<Match Review>
Tokyo stopped their losing streak in the previous match, drawing 2-2 against Shonan Bellmare at home. This match, which is also a home game, will be against Cerezo Osaka. They faced each other in the first match of the Levain Cup on March 8th, where Tokyo lost 0-1 due to a late goal. Although the team composition may be different, Tokyo will aim to repay their debt in Osaka and secure their third win of the season in the league.
Tokyo started Shuto ABE and Ryoma WATANABE, who returned from injury and came on as a substitute in the previous match, in the starting lineup. Captain Masato MORISHIGE replaced Henrique TREVISAN at center back.
1st HALF - Approaching the goal while holding the ball
In the morning, the pitch conditions were wet from the continuous rain, and both teams cautiously observed each other's movements in the early stages.
As they get used to ball control, Tokyo starts to connect the ball intricately and create a rhythm. Not only moving the ball in their own half, but also firmly building up vertically and entering the opponent's half, they carry the ball all the way to the penalty area.
Although there are few scenes where they bring it to the finish, even if the ball is taken away, they keep the defensive line high, delay the opponent's attack, take the ball back with a quick press back, and then carefully build up the attack again.
Tokyo's first chance came in the 22nd minute of the first half. In the middle of the attack and defense, player Abe picked up the ball and faced a situation with equal numbers in the vital area. He passed the ball to player Watanabe, who had come in from the left to support, and Watanabe, who had drawn the opposing goalkeeper, sent a cross to the front of the goal. Player Diego OLIVEIRA jumped in, but was blocked by a defender who caught up from behind and was unable to push the ball in.
Although he had the ball, he couldn't make the final pass, but in the 41st minute of the first half, Nakamura received the ball in a deep position on the right side with a middle-range pass, and passed it to Kuryu Matsuki with a minus pass. Matsuki faced forward, took the ball out, and swung his left foot strongly. It was a shot that caught the right corner of the goal, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper and kicked out of the goal.
2ndHALF - Despite Watanabe's spectacular goal, they catch up...
Start of the second half. The defense is unable to keep up with the wide movement of the ball from left to right, and Cruyff's powerful shot is saved by Jakub SLOWIK with an incredible reaction, as the ball flies towards the top right corner of the goal.
After that, the game developed with the ball moving in the opponent's territory. In the 7th minute of the second half, Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who was open on the left side, received the ball and passed it to Watanabe, who was positioned just outside the penalty area. Watanabe, who had evaded the defender, took a controlled shot but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal.
While we were playing at our own pace, we left a momentary opening. In the 14th minute of the second half, we gave away a free kick from a shallow position on the right side of our own field. The ball was placed perfectly with speed between the field players and the goalkeeper, and Okuno, who had made a run, was able to score the first goal.
The Tokyo players continue to attack positively, even though they could have been disappointed by the timing of the goal they conceded, which seemed to have been controlling the game. In the 23rd minute of the second half, Nakamura sends in an early cross from the right side, and Watanabe traps it with his chest just outside the penalty area before falling to the ground and volleying it with his right foot. The ball follows a beautiful trajectory and is sucked into the top right corner of the goal, bringing Tokyo level.
Tokyo, who doesn't stop their momentum, in the 37th minute of the second half, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, who was substituted in, broke through the right side with individual skill. He passed the goal line and sent a pass in the negative direction, and Abe, who was on the near side, touched it with one touch, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal.
Tokyo, who wanted to accelerate towards a comeback by changing cards, was instead broken down from the right side in the 40th minute of the second half, and once again allowed Okuno to score and take the lead.
