<Match Preview>
Before the J1 League enters the second half of the season, Tokyo will face V-Varen Nagasaki at their home ground, transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki, in the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup.
Nagasaki is expected to approach the match against Tokyo in the J1 League with very high motivation. Furthermore, on June 12, they made a coaching change, taking a gamble in their pursuit of promotion to the J1 League. They had been struggling to secure wins in the early part of the J2 League, but they have won their last three matches, including a 2-0 victory in the match following the coaching change.
However, the newly appointed Brazilian national coach Fabio CARILLE will not be in time for this Emperor's Cup 3rd Round, and U-18 coach Takeo HARADA will temporarily take charge. The team's condition, while in the process of restructuring, is unknown. Analysis will be based on their performance in the league matches, but preparations will be necessary to adapt to different styles of play than expected.
Adaptation to the difficulty of fighting due to different categories is necessary.
As Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA emphasized when fighting in the 2nd Round of the Emperor's Cup, when categories differ, the way of fighting and the degree of intensity in the league matches we usually play also differ. We must confront opponents who come with high motivation and strong intensity with equal or even greater motivation and intensity. Based on that, we will stick to our own way of fighting and achieve victory.
Of course, since it is a tournament match, victory is necessary, but for a team that is still in the process of growth, maintaining their own style against any opponent is also an important challenge. With a mission that is more difficult than regular league matches, we want to bring back the ticket to advance to the Round of 16.
[Interview with Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA]
Q: Nagatomo has returned, but Matsuki has not yet come back. How will you approach the match against Nagasaki?
A, Matsuki has not yet arrived in Japan, and Diego TABA is experiencing discomfort. The other players are able to play. We will choose from among them to compete.
Q: Since the opponent is Nagasaki from the J2 League, do you think you can be more aggressive?
A, Nagasaki has assembled players capable of competing sufficiently in the J1 League. It is a club with a larger management scale than several clubs in the J1 League. I believe they have gathered the highest quality players among the J2 League this season. Additionally, they are a team currently undergoing a coaching change. There may be various reasons for this, whether it is because the match results have not met expectations or because foreign players have not been able to perform as expected, but they are in the midst of a coaching change. I analyze that Nagasaki has a player pool with a quality level comparable to that of J1 League teams.
In 23 years, it has never happened that all teams in the J1 League advance. I believe it proves that it is a tournament where teams from lower categories impose difficult challenges on J1 clubs. Additionally, it will be a home match in Nagasaki. Considering that there is also a change in the coaching staff, I think the players are highly motivated, and it will undoubtedly be a tough match.
Q: How do you analyze Nagasaki's attacking play?
I think Nagasaki's style of play resembles that of a J1 league club rather than a J2 league club. We have faced Nagasaki for two seasons until last season. The quality of the players was indeed outstanding, and it was a very challenging match. It is expected to be similar this time as well.
Q: What points should we be cautious about?
First, they attack calmly, but once they enter the finishing zone, they create variations in speed, leading to very dangerous plays. They have players who can operate in tight spaces. We must be wary of the variations in their play.
Q: Is there anything you want to challenge in the Nagasaki match?
A, there is nothing special to challenge in this match. I want to continue to grow in each match just as we have so far, even in the match against Nagasaki. Of course, growth cannot always be continuous; it is natural to take one step forward and two steps back. In that sense, it is important to persistently continue our efforts. It has only been a few months since the team started. In that sense, we have not yet reached a state where the team can consistently perform well. Our playing style is not one that can reach completion in a short time. At least two or three seasons are needed for our playing style.
Q: What is important in the summer battles?
I think the longer we hold the ball, the better it is. During cold periods, we can run and move more for pressing, but the hotter it gets, the harder it becomes to move and press, so I believe it's better to hold the ball.
Q: The team took a break during the interruption period, but how do you view the importance of this break?
Since we had a congested schedule for about two months, giving two or three consecutive days off is actually quite minimal. I don't think it's excessive. Until the recent match against Shonan, we had no games during the Japan national team activity period, while Shonan had matches in the Levain Cup, so they possibly had better match rhythm. However, I don't believe we lost the match because we rested too much; I think other factors influenced the result. Of course, analyzing that is worthwhile, but for the first few months, there were weeks without any breaks. In Japan, continuing to work without rest might be considered a virtue, and there tends to be a preference for quantity over quality. With that approach, achieving high-quality work is difficult. There may be different cultural values in Japan, but for me, achieving high-quality work requires taking high-quality rest.
[Player Interview]
<Kazuya KONNO>
Q: You came on as a substitute in the Shonan match, but I think you were able to make plays that changed the flow of the game, as well as passes and moves towards the goal. Is there anything you keep in mind when you participate in a match?
A, my characteristic is playing towards the goal, so first and foremost, I need to express that clearly. In a situation where we were losing, I had to score, so I was conscious of making aggressive plays and delivering early crosses from a distance to connect in front of the goal.
Q: Since it's the Emperor's Cup, I think the previous match against Fujidai University was also a tough game, but tomorrow's match is against a J2 league team. I believe the motivation and approach will be different from regular league matches, but how do you feel about it?
A, it's an away game and since we haven't faced this opponent much, I think it will be a bit of a difficult match. However, we want to play our own style of football. Nagasaki has really good players, and many of them are at the J1 level, so I don't think of them as an inferior team at all. We want to stay focused and play well to win.
Q: I think Nagasaki has a high intensity of play from the start of the match. When we translate this into our battles in the league, what kind of play should we adopt?
In league matches, there are times when the opponent comes to press with high intensity, making it difficult. While it's best to connect the ball without kicking it away easily, I think it's also important to initially aim for the opponent's back. Until the opponent's press settles down, I want to consciously focus on plays that intentionally target behind them. I believe it's difficult for the opponent to maintain high intensity for the full 90 minutes, and I think they will generally settle down after about 20 minutes in the first half. From there, I hope we can play our own style of football while showing various attacking patterns and move towards the goal.
Q: In the Emperor's Cup, you cannot advance unless you win, unlike in the league matches.
We must avoid conceding goals due to simple mistakes, and I believe the start of the match is very important. The first goal is quite crucial, and there is a possibility that we might become tense from the beginning of the match, but if we all fight hard from the start, I think we can bring the game to our pace, so I want to fight through the full 90 minutes and win. Since it's a knockout tournament, there are difficult aspects, but first and foremost, we want to express our own style of football and hope to win and move on to the next stage.
