goal conceded was from a set piece. We need to improve in those areas and ensure we don't concede easily. However, I believe this group has developed a mentality to try to catch up after conceding. Nevertheless, we must work on the aspects where we concede easily, and by doing so, we can seize the momentum. If we do that, I believe we can become a really difficult opponent for our rivals and a team that is hard to defeat.
In the final stages, we knew we could fight strongly, and there were good saves by goalkeeper LANGERAK. I think there were also clearances right on the edge of the line. I feel the cost of conceding goals easily in those areas today. It has become a harsh lesson, but I want us to firmly learn from it, recover, and prepare for the next match.
[Player Interview]
＜Ryotaro ARAKI＞
Q: It has been a while since you played in Tokyo.
A, the aspect of defense that does not concede goals has been an issue I recognized even before leaving the team for national team activities, and it is something the team must improve. No matter how many goals we score, if we concede more, it becomes difficult to win, so I want the entire team, not just the defenders, to work on correcting this.
Q: Please reflect on the scoring scene.
At the timing when Kosuke SHIRAI made a through pass to Yuto NAGATOMO, I initially thought to dive near the near post, but since the space was closed off, I repositioned anticipating a cut-back pass. The pass came just as planned, so I just had to position myself and calmly make contact.
Q, the gathering of the ball around Ryotaro ARAKI created the formation and fluidity of the attack.
My strength and characteristic is being involved with the ball and building up the attack. Since I was going to play, I wanted to bring change to the pitch, which I thought about while watching from the bench. I was conscious of making plays that would change the flow of the game, and although we lost, I believe I was able to fulfill my role to some extent.
<Kei KOIZUMI>
Q, please review the game.
A, the opponent's strength lies in their intensity, and from the start, we knew they were a team that wins in one-on-one duels and second-ball battles to finish with a counterattack strike. I think we need to surpass them a bit more in terms of intensity, or else this kind of situation will happen. Fundamentally, it's about fighting more than the opponent—not just running, but the battle aspect of "fighting." Especially for players like me, who are entrusted with the central defensive midfield role, if we could secure the second balls and control the chaotic moments to keep possession, I believe we could have played more at our own pace. Also, how to break down the opponent when they drop back a bit is something the team should improve on. Not everything is a negative factor, though.
Q: It seemed that the connecting parts and the parts that dominated the match were expressed similarly to the last few matches, but what do you think were the factors that prevented it from leading to a goal?
A, after all, you can't score a goal without taking a shot. I think it would have been better if I, including myself, could have shown more in terms of the timing of the shot and the final decisiveness. That's an area I want to challenge myself in. However, it's no good to shoot out of impatience, so I want to improve my judgment and be able to take shots flexibly when the opportunity arises.
Q: The matches are continuing in succession. How will the team approach this?
A, the match is coming soon, so there is no time to be down. No matter how much we discuss, I think we just have to play on the pitch. I want to tighten up my focus and give it another go.
<Kashif BANGNAGANDE>
Q, please review the game.
A, we couldn't bring the first half into a good flow and conceded a goal in a bad way. I think the whole team was running well, but the connection part didn't go smoothly. We were playing good football towards the end of the second half, so if we had been able to do that from an earlier time, I think we could have controlled the game like we did in the match against Kashiwa Reysol in the first half. We have the next match soon, so we will switch our focus quickly.
Q: There were many scenes where we broke through with good combinations in the side attacks.
There were a few scenes where we managed to break through with combinations. However, especially in the first half, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA was marked by two players and I was marked by one, so when Kota TAWARATSUMIDA received the ball, if we had supported him better and created more one-on-one situations, I think it would have led to more attacks. That is an issue to work on going forward. Since there were some successful scenes, we want to continue that kind of coordination and work on fixing the challenges.
Q: In the first half, the opponent had countermeasures against our attacks, especially on the left side.
A, I think things have been going too well until now. When we were pushing hard, it was also a strong point of the team, so the challenge now is how to adjust on the pitch when countermeasures are taken. When things don't go well like in the first half, we need to communicate more on the pitch. Not just with player Tawara Tsukida, but I want to talk with more players to effectively utilize the left side and improve our ability to adapt.
Q: The matches are continuing in succession. How will you improve the quality?
A, since there are many players with unique personalities, the variety of attacking patterns depending on the players on the field is a characteristic unique to this team. We must preserve that aspect while striving for results. In the second half, despite having chances, we couldn't finish them. If we can become a team that can finish those chances, we will be able to win, so I want to focus on that final part. Since we have consecutive matches, we will switch our mindset, continue what we have done well, correct the issues, and approach the next game on the weekend.
