<Match Review>
After a scoreless draw in Osaka, with only 3 days of rest, Tokyo faced a tough opponent once again in the Kansai region.
Despite their low ranking, Vissel Kobe boasts a team of highly skilled players. Among them is none other than former teammate Yoshinori MUTO, who now plays for the opposing team. The showdown between him and his comrade Masato MORISHIGE will be the hot point of this match.
Can Tokyo correct and improve the high number of ball losses seen in the early stages of the previous match against Gamba Osaka? Furthermore, Kobe has been increasing their playing intensity and changing to a fast vertical style of soccer. Protecting the ball and not losing in intensity are also important points that coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA always emphasizes. Can Tokyo also win the battle for the ball? That will also be a key point.
1st HALF - Tokyo suffers two consecutive goals and faces a tough situation Kobe came out with the same 4-3-3 formation to counter Tokyo's basic formation. This naturally leads to many 1v1 situations on the pitch. When Tokyo has possession, for example on the right side, Kazuya KONNO takes up a wide position and Yuto NAGATOMO, the side back, runs into the half space on the inside. On the other hand, left winger Ryoma WATANABE makes fluid movements to move into the center and disrupt the opponent's defense.
However, these were all situations where the ball was brought into the enemy's territory. In this game as well, Tokyo struggled to break through Kobe's high defensive line from the beginning.
In the 11th minute of the first half, Yasuki KIMOTO, a player for Kobe, initially wins the ball from a cross by player Iino on the right side, but Tokyo is unable to control the floating ball that turns into a fifty-fifty ball. Player Konno reacts to the ball that is cleared outside the penalty area, but is immediately taken away by player Sakai. With that momentum, Kobe connects a pass and ultimately, player Yamaguchi scores a powerful right-footed middle shot.
Tokyo had their first chance in the 20th minute. Konno passed the ball to Abe from the right side after keeping the ball from dribbling, and then passed it to Kashif BANGNAGANDE who showed his face on the opposite side. The left side back who advanced forward shot with his right foot, which was opposite to his dominant foot, and the ball went over the crossbar.
Just as Tokyo was starting to get into a rhythm, they suffered a painful second goal. In the 25th minute of the first half, they were shaken by a powerful header from Kikuchi, who received a kick from Matsuki, from the opponent's right corner kick. It was a regrettable goal, especially since it came from a set piece and was scored over the heads of Morishige and Kimoto.
In the 38th minute of the first half, a short counterattack was launched after cutting off the opponent's pass in the midfield. Konno took a shot from a combination of multiple players, but it did not go in. Tokyo made many mistakes during their attacks and ended the first half behind.
2nd HALF - Despite multiple card entries, Leandro's goal is the only one In the second half, Coach Albert brought in Keigo Higashi and Adailton from the start, providing stability in passing in the midfield and adding attacking and breakthrough power up front to launch a counterattack.
In the 4th minute of the second half, Adailton immediately turned forward with strength and fired a right-footed middle shot to ignite the team. Higashi expanded the ball left and right, and Matsuki Kuryu and Watanabe also had more opportunities to receive passes in higher positions than in the first half.
Adailton attempted a powerful middle shot in the 20th minute of the second half, threatening the Kobe goal. Just one minute later, Morishige won a header from a right corner kick and shot, but unfortunately it hit the post and went wide to the right.
Here, Luiz PHELLYPE and Leandro enter the game in rotation, giving a boost to the attacking mindset. With the distribution power of player East coming to life, and player Watanabe connecting his teammates, foreign players with technique and power move towards the goal in the front line. As both teams gradually enter a period of sluggishness, it seemed like Tokyo's attacking strength would be displayed.
However, the build-up in their own half, which was also mentioned as a challenge in the previous match, ended up strangling themselves here as well. In the 31st minute of the second half, Seiji KIMURA entered the field and changed the system to a 3-back, but they were unable to fully utilize the strengths of their attacking line due to multiple passing mistakes in their own half until the end. Leandro scored a goal in the 44th minute of the second half, but they were unable to take advantage of the 5-minute additional time and the game ended.
Holding the ball, taking the appropriate position while watching the opponent's movements, and attacking. The positional play that coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA aims for is, according to the commander, "an endeavor that requires time." Although the direction they are aiming for was glimpsed in this match as well, Tokyo is facing a dilemma as they are becoming the target of the enemy's press and are unable to effectively connect the ball.
