3/26 Shonan Match Match Review & Interview

INTERVIEW2022.3.26

3/26 Shonan Match Match Review & Interview

<Match Review>
Two days after the Japan national team secured their spot in the World Cup to be held in Qatar, they played their third match of the Levain Cup group stage at their home stadium, Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo. The opponent was Shonan Bellmare, who currently sits at the top of the group. As the third place team, Tokyo was determined to secure a victory in this crucial match in order to advance to the next stage of the tournament.

Due to a schedule gap of about 1 week before and after the league match, both players who have played in the league and players who have had short playing time were named in the starting lineup for this match. In the defense line, Junya SUZUKI was placed as the right back, and Ryoma WATANABE was placed as the left back. Rei HIRAKAWA played as the anchor, with Shuto ABE and Keigo HIGASHI as the inside halves. The front line consisted of Keita YAMASHITA in the center, Hirotaka MITA on the right side, and Kensuke NAGAI on the left side, forming a 3-top formation.

Shonan, who had a sharp start, fell back a bit and received the ball, but gradually they were able to move the ball and push Shonan's players into the enemy's territory. In the 7th minute of the first half, there was a chance to score quickly. Mita player broke through on the left side and took a shot in front of the goal, but the ball bounced off the opponent's defender and Nagai player picked it up and sent a cross ball in the opposite direction. East player, who had entered the center of the goal, took a one-touch shot, but couldn't hit the target. In the 9th minute of the first half, Nagai player avoided the opponent's defender's sliding tackle and continued with speed towards the opponent's goal. He took a shot from the left side of the penalty area with his right foot, but unfortunately it went wide to the right of the goal. After creating consecutive chances, Tokyo took control of the game. Against Shonan, who had all their players back defending and forming a block, they first moved the ball wide to find gaps in the opponent's formation.

In the 31st minute of the first half, Yamashita made a one-touch pass to the right side of the space with a wedge. Mita jumped out and sent a cross ball to the front of the goal, but Higashi's header shot was bounced off the crossbar. Tokyo, who continued to push forward, broke through the opponent's defense in the 39th minute of the first half. Morishige Masato made a vertical pass towards the front line near the half line. The opponent defender intercepted the ball before Yamashita, but the ball that couldn't be cleared fell towards the Shonan goal, and Abe was quick to react and picked it up and scored. Tokyo successfully took the lead by calmly scoring a one-on-one with the opponent goalkeeper. In the 41st minute of the first half, Mita also made a close loop shot, controlling the pace of the game throughout and turning it around.

Tokyo, who continues to hold the ball in the first half. The opponent also compactly forms their defense to eliminate space, but Tokyo creates chances by threading through the gaps. In the 15th minute of the second half, Mita player passes a vertical pass from the final line to Abe player with one touch. While losing his balance, Abe player leaves the ball and Mita player picks it up and gains speed as he runs forward towards the goal. With the momentum, he swings his left foot and the ball changes direction after hitting the opponent defender who was blocking, catching the goalkeeper off guard and Tokyo scores an additional point.

After taking the lead, they continuously make substitution cards and send fresh players onto the pitch. They try to maintain their pace with Diego OLIVEIRA as the center of the front line, but they face a counterattack from Shonan in the final stages. In the 32nd minute of the second half, they are broken through on the right side and a cross ball is sent into the goal area, where it is tapped in with one touch, resulting in a goal for the opposing team. Tokyo, who wants to regain control, enters the opponent's territory in the 34th minute of the second half on a counterattack, and Diego TABA draws the defender and passes to the space on the left side. Adailton, who receives the pass in a free position, takes a shot, but it narrowly misses above the goal.

In the final stages of the match, the game opened up and there were scenes where Shonan were pushed back instead of attacking on the counter. However, the team as a whole maintained their intensity and speed in challenges and slides, limiting Shonan's comeback to just one goal. This secured their first victory of the season in the Levain Cup and ended their March official matches with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 6 games.