The substitution cards that were prepared before conceding were used as is, and Koki TSUKAGAWA and Keigo HIGASHI were brought in to try to break through, but they were unable to connect to effective attacks. The game ended 1-2, resulting in the first home defeat of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Yakubu Swobick
DF Hotaka Nakamura/Yasuki Kimoto/Masato Morishige/Shuhei Tokumoto
MF Shuto Abe (41st minute of the second half: Keigo Higashikawa)/Kei Koizumi/Kuryu Matsuki
FW Ryoma Watanabe (32nd minute of the second half: Kota Tawaratsumida)/Diego Oliveira (41st minute of the second half: Koki Tsukagawa)/Teruhito Nakagawa (18th minute of the second half: Adailton)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Henrique TREVISAN/Yuto NAGATOMO
GOAL
23' 2nd Half: Ryoma WATANABE
Cerezo Osaka
STARTING XI
GK Kim Jin-hyun
DF Riku Matsuda/Ryosuke Yamanaka/Matej Jonjic/Koji Toriumi
MF Riki Harakawa/Seiya Maikuma (20th minute of the second half: Hikaru Nakahara)/Hiroaki Okuno/Capixaba (9th minute of the first half: Jordy Clasie) (31st minute of the second half: Satoki Uejo)
FW Shinji Kagawa/Leo Ceara
SUBS
GK Keisuke SHIMIZU
DF Ryosuke SHINDO
MF Tokuma SUZUKI
FW Mutsuki KATO
GOAL
Second half 14 minutes: Hiroaki OKUNO/Second half 39 minutes: Hiroaki OKUNO
[Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA Press Conference Comments]
Q, please review the game.
A, I don't think there was a big difference in the flow of the game between the first and second half. I feel like we were able to improve our build-up from the back and reduce simple ball losses. We were able to control the game well, but we couldn't turn that into a conscious effort to attack the opponent's goal or create chances. Regarding that aspect, I also feel that I need to improve and I want to point the arrow towards myself.
After catching up to a tie, there was a decisive chance, but we couldn't finish it, and then there was a defensive mistake, and we lost the second goal. We prepare for every game to win, so of course today's defeat is regrettable. However, I think we were able to express the team's growth as we reduced the number of build-ups from low positions and easy ball losses, and dominated the game as we played more games. However, we need to connect that to a stronger focus on the opponent's goal and make decisive chances.
Q, Please tell us the intention of putting in player Tsukagawa at the end.
A, Diego OLIVEIRA was feeling discomfort in his muscles, so we tried to send out Tsukagawa as a false number 9. It was unfortunate that we conceded a goal while preparing for the substitution.
Q: Why was the center forward not included in the sub-members?
A, Perotti's condition was not good, and Kumada is also a rookie, so we put Tsukagawa on the bench as a substitute for the midfield.
[Player Interview]
Ryoma WATANABE
Q, nice goal.
A, I wish we could have won, but I was happy with the goal.
Q, please review the scoring scene.
A, I am good at receiving diagonal passes from the side back like that scene, and I was trying to receive the ball at my feet first and then think. At first, I saw the goalkeeper coming out in front, so I was thinking of shooting directly with a ground pass, but when I received that floating pass and controlled the ball in a good position, I chose to shoot.
Q, Did you think about shooting when you trapped the ball?
A, I knew the goalkeeper was coming out, so I took a shot with all my might.
Q, have you ever scored a goal like that?
A, there is no way. It will never happen (lol).
Q, please review the game after it became 1-1.
A, When going for a goal, I tend to get flustered and lose the ball more often, which leads to longer defensive periods. It would have been better if I could improve on that. Depending on the opponent, the way we defend will change. I can't defend alone, so I realized from the bench that we need to start over and communicate better.
Q, I think you have improved your play and build-up until you catch up with the tie in the last few games.
A, I think we need to increase the number of shots and take deeper positions in the penalty area to create more decisive scenes. There may be scenes that contradict what was said earlier, but in the first half, including myself, we were too careful with the ball and the number of shots decreased. So, I thought it would be good to be more bold and careful in our actions.
Q, What are your thoughts on the continued string of losses?