We fought our best, but there were no smiles. The players' expressions reflected the difficulty of facing reality.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Yakubu Swobiyk
DF Yuto Nagatomo/Yasuki Kimoto/Masato Morishige/Kashif BANGNAGANDE (31st minute of the second half: Seiji Kimura)
MF Koki Tsukagawa (21st minute of the second half: Leandro)/Shuto ABE (0 minutes of the second half: Keigo Higashi)/Kusei Matsuki/
FW Ryoma Watanabe/Diego Oliveira (21st minute of the second half: Luis Felipe)/Kazuya Konno (0 minutes of the second half: Adailton)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA
GOAL
45' Leandro
＜Vissel Kobe＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Hiroki IIKURA
DF Nanasei IINO (32nd minute of the second half: Ryo HATSUSE)/Ryuho KIKUCHI/Mateus TUREL (26th minute of the second half: Yuki KOBAYASHI)/Takashi SHIBATA
MF Keisuke YAMAGUCHI/Leo OSAKI/Yuki KOBAYASHI (26th minute of the second half: Yuta GOKE)/Koya YURUKI
FW Daiju SASAKI (9th minute of the second half: Tetsushi YAMAKAWA)/Yoshinori MUTO (32nd minute of the second half: Noriaki FUJIMOTO)
SUBS
GK Daiya MAEKAWA
MF Takahiro OHGIHARA
GOAL
First Half 11 Minutes: Yamaguchi/First Half 25 Minutes: Kikuchi
[Interview with Coach Albert]
Q, please review the game.
A, in the first 20 minutes of the first half, we were unable to press tactically and lacked the fighting spirit, allowing the opponent to take control. It was not the way we expected to play. It is not enough to just have possession of the ball, we must also be able to press defensively in order to express the desired play. In the previous match, we had a lot of ball losses at the start of the game and were unable to play well. We had such challenges, but today we faced different challenges at the start and in the pressing. After conceding two goals, the opponent naturally fought for three points, while we had to turn the game around from a 0-2 situation. As time went on, we were able to play better, but I think our reaction was slow. Today, we had more challenges in terms of fighting spirit than tactics. The opponent is in a relegation battle and expressed the desire to win the game at all costs, but we were unable to show a fighting spirit that matched that. After that, we made various tactical adjustments and were able to function a little better and bring out better play.
[Player Interview]
<Leandro>
Q, there was a great goal in the end. Do you feel that the comeback was a little late?
A, we conceded 2 goals at the beginning. It was a game where we had to fight for a long time from a 0-2 situation. It was a very difficult game to score a goal.
Q, this season has also reached 6 games. What kind of play do you want to show again?
A, we will approach all remaining games with the intention of winning.
Q, Today was an away game, but it was a match where we could cheer out loud. Could you hear the cheers from the fans and supporters?
A, although it was an away game, I am truly grateful that you have come all the way here. The cheers from the stands are reaching us and I believe that those cheers will continue to make us stronger in the future.
<Keigo HIGASHI>
Q, please review today's game.
A, I think it's important to surpass the opponent at the fundamental level, no matter what kind of soccer you play. Even though it's difficult with back-to-back away games, I feel like there's more we can do, so we approached the second half wanting to change that. It would have been better if we could have improved our performance, but we managed to score one goal in the second half. It's a shame about the result.
Was it a bit too late to score one point?
A. Yes, it would be "if only". I think it's important to accumulate points by keeping the first half's goals to one or not letting the opponent do the last part even in difficult situations. Regardless of the style we aim for, I want to do that.
Q, in the first half, it seemed like they were targeting the area next to the anchor.
A, in the second half, the opponent has scored 2 points and the way of fighting has changed from the first half. There were also parts that we were able to do in the second half, and we want to share them with all the players and face the next challenge.
Q, another game is coming in 3 days.
A, Next is the national match, so we are trying to liven up the whole club, so we have to play a game with our hearts again, and I think that the press part and what we should do will not change no matter what kind of soccer it is. If we don't do that, it won't make sense, so we all talk and the veterans like us lead the way, and we want to raise the motivation and do more and more.
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, please review the game.
We had a bad game and the coach pointed out that we didn't enter the game well. We weren't satisfied with the first half, so we talked about pressing from the front and aiming for a goal.
