<Match Review>
In the previous match, Tokyo secured a 2-1 victory against Albirex Niigata at home at Ajinomoto Stadium, marking a strong start to the series of matches during the long holiday. The remaining matches will be away games, featuring a tough schedule involving long-distance travel to Kyushu and Hokkaido.
This match will be against Avispa Fukuoka on the same day as last season.
Tokyo made changes to the selection of members in the midfield and final line. Yuto NAGATOMO started as the right side back, while Shuhei TOKUMOTO was used as the left side back for the first time in two matches. Seiji KIMURA, who is making his first appearance in the league this season, was placed in one of the center back positions.
1st HALF—Watanabe's shot hits the post amid the deadlock
In the early stages, Tokyo, with a strong forward mindset, had many opportunities to enter the opponent's territory but could not find a way to finish. They responded to Fukuoka's quick counterattacks by retreating quickly, and although the ball was carried deep into their area, they slid swiftly to the ball side in critical moments, preventing easy shots.
In the buildup phase, there were instances where mistakes occurred while moving the ball in the opponent's half after pushing up from the back, leading to counterattacks from the opponent that disrupted our rhythm. Gradually, the number of ball losses in midfield decreased, but we were unable to create space against Fukuoka's defensive block, resulting in a continuous process of receiving the ball at our feet and passing it back to restart the play.
In a situation where they couldn't create attacking patterns, the first chance came in the 19th minute of the first half. Teruhito NAKAGAWA kept the ball deep on the right side and passed it to Ryoma WATANABE, who had come in to support. WATANABE cut in, found a shooting lane, and aimed for the lower left corner of the goal with a ground shot. It seemed like the shot was on target, but it hit the left post and bounced back onto the field, unfortunately not resulting in a goal.
On the other hand, in the 22nd minute of the first half, a situation arose from a corner kick that was almost a goal. The corner kick from the right side flowed far to the far side, and it was met with a one-touch. Although the shot lacked power, none of the players reacted in front of the goal, and the ball headed towards the goal slightly veered to the right.
As the first half approaches its end, the flow of the match tilts towards Fukuoka. They insert the ball into the gaps between Tokyo's defenders, aiming for a central breakthrough by exploiting the marking discrepancies. In response, Tokyo's Yasuki KIMOTO and Kimura firmly tighten the center, allowing opponents to break through in front of the goal, but they closely converge on the ball, preventing any free shots.
Although there was a shot that hit the post, the team maintained intensity in both offense and defense while experimenting with ideas to break down the opponent who had pulled back, and they turned the match around.
2nd HALF—Unable to close the 1-point gap
As the second half begins, there are more moments of being pressed back. At the 3rd minute of the second half, a free kick was given near the right side of the penalty area, and Konno's direct shot hit the right post.
In the 10th and 12th minutes of the second half, there were shooting chances created in front of the goal, but both were quickly blocked by Jakub SLOWIK, who closed the distance effectively.
Unable to grasp the rhythm of the attack, Tokyo made substitutions in the 18th and 25th minutes of the second half, bringing in four fresh players. Gradually finding their flow, they created some opportunities by pushing from the sides, but were unable to convert them into finishes.
Conversely, in the 27th minute of the second half, after a play was initiated inside the penalty area, we were unable to take the ball away, allowing player Yamagishi to score the opening goal.
