Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI fought through his second season in charge of the Red and Blue. After a first season caught up in a relegation battle, the team steadily accumulated points from the start in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, fostering player growth while achieving results. Although they did not reach the championship they aimed for, it can be said that it was a half-season of solid progress. In that context, what kind of feelings did the coach have, and how did he view the players? We delve into his perspectives and thoughts.
──I think we had a good season in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, but it is likely that opponents will prepare countermeasures for the 2026/27 season.
"First of all, I think it depends on whether you consider that you have completed a good season. Although 4th place and 11th place are not the same, in the sense that nothing has been accomplished, they are the same. It is important to be able to return to that point. Being in second place is absolutely not acceptable, and even if you become number one, I think that is also not enough. This is something I have told the players several times. I tend to compare everything to mountain climbing, and I truly believe it. Once you climb up, you absolutely have to come down. And to climb a different mountain, you must come down first. If you stay there without doing the work of coming down, you will die. It is obvious. You have to come down properly. We couldn’t reach the very top, but we did reach second place. However, even if we aim for first place next time, we cannot go up from second place; we all have to come down once and climb again. I think it depends on whether we can do this work. Before being studied by others, if you can start from a truly flat position, knowing where you stand, I am not worried at all."
──In the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, the newly joined players were very active. What roles do you think Hayato INAMURA and Kento HASHIMOTO, who are well acquainted with Coach Matsuhashi’s style of football, played?
"I thought it was more difficult than it appeared from the outside. Considering the competition, it’s not so easy for them to fully showcase their strengths. However, gathering voices from various sources, I heard that those around them recognize what they bring to the table. They acknowledge their strengths but also recognize their weaknesses. Each player has different styles and values when it comes to football. But the other players didn’t take a cynical stance like, ‘They’re regulars just because they know Riki-san’s football.’ Rather, with a clear awareness of ‘Where do I compete?’ they actively worked with a very healthy mindset to learn and adopt the good parts of the new players and to be able to do the same themselves. For the team to function regardless of who plays, there is a relationship where everyone recognizes and learns from each other’s individuality. I believe the new players also eagerly learned a lot from the existing players, and I feel that this mutual interaction led the team in a very positive direction."
──Both players have worked on improving their defensive skills, which was a challenge for them throughout the season.
"That's exactly right. Of course, not everyone is perfect from the start, so each player naturally has their own challenges and weaknesses. However, the important thing is that everyone firmly acknowledges these issues and works on them in daily training. But simply carrying those challenges and just going through the motions of matches is meaningless. As professionals, it is crucial to take it one step further and firmly connect those efforts to 'results = victories and growth.' The reason why there were so many games this season where both content and results were achieved is because the players did not run away from their challenges and continued to pursue approaches that lead to results."
──Ryunosuke SATO, who returned from a loan transfer, led the team. How would you describe his growth and the role he played within the team?
"He truly showed a significant presence within the team. Above all, his own level of awareness is remarkable. However, given his potential, I also believe he can aim even higher. He achieved results during his developmental loan to Fagiano Okayama, and his performance there earned him a call-up to the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan national team). Naturally, when he returned here, both the team situation and his own position changed. The fact that he was able to deliver solid results under those circumstances is a hallmark of a good player. Regardless of who the coach is, players like him always make it into the starting lineup or squad. That said, my impression is that he hasn’t yet completely broken out of his shell and hasn’t fully unleashed his abilities. I feel that deep down, he probably wants to project his high awareness and demands more strongly toward the players around him. He is an academy graduate and, age-wise, is on the younger side within the team. Even though he’s playing and scoring in matches, there might have been moments where he somewhat held himself back. He is a player who has the capacity to express himself more, appeal to those around him, and make demands. I hope he continues to raise his awareness and pursue his ideals, showing that in various ways to those around him."
──One of the players who made a remarkable breakthrough this season is Kyota Tokiwa. How did you perceive his actions and daily attitude, including last season?
