<Match Review>
In the previous match, Tokyo started off the consecutive games during the Golden Week with a 2-1 victory against Albirex Niigata at home at Ajinomoto Stadium. The remaining games will be away games, with a tough schedule involving long distance travel to Kyushu and Hokkaido.
This round, we will face Avispa Fukuoka on the same day as last season.
Tokyo made changes to their lineup in the midfield and backline. Yuto NAGATOMO was selected as the right back, while Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who had not started in two games, was chosen as the left back. Seiji KIMURA, who is making his first appearance in the league this season, was placed in one of the center back positions.
1st HALF - Watanabe's shot hits the post in a stalemate
Early on, Tokyo had many opportunities to enter the opponent's half with a strong focus on moving forward, but they were unable to find a way to finish. They quickly responded to Fukuoka's counterattacks and even though they were pushed back to a deep position, they were able to quickly slide and prevent easy shots from being taken.
In the build-up phase, there were scenes where mistakes were made when pushing up from the back and moving the ball in the opponent's half, and the flow was stopped by the opponent's counter before getting into rhythm. Gradually, the number of ball losses in the midfield decreased, but they were unable to create space in front of Fukuoka's defensive block, and the work of receiving the ball at their feet and playing it back continued.
The first chance came in the 19th minute of the first half, when the team was struggling to create attacking opportunities. Teruhito NAKAGAWA kept the ball in a deep position on the right side and passed it to Ryoma WATANABE, who had come to support. WATANABE, who had cut inside, found a shooting lane and aimed for the bottom left corner with a ground shot. It seemed like the shot was on target, but it hit the left post and bounced back onto the field, unfortunately not resulting in a goal.
On the other hand, in the 22nd minute of the first half, a "close call" situation was created from a corner kick. The corner kick from the right side drifted towards the far side, and was quickly combined with a one-touch pass. Although there was no momentum in the shot, the ball headed towards the goal in a state of "stalemate" as none of the players reacted in front of the goal. However, the ball narrowly missed to the right of the goal.
As the first half comes to an end, the flow of the game shifts towards Fukuoka. They take advantage of the gap between Tokyo's defenders, sending the ball through and attempting to break through the center. On the other hand, Tokyo's Yasuki KIMOTO and Kimura players firmly close the center, preventing any free shots on goal despite Fukuoka's attempts to break through.
Although there was a shot that hit the post, we were able to maintain a strong offense and defense while experimenting with ideas to break down the opposing team.
2ndHALF - Unable to close the gap of 1 point
As the second half begins, there are more situations where we are pushed back. In the 3rd minute of the second half, a free kick is given near the right side of the penalty area, and Konno's direct shot hits the right post.
In the 10th and 12th minutes of the second half, there were opportunities to shoot in front of the goal, but both times Jakub SLOWIK quickly closed the distance and blocked the shots, preventing any damage.
In the midst of not being able to grasp the rhythm of the attack, Tokyo made two substitutions in the 18th and 25th minutes of the second half, sending in four fresh players. Gradually gaining momentum, they also created opportunities to push forward from the sides, but were unable to finish.
In the 27th minute of the second half, the ball was taken in the penalty area and the goal was scored by Yamagishi, giving up the lead.
Tokyo was unable to break through the opponent's strong defense and counterattack, despite holding onto the ball. They were unable to close the one-point gap and the game ended in a tie.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Yakubu Swobick
DF Yuto Nagatomo/Yasuki Kimoto/Seiji Kimura (32nd minute of the second half: Kota Tawaratsumida)/Shuhei Tokumoto (25th minute of the second half: Kashif BANGNAGANDE)
MF Keigo Higashi/Shuto ABE (25th minute of the second half: Masato Morishige)/Kosei Matsuki (25th minute of the second half: Adailton)
FW Ryoma Watanabe/Diego Oliveira/Teruhito Nakagawa (18th minute of the second half: Kei Koizumi)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
FW PEROTTI
GOAL
ー
＜Avispa Fukuoka＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Takumi NAGAISHI
DF Yota MAEJIMA/DOUGLAS/RYUJI NARA/Itsuki ODA
MF Kazuya KONNO/Masato SHIGEMI/Yuya YAMAGISHI (29th minute of the second half: Kennedyegbus MIKUNI)/Hiroshi MAE/ROKIAN (43rd minute of the second half: Takeshi KANAMORI)
FW Reiju TSURUNO (23rd minute of the second half: Ryo Sato)
SUBS
GK Masaaki MURAKAMI
DF Tatsuya TANAKA
MF Sotan TANABE
FW Wellington
GOAL
27' Yuya YAMAGISHI
[Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA Press Conference Comments]
Q, please review the game.
