Kenta HASEGAWA, former coach, returns to Ajinomoto Stadium. As a formidable enemy leader leading Nagoya--.
"Complicated? Difficult to do?"
No, no, it's really rude to think about such a trivial thing. We have spent four years together since 2018.
"Give your all in every game."
It was supposed to be the football manners that I learned from Kenta. Always challenge head-on without creating escape routes. The victory is the result of the players' efforts, and the defeat is the responsibility of the coach. That's what a sincere competitor has always said.
That's why I'm coming to Tokyo as the Nagoya coach to defeat them with all my might, with that passionate soccer. These were the words I spoke when I first became the coach of FC Tokyo.
"If I become the coach, many people will understand what kind of football it will be. The football we aim for will not change."
As a coach, I have walked that straight path. In order to keep winning, I have tasted the bitterness of defeat many times. I am still devoted to the game of soccer, which I have spent most of my life on. From a young age, I have walked the star-studded path of Japanese soccer, and have shone as a player and a coach, becoming the best in Japan. Even if the club I lead changes, there will be no change in the intense local battles and the soccer style that utilizes vertical propulsion.
After taking over as manager of Nagoya, he said this.
"I want to play hot soccer after all. I hope that everyone will get excited and enjoy watching that kind of soccer. I think we are expected and entrusted to win, so we want to fight for the league championship and cup championship."
The coach spoke of FC Tokyo as "the best memory" and it was the Ajinomoto Stadium on that day, filled with blue and red in the stands.
"In the 2019 season, an average of over 30,000 fans and supporters came to Ajinomoto Stadium. Being able to lead the team in front of such a large crowd is a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime. The games that were sold out at Ajinomoto Stadium were truly exhilarating and I felt a level of excitement that I had never experienced before. The sight was an indescribable and unforgettable experience. We fought for the championship until the very end and the players started to believe that we could actually win the league. I also believe that the fans and supporters had faith in us."
The stage of admiration that remains in the mind of a commander who has survived in this world for many years, pulling out the eyes of a living horse. The lifestyle has changed drastically due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and for a while, the weekends with soccer were lost. In order to regain that scene, both players and coaches continue to fight desperately.
Facing Nagoya led by manager Kenta HASEGAWA with honor and dignity. Hopefully, in a packed stadium like that day.
Text by Yohhei Baba (Freelance Writer)
