<Match Preview>
As we enter the national team activity period and the league is suspended, Tokyo will play their first match in the Emperor's Cup. The opponent is Fuji University, representing Iwate Prefecture. This will be their third appearance in the Emperor's Cup, after a two-year absence. In the previous 100th tournament, they defeated Sony Sendai FC, representing Miyagi Prefecture and belonging to the JFL, and advanced to the 3rd round.
It is also a tournament where lower category teams, commonly known as "giant killers," often cause upsets by defeating higher category teams. For Tokyo, it will be a crucial match towards winning the title. Even if the opponent is a college student, their attitude towards official matches remains the same.
However, it is still a valuable opportunity to make various challenges in player selection and tactical aspects in the actual game. Coach Albert Puig Ortoneda has emphasized since the beginning of the season that he will focus on the team's growth along with his determination to win.
While overcoming the challenges that were exposed in the first half, we will continue to deepen the sense of growth that we gained in the Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashima Antlers matches before the break, and eagerly take on the next phase. Winning the first match is important, but more importantly, whether we were able to challenge on the field of battle for growth will be the standard for predicting the situation in Tokyo in the second half.
[Interview with Coach Albert]
Q, I think there is not much information because the opponent is a college student. Are there any difficult aspects in the preparation stage?
A, there is no impact. This is because we are able to collect enough information and have a solid meeting using video, just like other official games. As we experienced last season, the match against university students is expected to be a difficult one for Tokyo. We are also telling our players that in tomorrow's game, we want to achieve our goal of growing because we are in a growth process. Whether it is a J-League team or a university, we must achieve growth through the game.
Q, How do you feel about the set plays being dangerous when watching the match between Fuji University and Jobu University in the 1st round?
A, I think their most cautious point is their bold play and intense defense due to their youth. When comparing the J-League and university students, I think the biggest difference lies in the tempo of the game. In J1 league games, there are moments of calm and then the pace picks up, creating a fluctuating game flow. On the other hand, in J2 league games, there tends to be a longer period of high intensity play. As you go down to lower categories, for example with university students, there is a tendency for the intensity to remain high for the entire 90 minutes. When facing such a team, we must first match their intensity. However, we also want to express our playing style firmly without being influenced by the opponent.We want to play in our own flow.
Q, if you aim for growth, I think it is important to continue the league. Will the selection of members be mainly from players participating in the league?
A, the Levain Cup was played under various conditions, and we fought in that way. From here on, we want to always be conscious of winning in all league matches and Emperor's Cup matches. We aim to maintain that until the end of the season and fight in all matches with 100% effort.
Q, Is the Emperor's Cup the title to aim for?
A, of course, we hope to win both the Emperor's Cup and the league. However, I think it is unrealistic to win every game. Instead of looking at the long term, we want to have the mindset of winning each game in front of us and focus on each game. We already know the strengths of all the players. Now, we will select the members based on the players' characteristics and fight.
Q, There was a period where we were struggling to score, but we have gradually been able to increase our goals. What areas do you feel have improved and allowed for growth?
A, I think it's a place where I gained confidence. That's always important.
Q, How do you plan to deal with potential upsets in the Emperor's Cup?
A, I think it is important to start the game with as much concentration as possible. We still have a lot of room for improvement. In that sense, we will focus on growing with each game. Therefore, I think it is natural that we need to start the game with full concentration.
Q, What do you want to try in tomorrow's game to advance to the next stage of the game?
As the team grows, we present new challenges, especially tactical ones, to the team and encourage them to absorb them. In that sense, there are still tactical themes that are challenges, so I hope they will be able to connect them to growth tomorrow.
[Player Interview]
<Keita YAMASHITA>
Q, What kind of analysis are you doing on the opponent, Fuji University, representing Iwate Prefecture?
A, I think it's important for us to focus on playing our own football rather than worrying about our opponents. It will be challenging to play against university students, but since it's a tournament, we want to make sure we win and dominate both in terms of performance and results.
Q, I think there is also an impression that college students come with a strong presence and hard work.
A, I think the opponent has nothing to lose. I also had the feeling of wanting to beat a professional opponent during my university days, so I think I will be able to play with more strength than usual. However, there is a pride in J1 Tokyo that cannot afford to lose, so I want to show the difference in strength and win.
Q: Is there a different sense of tension compared to usual, as this is the first tournament match of the season?
A, I hope we can dominate from the first half and play our own style of soccer because it's a one-shot game. It's important for each of us to take responsibility and play, rather than letting our guard down because we're college students. If we can do that, I think we can win.
Q, as a team, we will continue to play the new style of soccer that we have been building up until now in tomorrow's match.
A, because we are playing against college students, it doesn't mean we can play freely. There may be times when things don't go well. However, we want to finish the game with both good performance and results.
Q, the team is on a two-game winning streak in the league, with both games scoring 3 points. What is your goal for tomorrow's match?
A, I want to score as many points as possible in every game. As a team, we have been able to score points, but personally, I have not been able to score, so I want to play with the goal of really scoring. I have an image of scoring in my mind, so I want to score a goal in any form and leave it as experience value in official games.
Q, How do you want to make use of this game?
A, There are only the Emperor's Cup and the league left to win the title, and the Emperor's Cup is a one-shot match that will end if you lose, so I think everyone has a strong desire to win and I want to do my best.