"He truly has a strong desire to improve and possesses a wonderful personality. One of the conditions I consider essential for a 'good player' is the ability to correctly prioritize things. He has been consistently practicing exactly that. I don’t know what he really thought during the period when he couldn’t play in matches. Perhaps there were times when he struggled alone with his worries. However, when we first met, by chance in the restroom, he once asked me, 'Riki-san, what kind of teams’ soccer do you watch as a reference?' When I asked why, he answered, 'Because by watching the teams the coach aims for, I want to understand how the defensive midfielders play and use that as a reference for my own play.' That left a strong impression on me that he is a smart player who can clearly organize and prioritize in his mind what is most necessary and what should be given top priority right now. There are many people in the world who can organize things neatly. But he doesn’t just 'organize' by lining things up nicely; he also performs the task of 'arranging'—carefully selecting and placing things in a way that makes it easy to use for his own growth. I got the impression that he can fundamentally prioritize things properly. I believe that steady accumulation of effort suddenly 'exploded' the moment he seized his chance. It wasn’t a gradual rise but a sudden transformation that made him look completely different. Witnessing such rapid growth up close was a wonderful surprise after a long time. And above all, the amazing thing is that his performance never dropped after that. The period when he couldn’t play must have been really tough because he had to face himself. But I have never seen him complain about not playing, nor have I heard such rumors from those around him. Surely there were days when he felt like 'I don’t want to practice,' but he never showed that outwardly. He faced himself, kept his priorities steady, and quietly continued his individual training. His high performance is nothing other than the fruit of the effort he built by himself, and he has the kind of persuasiveness that makes you have to say so."
──While continuing to play in matches, Tokiwara was able to positively influence the team both on and off the pitch, such as his reactions when the team was losing and his efforts to encourage the team. It also seemed that he built a very good relationship with Marcelo RYAN.
“Of course, their positional relationship was important, but more than that, I think their personalities meshed well. Marcelo has extremely high potential, but he is still young and doesn’t speak Japanese perfectly. He’s often looking at his phone or playing games, so in many ways, he’s just like any other young Japanese person these days (laughs). However, just being a ‘foreign player’ brings enormous expectations and pressure from those around him. Carrying that burden while competing, it’s natural to become nervous during difficult times. But when Kyohta was on the pitch, actively encouraging him with his voice, that must have been a huge support for Marcelo. It wasn’t just Kyohta; many players on the team properly recognized Marcelo’s potential and deeply considered how to make the best use of him, which is why they were able to extend such a helping hand. I believe Kyohta is truly someone who can thoroughly internalize many things within himself.”
──I believe Sei MUROYA, who wore the captain's armband this season, was also a significant presence. He may not be the type to speak a lot, but the attitude he showed helped the team function smoothly.
"That's absolutely true. I think he demonstrated truly outstanding captaincy. However, as a personal reflection, there were honestly times when he struggled with how much and what exactly he should communicate to me. So, from my side as well, I feel that I should have created more opportunities for dialogue. That said, he is the kind of person who can show everything to those around him through his actions and results both on and off the pitch, without needing to engage in explicit conversations. It’s not that I took advantage of that, but there were moments when I relied on him too much. Because he delivered such excellent performances, if he as captain and the other players had been able to share deeper conversations more often, perhaps we could have drawn out even more. But even before considering how he brought the team together, his daily attitude, behavior, and casual remarks naturally spread a positive influence to the other players. He’s not the type to lead with words, but rather with the atmosphere created by his character leading by example, and I believe he united the team very effectively."
──The new 2026/27 season is approaching. How do you feel about the upcoming season as we transition to the autumn-spring system?
“First, it depends on how the camp goes. We are currently discussing with the staff various approaches on how to improve the players’ condition. Of course, physical preparation is important, but I feel that we must raise the mentality aspect much more in many ways. This applies not only to the players but also to myself. When I was offered the contract extension for next season, I told everyone that what I have firmly decided in my heart is that ‘I want to win more than anyone else here. I must become a coach with that strong desire.’ It’s not ‘someone out there,’ but ‘more than anyone else.’ When I thought about why I felt this way, a reason suddenly came to mind: people with high aspirations naturally attract others with high aspirations. The opposite is also true—people who constantly complain tend to gather others like themselves. The saying ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is truly a simple truth. Considering that, I realized that if I, who lead everyone, had any weakness or softness in my desire to ‘win,’ no one would follow me. I have been given the chance to fight together with this club for one more year. I would be happy if even a little bit of people felt that it was good to entrust me, and if the players felt even a little that ‘I’m glad to be working with this coach’ or ‘I’ve improved my soccer because of this person,’ there would be nothing more gratifying as a coach. However, even if they feel that way, I absolutely do not want it to end with ‘but we didn’t win.’ So, what is necessary to avoid that? It is that I, as the coach, must have an absolutely stronger feeling than anyone else of ‘winning.’ The new season must be one where I bear that responsibility. That is why, while physical condition is important, I believe the mentality aspect will become extremely important from here on.”