A, I still haven't been able to figure out why we lost, so I want to watch the game again and find areas for improvement. Within the team, we had good discussions before yesterday's and today's matches, so I want to do what we need to do to win without being pessimistic about everything.
Q, I think we were able to move the ball forward compared to the Shonan Bellmare game.
A, If everyone is in a good position and passing the ball, even if the ball is taken away, it will be easier to defend. So, I want to keep playing based on today's game without forgetting.
Q, Will it become worse if that part becomes blurry?
A, I think it's meaningless to just pass the ball around, and it's not good to just kick long balls. I think it's valuable to accumulate points by playing the kind of soccer we want to play. I feel like we're getting better, so it would be even better if we could win.
Q, did you change the number of defensive midfielders? Is there any difference?
When it comes to positioning, I think the impact of defense is significant. There are parts that may make defense easier or more difficult. As the three midfielders move fluidly during attacks, the difference lies in whether Diego OLIVEIRA will press the opposing center back or if it will be a winger.
Q, there was a close scene in the first half.
I wanted to receive the ball in front of the opponent, not between the opponent's defender and goalkeeper, but Shuto ABE was making a move, so I changed my target position. At first, I thought the goalkeeper would take it, but he wasn't coming out, so I passed it to Diego TABA, who I could originally see.
Q, I think there are not many scenes like today's goal in Tokyo. Could it be that they are too obsessed with their style?
A, it is ideal to not have goals like that. I myself did not want to score such goals. It would be ideal if the team could score, but for teams that are at the top, there are times when goals are scored for some reason, or when a set piece leads to a scramble and an own goal or a lucky goal is scored. I think those kinds of goals are necessary, but I don't think we need to focus on scoring those kinds of goals. It's not the reason why we can't win, and because of that, we can reach the top, but we can't go the other way around.
<Hotaka NAKAMURA>
Q, please review the game.
A, I am filled with apologies to all the fans and supporters. That's all I can say.
Q, we also saw plays that responded to the situation, including assists.
A, because it was a good tempo, I wanted to play more plays that the opponent would hate, especially in the first half, and there were scenes where I should have scored a goal. The fact that we couldn't finish it off and made it a difficult game is a point of reflection for the team.
Q: Was there any difference between the previous and current rounds?
On the defensive side, Yuto NAGATOMO and Masato MORISHIGE, along with coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA, communicated with each other about how to handle opposing players. In the first half, there were some good scenes and overall, I had a good feeling about my individual performance. I was able to gain something from being able to play with a good sense. I want to continue to improve even more.
Q, it seemed that improvements were made in passing and positioning.
A, Today's game was able to move the ball well at a good tempo from the first half, but we couldn't score. As time went on, there was fatigue and we couldn't go fresh for all plays, which created gaps for the team and individuals, and I think that's what decided the game. There were things that needed to be improved, but there were also positive aspects. We want to improve as a team for the next Levain Cup.
Masato MORISHIGE
Q, please review the game.
A, the content was not bad, but I could see the challenges when expressing this style of football. It was a game where I wanted to create more power and ideas in front of the goal, and scenes that end with a shot.
Q, I think the system has changed and the content has also improved.
A, Regarding defense, we have had thorough discussions among players. In terms of offense, we are able to share individual ideas and freedom, such as distance and standing position. The results have not been coming, so it tends to become negative, but there were also good parts, of course. It is important to connect the good parts to victory. We are choosing ways and means to win. I think that if we do not continue to accumulate wins from here, we will have fewer things to gain.
Q, regarding the second goal, it was a regrettable impression including the timing. Please reflect on it.
A, we ourselves disrupted the balance of defense and gave the opponent space. We want to correct the team tactics and individual defensive responses together and build on them.
Q, As we play more games, I feel that the cheers from the fans and supporters are getting louder. Is there anything you feel when you step onto the pitch?
A, it is a feeling that I want to live up to expectations. I think that the fans and supporters are also expecting it, and we want to respond to that. We want to move forward in a positive direction together.