A, there were two Tokyos in the first and second half. In the first half, we were not able to make any particularly great plays, but we were able to express our play and create multiple chances. However, in the second half, the content was different from the first half and we were not able to express our soccer. At the same time, we continued to lose in the ball-winning situations and struggled in defense. Therefore, we switched to a 3-back formation to fix our defense. However, we were not able to fix it well and it led to a goal. After conceding the first goal, we naturally played to equalize or turn the game around, but Avispa Fukuoka's defense after scoring was very solid and they are skilled at controlling a 1-0 game result. We have been playing against them for four seasons and we recognize that as their weapon. We were not able to break through their solid defense and ended up losing.
We knew that they were good at defending a 1-0 lead, so when they scored the first goal, we were aware of the importance of holding onto the lead. Therefore, we had a game plan to score the first goal, but unfortunately, they scored first and we were unable to defend the central zone where we should not have been beaten. This is something we need to improve on.
Q, I think you changed your position a lot, but what point were you not satisfied with?
A, Regarding the first half, I thought it would be smoother to advance the ball by placing Ryoma WATANABE more centrally when building up from a low position, so I made a change. I think that change worked well. In the middle of the second half, there were many scenes where we were dominated in the center. At the same time, we were struggling with being attacked on the left center back, so in order to not give up the first goal, I tried to make some changes and fix that.
Q, Did you feel pressure from the opponent in the second half? Please tell us the reason.
A, Regarding the content of the second half, I think the biggest reason was that we were not able to play the way we wanted to. Of course, in a home game, if we are tied in the second half, it is natural to aim for a win by scoring. Losing game control easily against such a team is proof that our play is not working. If we want to be a team worthy of champions, we need to make adjustments to the parts where we lost game control in the second half. If we want to be a team worthy of champions, we will have difficult games like today's every match. I think it is the destiny of a champion to win in those games. In order for Tokyo to become that, I think we need to firmly improve on the points we saw today.
Q, I think the third person's movement was missing and the start was a little slow in the scene before going to the shot.
A, that is still an area we are working on as a challenge. We are training and striving for improvement in that area. Sometimes it works well, but today it did not go well. We need to work on that part diligently. I believe we were not effective in building our attacks. I am aware that there is room for improvement. That is why we need to take our time and grow every day. The game does not wait for us, and we need to accumulate points. That is why we need a mentality that is focused on winning. However, I think that was lacking in the second half today.
[Player Interview]
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, it seemed like we were trying various things from the first half.
A, when we had possession of the ball, the opponent dropped back to defend, so we were communicating on how to break through. It's good to create time on the same side, but since there was only Diego OLIVEIRA on the inside, it would have been better to have a simpler form of crossing and aiming for a second ball from there.
Q, I think you were quite conscious of switching between offense and defense in order to avoid the opponent's counterattack.
A, Avispa Fukuoka was also trying to defend and aim for counterattacks, so it was very difficult to play against them. We need to become a team that can beat this kind of team.
Q, Is it safe to say that you want to become a team that can break down the team that pulls back in the end?
A, yes. Since that is the type of football we are looking for, we want to make sure we can build up from a low position.
Q, I think it was a game where we wanted to at least get 1 point, how was it?
