<Match Review>
Tokyo drew 2-2 at home against Shonan Bellmare in the last match, stopping their consecutive losses in official matches. This week, they face Cerezo Osaka in another home match. They previously met on March 8 in the first round of the Levain Cup, where they lost 0-1 due to a late goal. Although the lineup will be different, Tokyo aims to repay their debt from Osaka and secure their third victory of the season in the league.
Tokyo started Shuto ABE and Ryoma WATANABE, who returned from injury and played as substitutes in the previous match. Captain Masato MORISHIGE took the place of Henrique TREVISAN in one of the center-back positions.
1st HALF - Holding the ball and approaching the goal
In the pitch conditions soaked by the rain that continued from the morning, both sides took a cautious approach at the beginning.
As they become accustomed to ball control, Tokyo connects the ball intricately to create rhythm. Not only do they move the ball within their own half, but they also build up play vertically, penetrating the opponent's half and advancing the ball close to the penalty area.
Although there are few scenes that lead to a finish, even when the ball is lost, they maintain a high defensive line to delay the opponent's attack, quickly press back to regain possession, and then carefully build up their attack again.
Tokyo's first chance came in the 22nd minute of the first half. In the midfield battle, Abe picked up the ball and faced a situation with an equal number of players in the vital area. As he brought the ball into the penalty area, he passed to Watanabe, who was supporting from the left. Watanabe, drawing the opposing goalkeeper, sent a horizontal pass in front of the goal. Diego OLIVEIRA was diving in, but he was blocked by a defender who caught up from behind, preventing him from pushing the ball in.
Although he struggled to connect the final pass while holding the ball, in the 41st minute of the first half, Nakamura received a middle-range pass deep on the right side and sent a backward pass to Kuryu MATSUKI. Matsuki turned forward and struck with his left foot. It was a shot that targeted the bottom right corner of the goal, but it was cleared off the line by a great save from the opposing goalkeeper.
2nd HALF - Watanabe's powerful goal equalizes the score, but...
At the start of the second half. As the ball is moved from left to right in a wide play, the defense fails to slide in time, and Kluivert takes a powerful shot, but the ball flies to the upper right of the goal where Jakub SLOWIK makes an incredible save with a stretch of his right arm.
After that, the play developed with the ball moving in the opponent's territory. In the 7th minute of the second half, Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who was wide open on the left side, received the ball and passed it to Taira SHIGE, who was positioned just in front of the penalty area. Taira SHIGE, having evaded the opponent's defender, took a controlled shot, but it veered just to the right of the goal.
While progressing the match at our own pace, a momentary gap appeared. In the 14th minute of the second half, we conceded a free kick from a slightly shallow position on the right side of our defense, and a perfectly placed ball with speed was sent between the field players and the goalkeeper, allowing Okuno to rush in and score the opening goal against us.
Although it was understandable to be disappointed by the goal conceded at a moment when it seemed like they were controlling the match, the Tokyo players continued to attack positively. In the 68th minute of the second half, Nakamura sent an early cross from the right side, and Watanabe trapped the ball with his chest just before the penalty area, then fell while executing a right-footed volley. The brilliantly arced ball was drawn into the top right corner of the goal, bringing Tokyo level.
Tokyo, not slowing down, saw Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, who was substituted in at the 37th minute of the second half, break through on the right side with individual skill. After getting past the goal line, he sent a pass backward, and Abe managed to touch it in one go at the near side, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal.
Tokyo wanted to accelerate towards a comeback by making a substitution, but instead, they were broken down from the right side in the 40th minute of the second half, allowing Okuno to score again and take the lead.
