The Identity of Excitement and Him from Interior
After watching the debut of "Albert Tokyo," which overwhelmingly dominated the J1 champions Kawasaki Frontale, I was suddenly overcome by a nostalgic feeling.
Huh? I remember feeling this kind of excitement during a new coach's debut before.
What I remembered was an event that took place exactly 20 years ago. In the opening match of the 2002 season against Kashima Antlers, the "Hara Tokyo" led by new coach Hiromi HARA surprisingly defeated the title contenders 4-2.
However, to express it accurately, the content of excitement is different.
The excitement of "Hara Tokyo" was a mysterious thrill of wondering, "What will happen to this team?" However, in the case of "Albert Tokyo," it is the opposite, as there is an exhilaration from being able to envision, "This is what the team will become."
The team is designed based on a clear blueprint, allowing us to envision the final form. That blueprint is the positional play promoted by Albert PUIG ORTONEDA.
Take the appropriate position while observing the opponent, maintaining an advantage in both offense and defense to control the ball and the game.
Center back Henrique TREVISAN exploited the gaps in the opponent's defensive block and carried the ball multiple times, while both full-backs Ryoma WATANABE and Ryoya OGAWA slipped into the spaces opened inside the opponent's defensive block, becoming key points in the attack. By the second half, it felt like Tokyo had been dominating the game all along.
Love the ball——.
This is the slogan set by Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA. "Handle the ball gently, like a lover."
If you love it, you must treat it with care. This means you should trap it gently and deliver it accurately to your teammate's feet.
Of course, loving the ball is not only during the attack but also in situations without ball possession. Is there a man who can just watch with his fingers in his mouth after losing his beloved? If you love it, take it back immediately!
A system for efficiently recovering the ball has already been implemented. The positioning during ball possession directly translates to the positioning for immediate recovery—this is one of the advantages of positional play. The awareness of swift recovery has already been instilled in the previous system. Despite some noticeable mistakes in "stopping and kicking," this is the reason why Tokyo was able to push Kawasaki back.
If Leandro had scored, it could have been a big victory, and if I had to name just one player who felt a great potential, it would be him from the interior.
18-year-old rookie, Kuryu MATSUKI? No, it's Shuto ABE.
Always being where you should be and showing up where you want to be. There is a tendency to move a bit too much due to past habits, but they have just begun to learn positional play. It seems they already understand how to play soccer by observing the opponent and grasping the points of positioning.
It was impressive to break through the opponent's defensive line and draw out Diego OLIVEIRA's through pass in the 40th minute, but even more spectacular was the attack in the 72nd minute.
This scene started from the goal kick of goalkeeper Jakub SLOWIK. Ogawa → Henrique TREVISAN → SLOWIK → Leandro → Hirotaka MITA → Abe → Takuya AOKI → Ogawa → Kensuke NAGAI → Diego OLIVEIRA → Abe, connecting beautifully to penetrate the opponent's penalty area pocket.
In the course of the play, Abe repositioned himself while securing his vision with a backstep to receive the pass, then sprinted into the half-space and broke into the area.
Of course, we cannot overlook the positioning and judgment of surrounding players like Ogawa and Nagai. In the end, in the scene where Abe was brought down, it seems that the opposing defender Shogo Taniguchi had a hand on him, but it is pointless to dwell on what has already happened.
Scene of breaking through the opponent's penalty area pocket at 77 minutes
Attacking the pockets from half spaces is a style that teams like Kawasaki, Yokohama F.Marinos, and even Manchester City excel at. It can be said to be the ideal attack that Albert Tokyo aims for.
Imagining the near future and feeling excited is not just about the team.
While watching the match against Kawasaki, there may be fans and supporters who imagined this? Abe, who has learned to play soccer by observing the opponent, stepping in between Morita Hidemasa and Tanaka Ao, who serve as interior players for the Japan national team.
It's unfortunate that despite playing such a good game, the result didn't follow. For example, if we look back at the record collection in ten years, this match will only be remembered as a 0-1 loss. That's why I want to keep the excitement I felt that night at Todoroki firmly in my heart.
Above all, it was a night that conveyed how the players played energetically and enjoyed themselves.
Text by Atsushi Iio (Sports Writer)
