Match Review
The launch of Klamovski Tokyo, which was born at the start of the second half of the season, is going smoothly. They achieved consecutive victories against Nagoya Grampus and Kashiwa Reysol at home. The scores were 2-0 and 1-0, marking two consecutive shutout wins, highlighting the strength of their defense. The penetration of the "promises" that Coach Klamovski values is definitely progressing in defense, and the players are expressing their confidence.
The stage for the first away game under the Kramofsky regime is the ominous Saitama Stadium 2002. In addition to the key attacker Teruhito NAKAGAWA, captain Masato MORISHIGE will also be absent, making this a match that tests the overall strength of the team. We hope for a strong performance from players like Yasuki KIMOTO, who will play as a center-back, and Keigo HIGASHI, who will serve as an attacking midfielder, as they seize their opportunities. To secure the first three consecutive wins of the season, the team faces an opponent they achieved a resounding victory against in the opening match.
1st HALF - A tense back-and-forth battle
Urawa Reds, who have been using their solid defense as a weapon throughout the season, and Tokyo, who have not conceded a goal in two consecutive matches since the new system was implemented. Both teams had a highly focused first half.
Tokyo maintained a compact formation from the final line to the front line, and while they did not actively press against the opponent's final line, they thoroughly executed a defense that aimed to disrupt when vertical passes were made.
Still, in the 14th minute of the first half, Urawa's forward, who is playing in his 500th J1 match, was able to break through. However, in the end, right back Kei KOIZUMI did not neglect his work of narrowing down the center and responded tenaciously. The shot was aided by the post.
On the contrary, just after that, a big chance comes to Tokyo. In the 20th minute of the first half, Matsuki picks up a loose ball after pushing the opponent into their territory and makes a vertical pass. Receiving a return from Kota TAWARATSUMIDA inside the area, he aims directly with his left foot. The shot was on target but was thwarted by a fine save from the opposing goalkeeper.
The back-and-forth battle continued, but both sides avoided defensive mistakes, resulting in a period without any score changes. During this time, Tokyo had moments where they aimed for a counterattack after intercepting passes in midfield, but they often failed to connect with the final pass, making it difficult to take shots.
Then, in injury time, the biggest crisis of the first half arrived. However, here Jakub SLOWIK stretched out his long arms to make a save. He deflected the shot taken by Sekine in front of the goal, preventing the opening goal, and the first half ended scoreless.
2nd HALF - Unable to convert the early chance
The second half progresses with a gripping development. Both teams try to find opportunities for attack while carefully moving the ball if they maintain possession, but the concentration in defense surpasses that. As the remaining time decreases, the significance of the opening goal increases in this game.
Among them, it was Tokyo that approached the goal. In the 2nd minute of the second half, Ryoma WATANABE took the first shot of the half, and in the 11th minute, he created a scoring opportunity with brilliant passing. Koizumi advanced the ball, and Watanabe spread it to the right. He then ran into the penalty area, received a return pass from Higashi, and evaded the opponent with a body feint to take a shot. However, the shot aimed at the near side hit the opponent's goalkeeper directly.
After the 20-minute mark of the second half, both teams actively made substitutions to try to decide the game. However, perhaps due to the humid climate, the tempo of the attacks did not pick up, and time passed with the goal still far away.
In the 39th minute of the second half, a close call occurred. Koizumi was allowed to keep the ball in front of the goal, and after the play was shifted to the right side, a ball that went through Jose KANTE was targeted by Ogiwara, but the powerful shot rattled the outside of the side netting, escaping danger.
In the final stages, Seiji KIMURA was substituted in as the last change, switching to a five-back formation. This demonstrated the team's determination to bring home points from an away game against a strong opponent. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Although they missed out on a third consecutive win since the start of the Kramovski regime, the team proved their defensive solidity with three consecutive clean sheets, even in enemy territory. Next Wednesday, they will face Verdy in the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup, and in the following match, they will return home to Ajinomoto Stadium to play their last game before the league break against Kashima Antlers.
MATCH DETAILS
＜F.C.Tokyo＞
STARTING XI
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Keigo KOIZUMI/Kyosuke KIMOTO/Henrique TREVISAN/Yuto NAGATOMO
MF Kuryu MATSUKI/Shuto ABE/Keigo HIGASHI (24th minute of the second half: Tsubasa TERAYAMA)
FW Ryoma WATANABE (41st minute of the second half: Seiji KIMURA)/Diego OLIVEIRA (24th minute of the second half: Perotti)/Kota TAWARAZUMI (31st minute of the second half: Reion NOZAWA)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Shuhei TOKUMOTO
FW Naoki KUMATA
GOAL
―
<Urawa Reds>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Shusaku NISHIKAWA
DF Hiroki SAKAI (6th minute of first half: Takuya OGIWARA)/Alexander SCHOLZ/Marius HOIBRAATEN/Ayumu OHATA
MF Atsuki ITO (32nd minute of second half: Yuichi HIRANO)/Ken IWAO (21st minute of second half: Toshiki TAKAHASHI)/Tomoaki OKUBO/Kaito YASUI/Takahiro SEKINE (32nd minute of second half: Kaho KOIZUMI)
FW Shinzo KOROKI (21st minute of second half: Jose KANTE)
SUBS
GK Zion SUZUKI
DF Takuya IWANAMI
GOAL
―
[Comments from Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI at the Press Conference]
Q, please review the game.