[Interview with Coach Albert]

Q, please review the game.
A, Looking back at today's game as a whole, I think it was an unstable match. We have been able to continue good training on a daily basis, but it is not so easy to apply it in actual official matches. There were also times when we were able to play as expected. However, the current situation is that there were also times when we were unable to play well consistently.
The Levain Cup is not only seen as an opportunity to give young players a chance and promote their growth, but also as a way to further develop the team. Today, I believe the team was able to grow through the game. As a coach, I will focus on the positive aspects and also on areas for improvement to ensure a strong performance in the next game.

Q, in the first half, the ball didn't seem to go to Hirakawa very often. Do you think this was due to the good positioning of the Shonan players, or was it because of Hirakawa's positioning that he couldn't get the ball out?
A, I think both of the two things you just said had an impact. Of course, it is not easy for young players to play well in official matches from the start. There may have been some nerves when he started in the starting lineup for the first time today. In that sense, young players like him need to grow based on these experiences. Throughout the game, I think he was able to play better as time went on. (Rei HIRAKAWA) It was not just Rei, but the whole team's fault that the pace of the first half was slow. That remains a challenge for the entire team. The pace is one of the most important concepts for our playing style. In order to continue expressing it consistently throughout the 90 minutes, I think we need to take more time to grow.

Q, please tell us the reason for using players Mita and Takahagi on the right wing.
As a coach, the most important thing to do is to bring out the individuality of each player. For example, Kensuke NAGAI is a clear winger in our playing style. He contributes well to our wide attacks and is a speedy player who can exploit the space behind the defense. On the other hand, Mita's characteristics are different from (NAGAI) Kensuke. Mita will start by taking up space on the wing, but then he will cut inside and make good plays in the gap, which is his strength.
In that sense, we were aiming for Mita to come inside and contribute to creating a numerical advantage in the midfield. In the match against Kawasaki Frontale, we also asked Leandro, who was deployed as a right winger, to make the same play.
Even if they are used in the same position, the important thing is to bring out the individuality of the players. Therefore, even in the same position, different roles are required. Yojiro TAKAHAGI is the same. We placed him on the wing to aim for plays coming inside.

Q, Abe is involved in many chances. How do you think about his strong points?
First of all, his contribution in defense, with his quick pressing plays, has greatly contributed to the team. And in our playing style, we expect him to further improve in the attacking aspect, playing with the ball at his feet. We also hope that he will grow into a player who can contribute greatly in both defense and attack, like a hybrid car.


[Player Interview]
<Shuto ABE>

Q, please review the goal scene.
A, while running for the ball behind, there were also mistakes from the opponent, but the ball came loose in a good place and I was able to control it with a good first touch, so I looked at the goalkeeper well, and calmly put it into the goal.

Q, Usually, you have a lot of roles as an inside half, and your play is characterized by intense movement in a box-to-box style, but is going forward to score goals like today a different type of play?
A, I also want a goal, so I aim for it every game. Today, I was able to score with a good ball.

Q, What is necessary to consistently score goals?
A, I think that escaping to the back like today will be a chance, and I think it will be difficult for the opponent to defend against jumping out from the second row, so I want to continue to actively jump out in the future.

Q, How was the distance between you and Mita player today?
A, In the first half, I couldn't pass the ball well and made a lot of mistakes, but in the second half, I dropped back and made adjustments, and Mita player opened up.
I think it would have been a better development if we could have improved in the first half and passed the ball more easily.

Q, about breaking through to the back, Shonan had a 5-back defense, but it seemed like the opponent players were blocking your path. Did you have any strategies to get through that?
If Mita falls, I thought the opponent's side back would bite, so I thought the back would be open. I think it's better to take action by looking at my teammates and create space, so I want to keep that in mind and play while looking at my teammates.

Q: Do you feel like you have grown in terms of speed and timing to break through the back line?
A, Last season it was difficult to move forward with a double volante, but this year, like two years ago, I will play as an inside half more often, so I think scenes like today will increase and it is inevitable. I think it's my strength to be able to move directly, so I want to continue doing that without changing.

Q, Did coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA mention anything about focusing on the pace during halftime? Did you have any specific points you focused on in the second half?
A, In the first half, we touched the ball multiple times before passing, which slowed down our pace. We received advice from the coach. In the second half, we were conscious of passing the ball quickly to players who were facing forward.