The substitution cards that were prepared before conceding a goal were used as is, bringing on Koki TSUKAGAWA and Keigo HIGASHI in an attempt to turn the game around, but they were unable to create effective attacks. The match ended 1-2, marking the first home defeat of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jakub Słowik
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA/Yasuki KIMOTO/Masato MORISHIGE/Shuhei TOKUMOTO
MF Shuto ABE (41st minute: Keigo HIGASHI)/Kei KOIZUMI/Kuryu MATSUKI
FW Ryoma WATANABE (32nd minute: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)/Diego Oliveira (41st minute: Koki TSUKAGAWA)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (18th minute: Adailton)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Henrique TREVISAN/Yuto NAGATOMO
GOAL
23 minutes into the second half: Ryoma WATANABE
<Cerezo Osaka>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Kim Jin-hyeon
DF Riku Matsuda/Ryosuke Yamanaka/Matej Jonić/Koji Toriumi
MF Riki Harakawa/Seiya Maikuma (20 minutes into the second half: Hikaru Nakahara)/Hiroaki Okuno/CAPIXABA (9 minutes into the first half: Jordi Cluys) (31 minutes into the second half: Satoki Uejo)
FW Shinji Kagawa/Leo Ceara
SUBS
GK Keisuke SHIMIZU
DF Ryosuke SHINDO
MF Tokuma SUZUKI
FW Mutsuki KATO
GOAL
14 minutes into the second half: Hiroaki OKUNO/39 minutes into the second half: Hiroaki OKUNO
[Albert PUIG ORTONEDA Coach Press Conference Comments]
Q, please review the game.
A, I think there was no significant difference in the flow between the first and second halves of today's match. I feel that we were able to improve on building up from the back and avoiding simple ball losses. We controlled the game well, but we couldn't translate that into a mindset of attacking the opponent's goal or creating chances. Regarding that aspect, I believe I need to improve myself, and I want to direct the arrow towards myself.
After equalizing, we had a decisive chance, but we couldn't convert it, and due to a defensive mistake afterward, we conceded a second goal. We prepare for victory in every match, so of course, today's defeat is frustrating. However, I believe we have made significant improvements in areas such as building up from a low position, reducing simple ball losses, and controlling the game, showing the team's growth with each match. Still, we need to connect that to a greater awareness of attacking the opponent's goal and link it to creating decisive chances.
Q: Please tell us the intention behind bringing in Tsukagawa.
A, since Diego OLIVEIRA was feeling discomfort in his muscles, we tried to send Tsukagawa out in the role of a false No. 9. It was unfortunate that we conceded a goal while preparing for the substitution.
Q: Why was the center forward not included in the substitute members?
A, since PEROTTI's condition was poor and Kumada is a rookie, Tsukagawa was included on the bench as a substitute for the midfield.
[Player Interview]]
<Ryoma WATANABE>
Q, that was a nice goal.
A, it would have been better if we had won, but I was honestly happy to score a goal.
Q, please review the scoring scene.
A, he is good at receiving diagonal passes from the side back like in that scene, and he first tried to control the ball at his feet before making a decision. At first, he saw that the goalkeeper was coming out, so if it was a ground pass, he planned to shoot directly. However, when a floating pass like that came and he trapped it, he was able to control the ball well, so he chose to shoot.
Q: Were you thinking about shooting when you trapped the ball?
A, knowing that the goalkeeper was coming out, I took a bold shot.
Q: Have you ever scored a goal like that?
A, no. There absolutely won't be any from now on (laughs).
Q, please review the game after it became 1-1.
A, when trying to score, I tended to rush and lose the ball more often, or act too quickly, which ironically led to more defensive time. It would have been better if this could have been improved. I think the way we defend changes depending on the opposing players. Since you can't defend alone, watching from the bench made me realize that we need to revisit and rebuild that communication aspect from scratch.
Q, I believe that your play and the way you built up to equalize have improved in the last few matches.
A, I think we need to increase the number of shots and take deeper positions in the penalty area to create more decisive scenes. There may be some contradictions with what I said earlier, but including myself, in the first half, we were too careful with the ball, which reduced the number of shots we could take. Therefore, I thought it would be good to be more bold and careful in our approach.
Q: You have been experiencing a series of losses. What are your thoughts on this?
