Match Preview
The 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup JFA 104th All Japan Soccer Championship will take place midweek. In a packed schedule with three consecutive matches including league games, Tokyo will head to Fukuda Denshi Arena to face JEF United Chiba.
In the second round on June 12, they faced Viatin Mie, the representative team from Mie Prefecture. In the 21st minute of the first half, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA delivered a left cross, which Leon NOZAWA headed back from the far side, and Keigo HIGASHI struck a brilliant right-foot volley from the center to score the opening goal. Furthermore, Riki HARAKAWA’s highly accurate set pieces created two more goals. In the 37th minute of the first half, he assisted Masato MORISHIGE’s header from a right corner kick, and in the 42nd minute, he scored directly from a free kick over 30 meters out into the left side of the goal. All goals were beautifully finished with their favored right foot. Toward the end, a scene that excited the stadium occurred when Divine OTANI, who was registered as a Type 2 player from FC Tokyo U-18 and came on as a substitute, struck a powerful right-footed long-range shot that hit the crossbar. The match ended with Tokyo winning 3-0. They successfully advanced in the Emperor’s Cup, a competition that has often been challenging for them in recent years.
Chiba is currently in 7th place in the Meiji Yasuda J2 League. Last weekend, they lost 0-2 away to Shimizu S-Pulse, and they continue to fight with the aim of reaching the promotion playoff zone. A notable point this season is their attacking power. They have scored 43 goals, ranking 2nd in the league, in 23 league matches, with 30 of those goals coming in 11 matches at Fukuda.A. They tend to score goals frequently in the first half.
While being careful of the early goal conceded, Tokyo must not become passive and must fight aggressively. Although they lost to Kashiwa Reysol last weekend after conceding a frustrating late goal, there were improvements in their first-half performance, which had been a recent issue, as they managed to score the opening goal early in the match. The players are also strongly focused on how to start the game, and a concentrated effort is expected from the beginning in this upcoming match against Chiba.
The match against Chiba has not occurred for 11 seasons since the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup held on October 13, 2013, at Fukuda Denshi Arena. This match ended in a 1-1 draw and went to a penalty shootout, where Tokyo won 6-5.
This match is unlikely to be an easy one. Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI stated, "I respect our opponents. They are a very good team, and I expect it to be a tough game and a close contest. If you think it will be an easy match, you are very mistaken. We must approach it with the attitude and mentality of a Final Round."
This time, it is expected that player utilization will take into account the consecutive matches, but it is a total battle. The players who step onto the pitch have been consistently delivering results, which symbolizes this season. Each player wants to showcase their strengths, win again at Fukuda.A, and take a step closer to the cup.
Both players Shuto OKANIWA and Manato SHINADA, who are on loan from Tokyo to Chiba, will not be able to participate in this match due to contractual reasons.
[Interview with Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI]
Q, the opponent in the Emperor's Cup 3rd Round will be JEF United Chiba from the J2 League.
We respect Team A as an opponent, and they are a very good team. I think it will be a tough match that requires many challenges. For us, we want to approach the game with the image of playing in the Final Round. We want to firmly express our work. We will fight by raising our awareness to the maximum.
Q: The three-match series started from the recent Kashiwa Reysol match.
A, this week we have a schedule with 3 matches over 7 days. Because the intervals between matches are short, we are closely monitoring each player's condition, but they are recovering well and training effectively. Within this context, we want to aim for the cup while considering the use of fresh players and also being mindful of the squad for the match against Albirex Niigata on the 13th.
[Player Interview]
＜Keita ENDO＞
Q: You participated in the match against Kashiwa Reysol from midway through the second half. How is your feeling and condition?
A, I rarely play while worrying about injuries, and my condition has been improving nicely, but in the match against Kashiwa, there were few scenes where I was involved with the ball, so I want to work on improving that.
Q: As a team, there have been issues in the attacking aspect in the recent matches.
A, in tough times like this, someone has to save the team, and I believe we need a player who can show the attitude to change the team's momentum in a positive direction. Including myself, I want to become that kind of player and change the current flow of the team.
As for myself, I am in a position where I need to firmly appeal through my play in the competition for the wing position and take the position away. If I get the opportunity to play in the match against JEF United Chiba, I want to show it through my performance.
Q, Emperor's Cup 3rd Round, with a tight schedule of league matches just two days apart.
Although the tournaments are different, I believe the Emperor's Cup match against Chiba and the Albirex Niigata match on the 13th are connected. Rather than thinking of them separately as individual tournaments, the team needs to unite as one here and head towards the Emperor's Cup. No player is letting their guard down just because the opponent is from a different category. I believe every match must be considered with the same level of importance.
<Masato MORISHIGE>
Q: The 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup against JEF United Chiba is coming up this weekend at the Japan National Stadium, where we will face Albirex Niigata.
A, since we were defeated by Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Levain Cup, the only cup competition left is the Emperor's Cup. I believe the match against Chiba will be an important game to win the title. I expect some changes in the lineup for the Chiba match, and I want to approach it with a fresh mindset. We have suffered consecutive losses in the league, and I think our mental strength is being tested. In the match against Kashiwa, if the team had the ability to finish the chances, it could have been a game leading to victory. I believe it is important to calmly analyze and connect that to the next match. However, we must firmly accept the result of losing 3 points in the previous game and work on improving it.
Q: I believe that goals in difficult matches, such as the Levain Cup match against Sagan Tosu and the 2nd Round of the Emperor's Cup against V-Varen Nagasaki, greatly influence the outcome.
A, set-piece goals are very important. In the match against Kashiwa Reysol, Teppei OKA scored a goal and brought power to the entire team. We want to aim for such goals that give momentum to the team. We have been able to work well from practice, and we also feel the results gradually starting to show. We want to continue building on this.
Q: What kind of mindset is important when facing clubs from different categories?
We understand that the Emperor's Cup is a challenging tournament where we face teams from different categories, but we must stay focused and win each match one by one. Even players who have fewer opportunities to play in the league matches are highly motivated, and first of all, we want to aim for the result of winning.