It's frustrating that we couldn't earn 1 or 3 points in a difficult away game, and now we have a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in just 2 days. We want to prepare to win that game.
<Seiji KIMURA>
Q, It was your first appearance and first start in the league this season, but it was a tough result. Can you share your thoughts on the game?
At the scouting stage, Avispa Fukuoka was a team that we knew would kick the ball, so we knew we had to bounce back everything. However, we were also losing second balls, so we needed to raise our line, compact the distance with the midfield, connect our clears accurately, and if we couldn't, we needed to clear the ball far. In the scene where we conceded, the cover was delayed, and in a situation where someone near the goal had to clear the ball, we lost sight of the ball and relied on Yasuki KIMOTO, and we were given time and conceded a goal from a pass. I definitely take responsibility for that scene. It is also my responsibility that we were unable to build up throughout the game, so I think we need to raise our level even more in order to win in difficult games like this. In order to become a player who can shine not only when the team is in good condition, but also when it is in bad condition, I realized that there are still many areas for improvement.
Q, Regarding the first half, there were times when we were able to push back, but A, we were losing second balls and were unable to move the ball forward simply, and there were also scenes where we lost the ball due to our own mistakes. We were unable to create enough time with the ball, so I think the opponent was able to control the rhythm.
Q, What do you think is missing from the result of two shots during the game?
A, In the first half, we were able to carry the ball to the middle zone, but I think we need to be more careful when carrying the ball forward and also need to expand the ball to the opposite side when there are too many players on the same side. This is something we have been working on in practice, so I think we should do it in the game as well. Also, if we don't reduce the number of times we lose the ball due to our own mistakes, it will be difficult to reach the goal. I think if we were able to carry the ball further up, we could have given more space to our forwards, and the result of only two shots is not solely the responsibility of the forwards.
Q: Did you also practice changing the system to 3-back during the game? Were there any concerns during the game due to the system change?
A, I have played several times in matches and of course, I also practice. With 3 backs, the range of my positioning becomes narrower as there are more people behind, and there is a difference from 4 backs in that I need to move forward a little. With 3 backs, we basically have to defend tightly, but we conceded a goal after switching to 3 backs, so I feel a heavy responsibility. I think we were caught off guard and conceded a goal in a moment, so I want to work hard to become a center back who can pay attention to the whole team.
<Shuto ABE>
Q, the 100th game, unfortunately turned out to be a tough one.
A, Looking back on today's game, personally there were a lot of bad plays and mistakes that stood out. My body was heavy and I couldn't make many good plays. As for the 100th game, it was unfortunate that it didn't become a good memory.
Q, We changed the system from the first half. How was it as a player on the pitch?
A, Until the last shot, there was no shape in the attack, so I talked with Ryoma WATANABE and Kuryu MATSUKI, and I was conscious of receiving the ball in many situations regardless of the formation. However, we couldn't create a good shape and the first half ended. In the second half, we entered the game with the same flow, and unfortunately we conceded a goal without success.
Q: In the past, there have been many scenes where Hotaka NAKAMURA's aggressive and dynamic play has shifted the opposing defenders.
A, all players' bodies seemed heavy. There were few instances where they were able to chase twice, and when they couldn't run when they should, I don't think the team can gain energy, and I don't think they can put pressure on the opponent. I felt once again that such plays are important.
Q, Regarding the second half, I think we continued to play while feeling the pressure from the opponent.
A, There were only good scenes for Avispa Fukuoka, but there were also many passing mistakes and many scenes where they responded to the opponent's long ball. Tokyo managed to endure those plays for a long time. However, if you receive for a long time, I think you will eventually collapse like the goal scene today. So first of all, we want to focus on not losing and not making passing mistakes.
Q: There is a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in 2 days. Please share your enthusiasm for the match.
A, It is a tight schedule to return today and move the day after tomorrow, but I think it will be a total battle, so I want to rest when I can and take a break to challenge the game in a fresh state as much as possible.