A, I still haven't fully understood why we lost, so I want to review the match and identify areas for improvement. Within the team, we had good discussions before yesterday's and today's matches, so without being completely pessimistic, I want to focus on what we need to do to earn points.
Q: I think we were moving the ball and advancing compared to the match against Shonan Bellmare.
A, if everyone takes good positions and passes the ball around, it becomes easier to defend even if the ball is lost, so I want to keep this match as a base and continue without forgetting it.
Q: If that part becomes unstable, will it become problematic?
A, I think it's meaningless to just keep passing the ball around, and kicking long balls is also not good. I believe there is value in accumulating points with the style of soccer we are trying to play. I feel that we are improving, so it would be even better if we can win.
Q: Did you change the number of defensive midfielders? Is there a difference?
Regarding the formation, I believe defense has a significant impact. There are parts where defense is easier or harder to execute. Since the three midfielders move fluidly during attacks, the difference lies in whether Diego OLIVEIRA or the winger applies pressure on the opposing center back during defense.
Q: There was a close moment in the first half.
A, I wanted to receive the ball in front of the opponent rather than between the opponent's defender and goalkeeper, but since Shuto ABE was making a move, I changed the target position. At first, I thought the goalkeeper would catch it, but since he hadn't come out, I passed the ball to Diego TABA, who I originally saw.
Q: I think there are few scenes like today's goal in Tokyo. Are we being too particular about our style?
A, it is ideal not to have goals like that. I myself did not want to score goals like that. It would be ideal if we could score through what the team has worked on, but I think teams at the top sometimes end up scoring goals for some reason, or from set plays, resulting in scrambles, own goals, or goals that happen by chance. I believe such goals are also necessary, but I don't think we need to be fixated on those kinds of goals. It's not that we can't win because of them, and while having them might help us reach the top, the opposite is not true.
<Hotaka NAKAMURA>
Q, please review the game.
A, I am filled with feelings of apology to all the fans and supporters. That is all there is to say.
Q: We saw plays that adapted to the situation, including assists.
A, precisely because the tempo was good, especially in the first half, I wanted to bring out more plays that would frustrate the opponent, and there were also chances where we should have scored goals. The team's point of reflection is that by not finishing those chances, we made the game more difficult for ourselves.
Q: Was there a difference between the last match and this match?
A. In terms of defense, Yuto NAGATOMO and Masato MORISHIGE took the lead in dealing with opposing players and communicated with Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA. The first half was not bad personally, and there were some good scenes. There were things gained from playing with a good feeling. We want to continue to brush up further.
Q: It seems that improvements have been made in passing and positioning.
A, in today's match, we were able to move the ball well with a good tempo from the first half, but we couldn't secure a goal. As time went on, fatigue set in, and when we couldn't stay fresh in every play, gaps appeared both as a team and individually, which I believe decided the outcome. There were things we needed to improve, but there were also positive aspects. We want to raise the team's level heading into the next Levain Cup.
<Masato MORISHIGE>
Q, please review the game.
A, it was not a bad performance, but the challenges of expressing this style of football became apparent. It was a match where we wanted to create more scenes with impact, ideas, and shots in front of the goal.
Q: I think the system has changed and the content has improved.
A, regarding defense, the players had thorough discussions among themselves. On the offensive side, they are sharing individual ideas and freedom concerning distance and positioning. Although the results have not followed, which tends to be discouraging, there were naturally good aspects as well. It is important to connect these good parts to victory. We are choosing the methods and ways to fight in order to win. If we do not start accumulating wins from here, I believe there will be fewer opportunities to gain anything.
Q: The second goal conceded felt regrettable, especially considering the timing. Please reflect on that.
A, I disrupted the defensive balance myself and gave the opponent space. I want to correct the mistakes in team tactics and individual defensive responses and build on them.
Q: It feels like the cheers from the fans and supporters are getting louder with each match. Do you feel anything when you are on the pitch?
A, I want to meet the expectations. I believe the fans and supporters are also hopeful, and we want to respond to that. We want to move forward in a positive direction together.
