Match Review & Preview

Review of the previous match against Verdy

To keep up in the championship race──. This is a crucial game, with a chance to secure three consecutive away wins in a three-game away stretch that will be a turning point this season. The blue and red family, settled behind the away goal in a different spot than usual, is sending out passionate cheers even before the match starts. Currently in second place, 4 points behind the leader Kashima Antlers, this is a match they absolutely want to win.

In a crucial match approached as an all-out battle with six changes from the previous game, Tokyo adopted a flexible system from the start, seeking attacking opportunities. However, the opponent solidified the center and tightly marked the two forwards. Passes from the midfield and fullbacks were blocked, resulting in a prolonged period where Tokyo could not create chances up front.

In the 21st minute of the first half, a play was initiated on the right side, and Sei MUROYA's cutback after breaking through on a vertical pass from Alexander SCHOLZ seemed to have caused an own goal, but the goal was not awarded as the ball had crossed the goal line beforehand. Then, in the 27th minute, coordinated pressing at a high position forced an opponent's mistake, and Leon NOZAWA aimed with his right foot but missed to the right of the goal. Despite creating several chances, the team struggled to consistently break down the opponent and went into halftime without scoring.

In the second half, a big chance came early on. On the right side, the ball was passed between players Muroya and Sato Megumu, and Nozawa, who was free on the far side, took a shot. However, it went wide to the left of the goal, and the opportunity was not capitalized on.

While trying to build momentum from defense with fine saves by Kim Seung-gyu, in the 32nd minute of the second half, Keita ENDO broke through the left side and crossed the ball, which Fuki YAMADA finished to shake the net. However, with VAR support, it was judged that ENDO was involved in the play from an offside position, and the goal was disallowed. Despite launching a fierce all-out attack in the final stages, they could not score, and the decision went to a penalty shootout.

This season's penalty shootout record was a perfect win with all players scoring, but on this day, the first player Scholz and the third player Yamada were stopped, resulting in a complete failure. They suffered a defeat against Tokyo V, who scored with all players, and only managed to earn 1 point from the loss.

This Week's Preview

This round, we will visit Machida GION Stadium, where cherry blossom petals are fluttering, for the first time as an official J.League match, to face FC Machida Zelvia. Due to the schedule change caused by Machida's advancement to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite, we will play two consecutive matches with only three days in between from here.

We have faced Machida five times in official matches, with 1 win and 4 losses. Last season, we also faced them in the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round and suffered a bitter 0-2 defeat. The two matches to repay that debt are about to begin.

The Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League has completed 8 matches, with Machida sitting in 2nd place with 17 points. Tokyo is in 3rd place, just 1 point behind. For both teams chasing the top-ranked Kashima Antlers, these are two crucial matches that cannot be lost.

Machida's strengths lie in their solid defense that firmly closes the center and their thorough side attacks. Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI, while cautious of Machida, said, "There is no need to fear them unnecessarily," and continued as follows.

"Their main battlefield is attacks from crosses, picking up the loose balls and targeting the disorganized areas. If we give them an opening at critical moments, Machida has the strength not to misread it. Their strength lies in the fact that their attacking options are well aligned. Impressively, their style always shows through. When that wave comes, if we can suppress it and fully contain it, I believe we can create chances by connecting it to our attacking wave."

A fierce battle for the ball is expected, but player Megumi Sato says, "I have no intention of losing in intensity."

"However, we have also grown since last season. We have been able to raise our playing intensity, and we want to win even against the opponent's strengths. It's not good to just go along with them, but we have an image of being able to win even if we have to match them there. We want to dominate in many ways."

Furthermore, in this match, the transition between offense and defense will be the key focus for both teams. The outcome will likely depend on which side can outpace the other in switching quickly. Player Kei Sato is expected to play the pivotal role in managing these offensive and defensive transitions.