Against an opponent who clearly focused on solid defense and quick counterattacks, Tokyo was unable to break through despite maintaining possession of the ball. They could not close the one-point gap before time ran out.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jakub Słowik
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Yasuki KIMOTO/Seiji KIMURA (substituted at 32 minutes: Kota Tawaratsukida)/Shuhei TOKUMOTO (substituted at 25 minutes: Kashif BANGNAGANDE)
MF Keigo HIGASHI/Shuto ABE (substituted at 25 minutes: Masato Morishige)/Kuryu MATSUKI (substituted at 25 minutes: Adailton)
FW Ryoma WATANABE/Diego Oliveira/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (substituted at 18 minutes: Kei Koizumi)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
FW PEROTTI
GOAL
ー
＜Avispa Fukuoka＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Takumi NAGAISHI
DF Yota MAEJIMA/DOUGLAS GLORY/Takuki NARA/Itsuki ODA
MF Kazuya KONO/ Masato SHIGEMI/Yuya YAMAGISHI (29th minute: Kennedyegbus MIKUNI)/Hiroyuki MAE/Lucian (43rd minute: Takeshi KANAMORI)
FW Reiju TSURUNO (23rd minute: Ryouga SATOU)
SUBS
GK Masaaki MURAKAMI
DF Tatsuya TANAKA
MF Sotan TANABE
FW Wellington
GOAL
27th minute of the second half: Yuya YAMAGISHI
[Albert PUIG ORTONEDA Coach Press Conference Comments]
Q, please review the game.
There were two different Tokyos in the first and second halves. In the first half, we didn't play exceptionally well, but we expressed our style and created several chances. However, the second half was different from the first, and we couldn't express our football. At the same time, we kept losing battles for the ball and struggled defensively. Therefore, we switched to a three-back formation to fix the defense. However, we couldn't make the adjustment successfully, which led to conceding a goal. After conceding the first goal, we naturally played to equalize and turn the game around, but Avispa Fukuoka's defense after taking the lead was very solid, and they are skilled at controlling the match with a 1-0 scoreline. We have been competing against them for four seasons, and we recognize that as their strength. Unable to break down their solid defense, we ended up losing.
We knew they were good at holding onto a 1-0 lead once they scored first. Therefore, our game plan was to score the first goal, but contrary to that intention, they scored first. We also failed to defend the central zone, which we must not allow, and that breakthrough remains a point for improvement.
Q: I think you changed your position a lot, but what points were you not satisfied with?
A, regarding the first half, I thought it would be smoother to advance the ball by positioning Ryoma WATANABE more centrally when building up from a deep position, so I made that change. I believe that change worked well. Then, during the second half, there were many scenes where we were dominated by the opponent in the central area. At the same time, we were struggling because the left center-back was being exploited, so to avoid conceding the first goal, we tried to fix that area along with several substitutions.
Q: I think you felt the pressure from the opponent in the second half. Can you tell us the reason?
Regarding the second half, I believe the biggest reason was that we were not able to play the style we wanted. Of course, in a home game, if the score is tied at halftime, it is natural to aim for a goal and a victory. Losing control of the game so easily against such a team is proof that we were not playing well. If we aim to be a team worthy of being champions, we must correct the parts where we lost control of the game in the second half. If we aim to be a team worthy of being champions, we will face difficult matches like today in every game. Winning those matches is the destiny of a champion. For Tokyo to become that, we must firmly address and improve the points for improvement that appeared today.
Q: I think the movement of the third player was absent before the shot, and the initiation of movement was a bit slow.
A, that is still an area we are working on as a challenge. Regarding that part, we conduct training and aim for improvement. Sometimes it goes well, but today it did not go well. I believe we must properly address that area. It is certain that we were not able to play effectively in the part of building up the attack. I also understand that there is much room for improvement. That is why we must take time and steadily grow day by day. Matches do not wait, and we must accumulate points. That is why we need a mentality that is committed to victory. However, I think that part was lacking in the second half today.
[Player Interview]]
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q: It seemed like you were experimenting from the first half.
<div>A. When we had possession of the ball, the opponents dropped back to defend, so we communicated on how to break them down. It was good to create time on the same side, but since Diego OLIVEIRA was the only player inside, I think we could have had a few more simple crosses and aimed for second balls from there.
Q. You were probably very conscious of switching between offense and defense to avoid being caught by the opponent's counterattack, weren't you?
Team A and Avispa Fukuoka were also defending and aiming for counterattacks, so we felt it was very difficult to play against them. We believe we must become a team that can win against such teams.
Q. Do you ultimately want your team to be able to break down teams that sit back?
A, that's right. Since that is the style of soccer we are aiming for, we want to ensure that we can build up properly from a low position.
