FC Tokyo, who successfully made a flying start with three consecutive wins including a penalty shootout, will face Kashiwa Reysol, who finished second in last season's Meiji Yasuda J1 League but struggled with three consecutive losses in the special tournament. Although the two clubs are in contrasting situations, it is also true that there are many similarities in the direction and philosophy the teams aim for. What kind of intentions have both sides pursued? While analyzing their respective progress and current status, we want to identify the key battles that will determine the outcome of the match.
Will the blue and red capital clubs build their confidence, or will the Sun King of Kashiwa raise the banner of counterattack──.
A battle where the intentions of both clubs intersect begins.
The starting point for both FC Tokyo and Kashiwa Reysol was the desire to realize "attacking soccer." It can be said that in the several seasons they have fought toward that big goal, they have also faced setbacks each time.
Kashiwa was the first to break free from that negative chain. Although they were involved in the relegation battle in the 2024 season, last season they turned things around and competed for the championship. Takanori NUNOBE, Football Director (FD), spoke about the prologue of that story.
"The start was clarifying what kind of soccer we want to play."
We formulated a roadmap and set three conditions for hiring a manager to entrust it to. First, having a clear play model. Second, always having an attitude of exploring "good things" together with the club. And third, being a manager who raises the passion of players and staff. We succeeded in persuading Manager Ricardo RODRIGUEZ, who matched these three profile criteria, by saying, "Let's create a new Kashiwa Reysol together."
From there, we engaged in repeated discussions with the new manager and moved on to investigating players who fit the tactical style combining positional play and high press. We also gathered various information by interviewing people related to clubs the manager had previously led. Based on that, he said, "We prioritized the players' character to ensure good performance from the first year, focusing mainly on Japanese players for the shortlist." Except for rookies, the squad was assembled mainly with mid-career players who understand the tactical style and those who have experience fighting alongside the manager in the past. Additionally, Kashiwa has a philosophy from the academy that values ball possession. Amid a shared common language familiar since childhood, we succeeded in instilling the new manager's tactics.
FD Nunobe had this to say to the new commander, keeping medium- to long-term goals in mind.
"We aimed to establish a style that is fun to play and fun to watch. That is why, from the first year, we asked Ricardo not just for results, but for the 'color' of wanting to play this football and to continue with this football."
That is precisely why, without running away from the many obstacles encountered along the way, the team created a cycle of overcoming challenges while intensifying their attacking style. As a result of persevering through this process, they finished in second place last season. The team advanced to the brink of winning the league championship.
At the same time, clear challenges remained. While players who excel in a ground-based style gathered, there were also matches that exposed the weakness of lacking height. Because of their commitment to an attacking style, there were quite a few games where their vulnerable defense was targeted through direct play. As the season approached its final stages, FD Nunobe spoke on behalf of the coach about the words conveyed to the team.
"Ricardo started using the phrase 'Let's aim for perfection' more frequently towards the end of last season. Our identity lies in playing offensively, proactively, and intentionally. However, there were more words about thinking for ourselves and playing in ways that annoy the opponent, engaging in tactical maneuvers. The fact that players became able to proactively choose what actions would bother the opponent contributed to our strength in the final stages. We draw the opponent in, defend firmly with a block, and then launch counters. We want to aim to be a perfect team with such balance."
On the other hand, the red and blue capital club, which invited coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI from last season, may be said to have aimed for the same destination as them, although the paths they took were different. Coach MATSUHASHI has devoted himself to building a unique style at FC Tokyo, rather than the style from his time leading Albirex Niigata. After many trials and errors, this season he is in the midst of intensifying his own influence to achieve a fusion of Tokyo's identity and MATSUHASHI's distinctive style.
In recent years, in the major European leagues, a style excelling in just one aspect is no longer enough to reach the title. Teams that are nearly perfect, possessing everything at a high level, rise to the top. Sei MUROYA, who leads the team as captain from this season, has witnessed this trend firsthand at the forefront. Therefore, he understands the coach's intentions and utters these words.
"What we always talk about within the team is that build-up should not come first. Tokyo has many fast players like Marcelo RYAN, so I don't think it's about build-up so much. I believe we should have build-up as one of the ways to avoid pressing, but essentially, it's about how to move the ball as quickly as possible towards the goal. Tokyo also has players who can run, and the defensive intensity does not drop. Tokyo is no longer just a team that connects passes. In this era, if you can't do everything, you can't win in any league. Even looking at the English Premier League, there is no team that only focuses on connecting passes. I want to add build-up within the context of aiming forward more efficiently to this team, and I want us to become that kind of team. Muriqui hasn't been saying to just keep connecting passes either."
Blue-red and the Sun King. Although the paths they walked were different, their starting point and destination are the same. Halfway along that path, the two will face each other this time. Here, it should become clear at which stage of the climb each currently stands.
Now, the battle begins. Both sides will likely start by launching a counter-press in the opponent's territory. Which team will skillfully evade it? Kashiwa, with its experience advantage, will change its positioning multiple times according to the opponent's moves. Because there is no single formation, Tokyo must quickly assess the situation to determine the best moment to seize the ball.
Kojima, who serves as the enemy's lord, and Taiyo KOGA, positioned one line ahead, instantly transform into playmakers when they have the ball. Koizumi, who skillfully gets involved with the ball, is a troublesome presence. The suitable candidate to send as an assassin for that role is Kento HASHIMOTO. However, besides HASHIMOTO, there are other hunters ready to snatch the ball. The player we want to appoint as the conductor controlling them is the rising star Kyota TOKIWA. Since he also has the ability to steal the ball, it will be interesting to see how he lures the Sun King's eleven into traps.
The battle on the flanks is also a highlight. Kubo, Omi, and Yamanouchi possess excellent breakthrough ability, but defensively, Yuto NAGATOMO and Muroya, who excel in one-on-one situations, provide a solid foundation. However, Kashiwa's stoppers positioned on both sides of the three-back formation act as a "second arrow" attacking relentlessly. How to withstand this has been a challenge for their opponents.
Where are Kashiwa's blind spots? They struggled with member selection due to many players being unwell or injured, resulting in three consecutive losses at the start of the season. However, it is likely that the main players from last season will be assembled for this match. From Tokyo's perspective, they want to exploit the current weaknesses in set plays, which have not yet been fully improved, and the vulnerability to direct play.
However, scoring from set pieces has been a challenge for Tokyo since last season, and the accuracy and skill of set pieces that have been built up since the camp will be tested here.
The attack using depth after pulling back into their own half is the play that Kashiwa dislikes the most. In terms of exploiting the weakness of their direct play, Tokyo has the perfect player in Hian, who scored his first goal in the previous match. The matchup against Koga, Kashiwa's defensive pillar, will be a crucial local battle that will decide the outcome. The deliberate pullback into their own half and the "pseudo-counterattack" delivering quality balls to the front line from Alexander SCHOLZ and Hayato Inamura will surely be a threat to Kashiwa. However, Koga also said, "First, not losing in my area and making sure the organization does not give freedom is one of our themes. We want to show how we will fight against opponents who troubled us throughout last season," showing he has no intention of yielding an inch.
An undefeated "4 consecutive wins" or the first victory──. Can we decipher Kashiwa's positional play (strategy) and surpass it with tactics? The team that gets closer to "perfection" will likely be the winner.
Now, the die is cast.
(Honorifics omitted in the text)
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance)