Q, we took one point but I think our counterattack was too slow.
A, yes. If we can make the third move after conquering the side, I think the opponent would have taken a different position, so we need to improve the quality in front of the goal even more.
Q, I think the movement towards the front has increased compared to the Gamba game, but I think we still have a little way to go until we reach the goal.
A, we still need to continue to improve there, and it's also a position where we can aim for the top in the remaining few games, so I want to work on improving from practice.
Q, Was it difficult to adjust your condition due to consecutive games?
A, I don't think there are any players who make excuses about their condition. We will create the best condition to win the next game.
Q, the coach said there are challenges in the press.
A, there were various shifts on the front line, and there were some differences between the way the coach intended to press and the way we actually pressed during the game, so in the second half we were able to press more from the front line, but it would have been better if we could have done that from the first half.
<Seiji KIMURA>
Q, from the outside. How did you feel about the game when you looked back on it after playing?
A, at halftime the coach said, "We were not able to fight for the ball." The first half was dominated by Kobe in areas other than tactics. It was frustrating because we know that we have players who can do more in our regular training and other games.
I think we were able to fight for the ball in the second half, and we didn't concede any goals, and we were able to score one goal. I think the emotional aspect comes out in those situations, so everyone needs to show that from the start of the game, and I felt that once again.
Q, you came on as a substitute in the second half. What were you thinking about when you entered the game?
A, Recently, we have been practicing with a 3-back formation, so we were able to work on various things such as positioning during build-up and defensive checks. We were conscious of these things when entering the game.
In terms of tactics, in the part of the play at the beginning, regarding Matsuki, the long ball to Nagatomo became a mistake in these two cases, so in terms of individual quality, I think I need to level up more and be prepared to play from the beginning even as a substitute.
Q, Did you feel any pressure from the opponent's constant pressure?
A, I feel pressure, but if I'm told that I'm not used to that much pressure from my usual training, it's not like that at all. So, by improving the distance and creating passing courses, I think we were in a situation where we could fight without any problems. I felt that we needed to share our image more.
Q, the next game will be at the Japan National Stadium. Please share your enthusiasm for the next game.
A, I personally always prepare for the chance to come in any of the consecutive games. If it comes to me next, I just have to play the way I always do. We haven't been able to win the last few games, so if I can keep the team at zero and lead them to victory when the chance comes, I think the option to use me from the start will become stronger. So I will continue to aim for that and prepare for it in the future, and I want to win.
<Kazuya KONNO>
Q, please review the game as there were many scenes where the starting point was created on the side.
A, I think we should have been more aggressive in defending from the front when the game started, but we couldn't quite get it right and ended up pulling back a bit, which led to us being scored on. We need to improve on that.
There were also scenes where I created opportunities by myself, but the opponent has also been taking measures, so I think if I can increase the patterns of attacking by using myself and my teammates, the width of our attack will expand.
Q, I think there were difficulties due to the hot and humid weather.
A, there was a unique humidity in Kansai, but that cannot be used as an excuse. We were all talking about going from the beginning regardless of that, but after not being able to go from the front, we made the game difficult by conceding two goals in the middle.
Q, the opponent has been actively defending from the front.
A, we need to improve our build-up as it didn't go as smoothly as usual. I haven't watched the footage yet, but I want to thoroughly review it and discuss what we should have done to prepare for the next game.
Q, the next match will be against Kyoto at the National Stadium.
It is not often that we play games at the National Stadium, so I think many fans and supporters will come to watch. We will prepare our condition well, make plans against the opponent, and work together in practice. I hope we can win the next game.
Masato MORISHIGE
Q, how was the defense when you looked back at the game?
A, I think it became too heavy in the back. We weren't able to be aggressive as we had discussed before the game. I think there is room for improvement in terms of unity of purpose.
Q, What were you paying attention to in terms of defense?
A, At first, I was worried about being used next to the anchor, so I talked about it before the game, but if I do that, I won't have the momentum to defend, so I talked to the midfielders and decided to go forward and try to take it back even if I was used a few times.
Q, it seems like we couldn't get ahead for a while.
A, As with the Shimizu game, if we worry too much about the two midfielders behind us, we lose our strength in defending from the front, so I realized that again today. Based on that, I want to think about how to fight in the remaining games and do our best.
