TOKYOism

"Tactics are born from excellent placement."

What is positional play?

As we approach the match against Sagan Tosu on May 8th, a difficult challenge has come up. In order to depict this "positional vs. positional" battle, we have gathered the voices of midfield players and are attempting to unravel the current state and future of this new style.

First of all, let's clarify what "positional play" is. This is a concept that originated in the world of chess. It is a way of thinking about how to dominate which area of the board and ultimately reach checkmate, rather than simply taking or being taken by the piece in front of you. Hmm, sounds complicated.

But, if you think about it this way, it's much easier. Just think of it as that strategy I came up with when I was a kid, desperately trying to beat the chess master in my neighborhood. It's that move where you let them take your pawn in the beginning, and then you sneakily capture their queen when they least expect it. To understand that, there's a special movie you should watch.

It's the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer" based on the true story of chess player Josh Waitzkin's childhood. The film depicts the growth story of a boy who learns the attack and defense, fun and difficulty of chess from two different coaches. Laurence Fishburne, known for his role as Morpheus in "The Matrix," is incredibly cool, and the depth of love from Joan Allen, who plays the mother, is heartwarming. If your child is passionate about something, I think this is a movie that parents should definitely watch. There are still many things to talk about, but there are words left by the Brooklyn-born player, as the title of this movie suggests.

"Tactics are born from excellent placement."

This famous quote from Bobby Fischer is known as a phrase that represents the concept of positional play. It involves manipulating pieces on the board, taking into account their individual characteristics and three advantages: numerical, qualitative, and positional, in order to plan a strategy that leads to checkmate several moves ahead. In soccer, this translates to utilizing players' strengths and the three advantages to change positions and aim for the goal. Therefore, the way a team plays and is designed to achieve positional play will vary greatly depending on the characteristics of the players on the team.

So, what is the positional play of the capital club that we aim for with coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA? Looking back on the progress from the start date, it is necessary to mention that various experimental player selections were made in the practice matches before the opening. Among them, there was a player who was tried as a "false number 9" and also the conversion of Ryo Watanabe to a side back was one example. It can be said that after such tryouts, the current main players have settled in.

From here on, we will delve into the discussion of specific play models, borrowing the words of midfielders Takuya AOKI, Shuto ABE, and Kuryu MATSUKI. AOKI testifies to the actual image of the style that Coach Albert is aiming for.

"After listening to what the coach has been asking for since the camp, it was a very simple thing, so it didn't feel difficult."

What you need to understand is that what coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA is telling the players is not difficult at all, it's very simple. The foundation of our attack is the triangle relationship, but the diamond relationship (four players forming a diamond shape with the ball at the top of the triangle) is also important. We repeat this post-play by hitting and dropping the ball, always delivering the ball to the forward players and moving the whole team forward. The ideal situation is to push the ball into the opponent's territory by carrying it from the side, not through the center route. Matsuki says, "The most important thing is what the coach often says, which is to easily drop the ball with one touch if you can't see the front while facing backwards. There are many simple things, so we play soccer while thinking about each one."

On the other hand, there are still many instances where the tempo of the game is not accompanied and the player cannot escape from the enemy's pursuit. Therefore, we use medium to long distance passes to avoid the opponent's press. Aoki says, "When it inevitably becomes an outside pass, there is a position where we can get caught in the opponent's press. When that happens, I want the two center backs behind to be in a position where they can pick up the second ball when we send a long ball to the two inside halves. I think it would be great if we could change our position more smoothly when picking up the ball after kicking it and when connecting from behind."

And here, Abe explains, "I am aware of participating in build-up when the ball is in our own half, but I am also conscious of not overcommitting when the ball crosses the halfway line and making sure to aim for the space behind while also being in a position to receive a drop pass from the forwards." He adds, "This is the basic structure and current situation of our build-up."

Next, the way we defend will change depending on the opponent, but the basic idea is to aim for immediate recovery. The team's strength lies in its ability to switch between offense and defense and its strength in winning the ball. That's why Abe says, "Basically, we want to continue with a high press and short counter. When we enter our own half, we tend to block due to the influence of (Masaru) HASEGAWA. The coach doesn't like that, so we want to keep attacking the ball. In that case, I am aware that either myself or Kuse will come out."

On the other hand, there is also a defensive strategy where both wings cut outside and try to lure the opponent towards the center to intercept. In that case, the three midfielders have a lot of tasks to do.

"When we go for the outside cut, the wing will leave the opponent's side back (SB) and go for the press. So, we have to cover the opponent's SB ourselves. Also, (Tokyo's) front line has very fast players pressing, so the opponent gets flustered. That's where it comes down to how many balls we can recover inside. We predict the opponent's line of sight and where they will pass. We aim for the interception first, and then me and Shuto move forward and Takuya collects the ball. But we try to defend in a way that doesn't make Takuya move too much." (Matsuki).

Every position requires both strength and physicality in both offense and defense. It can be said that the optimal solution for the current situation, which coach Albert Puig Ortoneda has found since the start, is strongly reflected in the selection of members. That is why it should be understood that Abe, who has been playing a symbolic role so far, and Matsuki are the first choices for inside half.

Smoke started coming out of my head, so that's the end of part one.

In the second part, we will delve deeper into the concept of checkmate, or how to score a goal, and discuss future considerations through comments from three players. This may be a spoiler, but I believe Fischer's famous quote "Tactics are born from superior positioning" and Josh's growth throughout the movie will be key factors.

Text by Yohhei Baba (Freelance Writer)

Click here for the second part!