Q. I think this was a match where you wanted to earn at least 1 point. How was it?
It is frustrating that we could not secure either 1 or 3 points in a difficult away match, and with only two days until the match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, we want to prepare to win there.
<Seiji KIMURA>
Q: It was your first appearance and first start in the league this season, but the result was tough. Please share your thoughts on the match.
A. During the scouting phase, we knew that Avispa Fukuoka is a team that kicks the ball a lot, so we understood that we had to clear everything. However, since the second balls were also being picked up by them, I think we needed to push the line higher to make the distance with the midfield more compact, connect clearances accurately, or if that wasn’t possible, clear the ball far away. In the scene where we conceded the goal, the cover was delayed, and in a situation where someone close to the goal had to clear the ball, we lost sight of the ball. We ended up relying on Yasuki KIMOTO, which allowed them to use time and make a pass that led to the goal. I definitely take responsibility for that scene. Overall, the fact that we couldn’t build up play was also my responsibility as someone positioned at the back, so I believe we need to raise our level more to win such difficult matches. Not only when the team is in good condition but also when it’s not, I want to become a player who can shine, and I think there are still many points to improve.
Q. Regarding the first half, there were times when we pushed back, but A. we lost many second balls and often couldn't simply carry the ball forward. There were also moments when we lost possession due to our own mistakes. Since we couldn't create much time with the ball, I think the opponent was able to take control of the rhythm.
Q. You had only two shots throughout the match. What do you think was lacking?
A, in the first half, we were able to carry the ball up to the middle zone, but I think we need to avoid rushing too much when moving forward and also need to switch the ball to the opposite side when many players are gathered on the same side. This was something we worked on in practice, so I believe it should be done in the match as well. Also, if we don't reduce the number of times we lose the ball due to our own mistakes, it will be difficult to reach the goal. If we had been able to carry the ball forward a bit more, I think we could have given the forwards more room, and I don't believe the result of only two shots on goal is solely the responsibility of the forwards.
Q. You changed the system to a 3-back formation during the match. Had you been practicing this as well? Were there any concerns about changing the system during the game?
A, we have used it several times in matches, and of course, we practice it as well. With a three-back formation, since there are more players at the back, my positioning range becomes narrower, but I need to push forward a bit, so there is a difference compared to a four-back formation. Basically, a three-back formation requires solid defense, but we conceded a goal after switching to three backs, so I feel a heavy responsibility. I think we conceded due to a momentary lapse, so I want to work hard to become a center back who can be attentive throughout the entire game.
<Shuto ABE>
Q: The milestone 100th match turned out to be a tough game.
A, looking back on today's match, personally I made many poor plays and noticeable mistakes. My body felt heavy, and I wasn't able to perform well. Regarding the 100th match, it was disappointing that it did not become a good milestone.
Q. You changed the system from the first half. How was it for the players on the pitch?
Since there was no clear shape to the attack until the final shot, I talked with Ryoma WATANABE and Kuryu MATSUKI, and regardless of the formation, I focused on receiving the ball in many situations. However, we couldn't create good opportunities, and the first half ended that way. In the second half, the game continued with the same flow, and we conceded a goal without things going well.
Q. Until now, there have been many scenes where Hotaka NAKAMURA's aggressive and dynamic play has displaced opposing defenders.
A, all the players seemed physically sluggish. There were few instances of chasing the ball a second time, and if they can't run when they should, I believe the team won't have energy, and they won't be able to put pressure on the opponent. I was reminded once again that such play is important.
Q. Regarding the second half, I think we continued to play while feeling the opponent's pressure.
Mostly good scenes from Avispa Fukuoka, with many of our own passing mistakes, and many scenes where we were responding to their long balls. Tokyo endured those plays for a long time somehow. However, if we keep receiving pressure for a long time, I think we will eventually break down like in today's conceding scene. So first, we want to focus on not losing the ball and not making passing mistakes.
Q, There is a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo with only two days in between. Please share your enthusiasm for that game.
A, today we return home, and the day after tomorrow we move, which is a tight schedule, but since it will be an all-out battle, I want to rest when I can to recover from fatigue and face the match in as fresh a condition as possible.