──Having witnessed up close Yuto NAGATOMO repeatedly shouting, "I'm going to my fifth FIFA World Cup," seeing him realize that dream makes me once again realize the importance of putting things into words.
"I also say that there is nothing you can't do if you try, but people just don't try or give up. I think it's that simple. That's why it applies to every element of play as well. I keep saying 'quality, quality' until my mouth goes dry, but if each and every quality were high, they wouldn't be here anymore—in other words, they would be thriving on the world stage by now. However, even in matches in top leagues and among national team players, mistakes happen. But they have the skills and techniques to prevent simple control errors from becoming mistakes. Take a fast player, for example, Manchester City's Erling Haaland—he breaks behind the defense repeatedly. You've never seen him raise his hand and stop running just because the ball isn't coming to him, right? If the ball doesn't come, he repositions himself and breaks behind again. Eventually, the pass connects perfectly and a goal is scored. That's because he repeats this over and over. He has height and physical ability. Being able to create such scenes is not just about having ability, but about properly using it. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It's just a matter of not scoring because you don't run when the ball is coming, and the same goes for the passer. Coordinating that is what football is about, and that's why I think it's called a 'sport of mistakes.'"
──In our era, this story reminds me of Filippo Inzaghi, who was active in the Italian national team, but you have updated it to Erling Haaland, haven't you, Coach?
"Actually, I had just been talking to the players about Filippo Inzaghi during a team meeting. The European champions participating in the FIFA Club World Cup always used Yokohama F.Marinos' training ground, so I had the chance to watch training sessions of Barcelona and Manchester United as well. In 2007, when AC Milan came, during game-style training, he repeatedly repositioned himself. I shared this story with the players. Even if he broke behind the defense and was offside, it didn’t matter; if the ball didn’t come, he would reposition himself. When the ball moved to the side, he would reset his stance to run into the cross. When attacking from the center, he would turn his back to the opponent to act as a wall, receive the ball, and skillfully use those around him. If he broke through, he would circle around and enter the penalty area again. It was this repetition. Because of the high number of these movements, goals were born. Even if you intend to succeed with a single move, it just won’t work. Quantity transforms into quality—he was exactly the player who embodied that. I believe that when it changes into something visible like this, not just quality, one becomes an excellent player. When I asked, 'Who knows Filippo Inzaghi?' only four or five hands went up, so I thought, 'I see, I should have said Haaland instead' (laughs)."
──What kind of soccer will you show in the 2026/27 season?
“Above all, we want to play the way we want to play. It’s not about the opponent or trying to stop them from doing anything; rather, the foundation is to first do what we want to do. If we try to defend something or adjust to the opponent, we end up playing into their strength instead of ours. Of course, the opponent is not empty-headed—they are a team that thinks and plans. Naturally, we will also take countermeasures. On top of that, we want to surpass them, and it is important to value the ball properly and keep possession. If the ball is not at our feet, then we must actively press, win it back, and think about how to connect to the next attack. Above all, I believe it is important to keep trying again and again.”
──Then, is there anything you would like to say to the fans and supporters?
"I truly believe this is a real opportunity right now, and I think not only myself but the club feels the same way. I also believe that the fans and supporters might be harboring such expectations as well. This is truly a time to accelerate, or rather, a moment to see how much strength we can harness. However, this challenge applies not only to us but also to the fans and supporters. Since this club has never won the league before, I want all the current fans, players, and staff to join forces and seize this timing to win the championship and etch everyone's names in history. I want us all to build that together."
(Honorifics omitted in the text)
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
