Wait with MATSU
This is a story about wine and a rolling ball, written by a foolish freelance writer who has been drinking (or rather, has been drunk) every day. Before that, I want to say this: every time this relay column is updated, I regret my foolishness in trying to play catch-up and think, "Dear seniors, please leave a little more space for us," and I find myself holding my head in despair.
However, after spending a few days like that, I realized something. Unfortunately, I have never thought about soccer in a complicated way (or rather, I can't think that way), and I also lack such intelligence to begin with. So, I would like you to read this casually, thinking of it as a light intermission. I am not lowering the bar in any way.
A slightly charming story that connects my favorite drink and football, starting off with a bit of an excuse - in reality, it's just the ramblings of a drunk. I think it was over 10 years ago when I first tasted a wine made in a region called 'Toro' (meaning bull) in the northwest of Spain, known as 'MATSU'. The taste, of course, along with its unique name, impressive label, and the story behind it really struck a chord with me.
First, regarding the origin of the name, it is said that "Matsu means 'to wait' in Japanese, and it pays tribute to all the wine producers who have dedicated their efforts, respect, and sacrifices to vineyard work for centuries."
The design of the label expresses a journey spanning three generations set in a vineyard. The red wine is a trilogy featuring "El Pícaro (The Youngster)," "El Recio (The Hard Worker)," and "El Viejo (The Elder)," each depicting a man from a different generation. (There seems to be a white wine featuring a woman called "La Jefa," but unfortunately, I have not encountered it yet.) It symbolizes the essence of wine and the relationship with the land according to age and life stage, and those depicted on the label pay homage to the hundreds of men and women who have dedicated their lives to the vineyards of this region.
In addition, the aging periods differ for each of the three parts. 'Gaki Taisho' is aged for 5 months, 'Hataraki Zakari' for 14 months, and 'Chorō' for an astonishing 18 months in barrels. Furthermore, the age of the grapevines used also increases, with 'Tinta de Toro' (another name for Tempranillo) being 100% used for 'Chorō', sourced from vines over 100 years old. This means that it takes as much as 100 years to create this one wine. In other words, they are not in a hurry. To create delicious wine, one must 'wait', putting 'expectation' into careful work—.
The preamble has become quite lengthy. Those who are perceptive will understand what I am trying to say. Finally, getting to the main topic, there is a club whose new manager has been saying the same thing since this season. Moreover, it seems he is quite a wine enthusiast. That is none other than FC Tokyo's Albert PUIG ORTONEDA. This new manager has repeated the same words many times since his appointment.
"There is no other way but to take time and continue to make daily efforts. It is important to persuade and convince the players. If the players believe in it, then making daily efforts is not difficult. I have said this many times, but it is certain that the few months of the season will be challenging. However, since we have high-quality players, I believe that if we patiently continue to work hard, we will definitely move in a good direction."
This year's football could be likened to the 'Gaki Taisho' in the 'MATSU' trilogy. Additionally, in the interview conducted by a respected senior before taking on the role of coach, the desired style of integrated offense and defense in football was described as follows.
"In my country, we express it as 'travel together as one.'"
When you hear these two phrases, don't you feel an increasing affinity with the feelings embedded in 'MATSU'?
Many people may have noticed while watching the opening match, but what Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA has been asking for during the preseason has been surprisingly simple. Positioning oneself at the correct distance while observing the opponent and using depth and width to launch attacks. The basic aim is to push the opponent into their territory through the outer route, repeatedly hitting and dropping the ball while delivering it quickly to players in a good forward position. Holding the ball is ideal in both offense and defense, and the goal is to immediately regain possession of any lost ball. It is not difficult at all; it involves quickly and accurately repeating such simple plays. This point has also been discussed in this relay column project, and several good situations were actually created in the opening match.
Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA said, "The difficulty of football is playing simply," and added these words.
"I am not trying to express a special kind of football. If you watch high-level matches in Europe, there are many teams aiming for almost the same developments and similar plays. In that sense, my wish is to express modern and contemporary football here in Japan."
If there is something worth mentioning in the opening match, it would be the use of middle passes to avoid the press. The symbolic moments are in the 67th and 77th minutes. The first is when Henrique TREVISAN sent a lofted ball to Diego OLIVEIRA, which was then used as a starting point to expand the play significantly to the right side. The second is when Takuya AOKI floated a ball to Ryoya OGAWA while circulating the ball in their own half, creating a scoring opportunity from there. In both cases, the players maintained appropriate distances, and with the good judgment of TREVISAN and AOKI changing their focus, they avoided Kawasaki's press with their passes. After that, the players repositioned themselves in accordance with the movement of the ball, allowing for a smooth tempo in the play.
Play at 67 minutes
Scene from 77 minutes
What this play reminded me of was a story I heard from Sotan TANABE, who was with Sabadell in the Spanish second division at the time (now with Avispa Fukuoka).
"Even when I have the ball, my teammates don't support me by being close to receive a pass like they do in Japan. I had no such image until I went to Spain. Even if they are hiding behind the opponent, it feels like it's taken for granted that they should be able to pass here, which is not kind at all. It's not like in Japan where the players around you draw out the pass. However, they are not just standing still; they are moving a lot. Each positioning is more about moving to an area where they want to receive the ball rather than helping the player who has the ball."
If we apply this to the current team, it makes a lot of sense. As the speed of decision-making and technical skills improve, the ways to move the ball may also increase. Now, having done something a bit more related to my main job, I would like to conclude this manuscript here.
The journey has just begun. Sometimes, you have to be patient with an opened bottle of wine. With football as a side dish, I look forward to enjoying the best drinks.
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