Q, what were you conscious of in terms of combination with your surroundings?
Player A, Hirakawa, has good footwork and is able to make plays, so I left it to him to play in our own half and tried not to get involved as much as possible.


<Hirotaka MITA>

Q, please reflect on the results of the goal scene and the goal that you talked about wanting to head towards while being involved with the ball during the enclosed coverage two days ago.
I entered the position of the wing, and the coach told me that I could play freely, but I still tried to keep in mind the play that the whole team was conscious of.

Q, Did you feel confident playing as a wing?
A, There were mistakes made by the entire team, but I think there were both parts that were able to be done and parts that were not able to be done.

Q, there were many times when things didn't go well outside of scoring, and it felt like we were struggling.
A, today we were pushed back a little towards the end and ended up playing at the opponent's pace, resulting in us conceding points. We weren't able to finish the game with possession of the ball like we did in the Kyoto match, so that's something we need to reflect on.

Q, I played as a winger, but the coach said he expected me to play in the midfield. Did you feel confident about that?
At first, I was conscious of it, but during the flow of the game, Abe was often in the attacking midfielder position, so I tried to play on the side where I wouldn't overlap with Abe and find my own position in the middle.

Q, please tell us about the relationship between Junya SUZUKI, who played as a side back behind player Mita, and midfielder Abe, if there is any feeling of strength between the three players.
A, I am aware of using positive players and there have been a few times when it didn't work out, but on the other hand, those situations have become opportunities because we are working well together. So, I think it's important for us to communicate with each other even on an individual level.

Q, please review the goal scene as I believe it was a well-planned moment.
A, by getting the ball dropped, I was able to accelerate by putting my body ahead of the opponent, which was exactly what I aimed for. The shot just happened to go in. After the shot, I couldn't see until the goal went in as it was rolling.

Q, I think we can gain even more momentum by scoring.
A, I think I'm starting from the bottom, so I have to leave my mark in the game. I like the current team style and I want to survive, so I want to play each game carefully and contribute to Tokyo.


<Rei HIRAKAWA>

Q, How was the 90-minute reflection?
A, it was a long and restless period. We were able to take control and attack, so we want to continue the good parts.

Q, What did you focus on during the game?
Since it was my first appearance as an anchor, I focused on my positioning and actively participated in the attack by distributing the ball and setting the rhythm. I was conscious of this and entered the game. I think I was able to support my teammates in their positions, so I want to continue doing so in future training and games.

Q, I think there were some situations where we were able to win the ball and aim for interceptions in defense.
A, I think I could have done better. I also think that we didn't have enough ball interceptions and takeaways in today's game.

Q, I think that as the game progressed, passes were made with fewer touches.
A, I was conscious of playing simply by giving the ball to my teammates because I couldn't make good plays on my own, including the development of the game.

Q, What kind of preparations do you want to make for the next game?
A, I also want to appeal from training because there is competition within the team.


<Keigo HIGASHI>

Q, please review the game. Did you think you were able to connect your chances to goals with certainty?
A, we were able to score one point from the opponent's mistake and it led to a good flow. I think it was good that we were able to score a goal with few chances, but I also think that we were only able to do half of what we could and couldn't do.

Q, I felt it was difficult to break through while the opponent was defending with a defensive block.
A, in the first half there weren't many opportunities to break through. At halftime, the coach told us to use one-touch and two-touch to increase the tempo. As a team, we were able to enter the second half with that in mind, but everyone's pace needs to increase even more and we need to work on it consciously from practice.

Q, what is the reason for the attack rhythm coming out?
A, I think it was good that we were able to move the ball at a good pace, as the intensity of the opponent's press decreased. By increasing the tempo, there may be mistakes, but we want to continue challenging in order for the team to grow.

Q, it was a big achievement to take 3 points against the top team in the group.
A, We lost the first game of the Levain Cup and only got a few points with a draw in the second game, but I'm glad we were able to win today. I think it's becoming a close battle, so I want to do my best to advance to the group stage.

Q, Next will be a series of league matches. How will you prepare?
A, We aim to win four consecutive games in the match against Yokohama next week, and we want to work together to increase the intensity from practice.