"How to swing the ball to the side and make the opponent slide and exhaust themselves. It is important to move the ball until the opponent can no longer run. For that reason, we must first aim behind them. I have also told the players behind to aim there. So, I want to keep taking the opponent's back more and more."

Player Kei Sato shed tears of frustration immediately after last season's Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round match. To turn those tears into a smile, he firmly declared, "We will win two consecutive matches."

Interview with Manager Rikizo MATSUHASHI

Q, The Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League is now approaching the halfway point. The last match of the first half will be against FC Machida Zelvia, and the first match of the second half will also be against Machida. I think these matches will be important in terms of standings as well.
A, I believe it is extremely important to focus on how to keep the players concentrated during the match. How to continuously maintain high motivation and enable them to perform at their best is truly crucial. It is not good if it is just temporary; I fully understand that one source of energy can lead to the next greater energy. However, it is always important to remember that "the enemy in front of us is the strongest enemy." Regardless of the rankings, if we do not position the opponent we face as the strongest enemy for us at the moment, there is a risk of being caught off guard or becoming overconfident during a winning streak. There is no doubt that this is a very important match, but I always tell them to put everything into this match without thinking about the next one, and I believe we just need to continue that approach in every game.

Q. Last season, your ability to make adjustments during the match and the intensity of your attacks were remarkable. What do you think will be important when playing against Machida?
A, I don't think there is any need to be unduly afraid. I also don't think the two consecutive matches last season were something to be pessimistic about. It's just about how to finish decisively at the final crucial moment. There were also errors on our part, which I believe resulted in giving the opponent an opening. Machida certainly has the strength not to misread such situations, and how we control that ourselves is important in every match. Above all, we must have the fundamental confidence and belief that we can do it.

Q. What do you think are Machida's strong points?
A, although attacks mainly come from crosses, I think their strength lies in the whole team being aligned in their approach to options such as second balls, loose balls, and attacking when the opponent is slightly unsettled. Looking at the numbers alone, I don't think they are particularly high. I believe this is a team that consistently plays in a way that expresses their own style. When the opponent gains momentum, it is crucial for us to firmly suppress them. If we can connect that suppression to our own attacking momentum, I believe we can create many chances.

Q. Looking back on the 8 matches so far, I believe we have been able to stay true to our goals without wavering.
A, we are at the stage of gradually building up what we have been doing all along. There are times when various things go in a good direction, and times when they do not. However, I believe there is no absolute correct answer, and I think it is dangerous to believe that one holds the correct answer. Our goal is obviously to aim for the goal, so from the outside, it may indeed look like we have a certain style, but in a way, that is just a method, and methods must be flexible. I believe the philosophy must never change. "Keep the philosophy unchanged and be flexible with methods." I think relying too much on methods and means can cause us to stray from the essence, so we consciously work on this starting from training. It is very important to always consider how we ourselves can steer what happens in the flow in a good direction, simply towards the goal. I want to avoid being too fixated on methods and means and making wrong judgments there.

Player Interview

Hayate TANAKA

Q. I believe you have been preparing to be ready to play from the team start date, but now that the opportunity to participate has come, how are you feeling and how prepared are you to perform?
A, I am looking forward to it. Even before joining Tokyo, I have been preparing with various scenarios in mind, and I always made sure to be ready. I want to prove myself with results and numbers as I have done so far. That's all.

Q. While continuing to play as a starter for Tokushima Vortis, I believe you were prepared when coming to Tokyo, which has Kim Seung-gyu, an active South Korean national team player.
A, I came here simply because I have confidence. Whether or not I can step onto the pitch, I understand that better than anyone. It's hard to express exactly how, but I am confident. That's why I made this decision. It's been about three months since we started, right? Since joining and starting, I've met many new people due to the new environment, including the club's head coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI, and the two goalkeeping coaches (Shota YAMASHITA GK Coach and Ryota Inoue Assistant GK Coach). The entire coaching staff is constantly helping me update myself. They are taking various approaches to help me improve. In response, I want to deliver solid results.

Q. How do you feel about what you have built up through training in Tokyo?
A, I can't say it because FC Machida Zelvia would find out (laughs). I think if you watch the matches, you'll be able to understand various things. I do feel that I am steadily updating myself as a player. The coaching staff understands my strengths and approaches me from various angles to improve even further. That is really good for me, and since I can experience it on the pitch level, I feel very fulfilled.

Q. Having watched the matches from the bench so far, how do you think about demonstrating the role expected by the team and your own strengths?
AIt has always been the case, but there is a goalkeeper with a large scale in the same team, and when it comes to how I create value, there is little I can say here, but I think it would be good to show it properly with numbers. There are various roles in a match, but I believe the ultimate challenge for a goalkeeper remains the same: to prevent the goal from being scored. As I said at the beginning, I still have a strong feeling of excitement.

Q: It's been a while since an official match, but are you concerned about your match fitness?
A, I am not worried at all. If it were around 10 matches in my career so far, I might be nervous, but thankfully I have had the opportunity to play in many games. I am not nervous at all.

Q. Considering that the opponent is Machida, I feel there is a lot to prepare as a goalkeeper, including set pieces.
ARegarding assumptions about the opponent's approach, yes. On the other hand, we also have our own strengths, and after organizing who from Tokyo will face whom from Machida, and what will happen in which areas, we aim to finish with zero goals conceded. For that purpose, we have players with clear strong points, so I hope to bring those out. I want to manage the use of time and be able to sustain the full 90 minutes. Communication within the team is not a problem. Many are very open-minded, so I was immediately accepted. Including that kind of interaction, I believe we can steer things in a positive direction.

Q. Finally, please give a message to the fans and supporters.
A, this two-game series against Machida is very important. Since this season is short, we will be fighting through consecutive matches, and the results will be extremely crucial. There are various time slots, but I hope we can share the same mindset and spend that time together. And ultimately, I want to do my best to deliver victory to everyone.

Player Kei Sato

Q. In recent matches, although the team has been able to express what they want to as a team, there have been consecutive games where they have not been able to fully score.
A, I think the build-up and construction were solid, but there were moments when we couldn't break through the opponent's block after entering the vital area. We need to draw out the opponent to create space and make bold runs to target the space behind, otherwise the opponent's line won't break. FC Machida Zelvia is a strong team going forward, so we want to take advantage of those spaces behind a lot. Whether we can score from shots taken after getting behind the defense will greatly influence the outcome, so while taking many shots is important, even more important is having a strong determination for each shot and aiming to finish with a single decisive strike.

Q, the time has finally come to repay the debt from last season.
A, like last season, we will have consecutive matches. I understand that winning both games is very difficult, but I truly believe that with the current team, we can definitely achieve back-to-back victories. If we can win these consecutive matches, our league standings will change and the view will be different. First, I intend to repay the debts from last season and give my all toward that goal.

Q. To achieve consecutive wins, it is essential to secure a victory in the first match.
A, from the start of the match, we want to continuously apply pressure on the opponent, win the ball up front, and aim for quick short counters. Just like in the match against Yokohama F.Marinos, we want to play with the momentum to decide the game early on. We understand that Machida is not an opponent we can easily defeat, and they are a team with solid defense. We want to break down their build-up play, exploit the spaces that open up, and connect that to goals. The opponent has many strong defenders, but we have no intention of losing and only have an image of winning. In that sense, we want to repay the debt from last season.

Q. To aim for the championship, I think winning within 90 minutes becomes even more important. Please share your enthusiasm for this match, which is the first game of the consecutive matches.
A, our goal is to win the league championship. Considering the current situation, it is no exaggeration to say that these two consecutive matches are the most important for the championship. Since this will be the first and last match against Machida, who we are currently competing with in the standings, we want to secure consecutive wins in this direct confrontation and keep close to Kashima Antlers.