First of all, I think it was a hard-fought and important point. I truly believed that we needed to give our all and overcome the challenges of this match. I believe the overall performance of the players was deserving of satisfaction. The players showed great dedication, strongly asserting their style of play, and managed to keep a clean sheet in defense.
I believe that we are gradually able to show what we have built up in practice when we have the ball. If we can continue to express our intentions in both offense and defense, I think we can turn difficult matches like today into games where we can fully demonstrate our strength and earn three points through aggressive play.
Q, It became a match where neither team could enter the opponent's penalty area, but did you anticipate this kind of game development in advance?
I expected it to be a tight match. In that context, we needed to solidly showcase our defense and keep a clean sheet. Probably, from around the 65th to the 70th minute, both teams had approximately 11 box entries (penetrations into the penalty area).
Even when we had the ball, we were gradually able to show the accumulation of what we were trying to do as a team with positive play, and I think there were parts where we created chances. Urawa Reds is a very good team, and I believe they displayed very high-quality play. I am very proud of the players, and they gave it their all. I think we were able to show good football.
[Player Interview]]
<Keigo HIGASHI>
Q: Please reflect on today's match.
A, I thought it would not be easy to take points against the well-performing Urawa Reds in the unique atmosphere of Saitama Stadium 2002, and it indeed turned out to be a difficult match. I want to view the fact that we were able to secure 1 point in that challenging away game positively.
Q: Please tell us what you are aware of in the position of an attacking midfielder.
A, I believe that it doesn't make much difference which position I play. With the premise of contributing to the team's victory, I was conscious of making movements to draw the ball in a central position. I think I could have expressed more in terms of ball distribution and involvement. Of course, soccer is about the opponent as well, and the flow of the game became challenging. Everyone worked hard, and there were times of patience, but I focused on converting the few chances we had into goals.
Q: Were you particularly conscious of your positioning in defense to prevent the opposing midfielder from receiving the ball?
A, I was conscious of not giving the opposing team's defensive midfielder freedom and preventing them from getting the ball. The opposing goalkeeper and center-backs are skilled at building up play, so I felt it was challenging to determine the right position to win the ball, but I believe we were able to show compact defense.
Q: From here, we have back-to-back matches against Verdy on the 12th and Kashima Antlers on the 16th. How will the team approach these consecutive matches?
There are many areas for improvement, but I believe we played a good match today. We haven't lost in our recent matches, so I think if we continue to play with determination, the results will naturally follow. I want to build on each one.
<Yasuki KIMOTO>
Q: It's been a while since you started in the lineup. Please reflect on the match.
It was a very tough match, but I think it was good that the players on the pitch maintained their concentration for 90 minutes and finished without conceding a goal, achieving at least a minimum result in an away game.
Q、In the first half, I think we focused on responding to the attack centered around player Kuroki, and in the second half, it was centered around Jose KANTE. Please tell us what you were conscious of in order to contain the opponent's attacking line.
Both players were of high quality. Not just in today's match, but I am always aware of not giving the opposing forwards any freedom and being strong when the ball comes in. Personally, I thought I had to emphasize that part especially when I had been out of the starting lineup for a while. I believe I approached the match with a strong awareness of not allowing the key players of the opposing team to have their freedom.
Q, We were pressured in the second half, but we managed to finish the match without conceding any goals. Please tell us about the defensive performance.
A, I felt that our defensive strength was still lacking when we were pressured by the opponent's attack. However, I think it was good that we finished the match without conceding a goal. Until now, we might have lost focus towards the end of the match and returned without earning any points. I believe we were able to show that we are growing little by little.
Q, In the final stages of the match, Seiji KIMURA was brought on, and we switched to a three-back formation. Was this change in formation part of the original game plan?
A, we hadn't made any prior preparations, but it was a time when we were starting to be pushed back a bit, so I think our defense became more solid. In that situation, everyone was aware of the need to defend well and go for a goal, so I believe it will be necessary as one option depending on the match situation in the future.
<Ryoma WATANABE>
Q: Please reflect on today's match.
A, I think if we could have applied pressure a little earlier, it would have led to smoother attacks. As Urawa Reds, I believe we aimed to make it difficult for Tokyo to initiate their defense from the front, and we also reflect on the fact that we had few opportunities to break through with our attacks. Our attacks after regaining possession became too monotonous, and while we aimed to break through individually, the opponent was effectively managing the space. I would like to review the footage of today's match and reflect on it.
Q: What kind of attacking strategies were you aware of against Urawa's high line and compact defense?
In the matches against Nagoya Grampus and Kashiwa Reysol, we were able to score in a good way. While we are building our attacking shape, I think there were particularly many moments in today's match where we needed to break through individually. It felt like our teammates were not able to engage and support those plays, and we couldn't switch from individual situations to group attacks.
Q: There were significant chances created in both halves.
I want to increase plays that directly lead to scoring. I want to seek goals, not just close calls.
Q、It seems that the attacking style is starting to take shape, but please tell us what is necessary for growth from here.
A, I believe there will be matches in the future where we will have to spend a lot of time defending, like today. Regardless of the situation, I think it is necessary for everyone to share how we will launch attacks and convert them into goals. By doing so, I believe we will create more scoring opportunities. Instead of fighting individually in attacking situations, I want us to share our attacking strategies as a team.
<Tsubasa TERAYAMA>
Q: It was a difficult match, but what was your mindset going into the game?
It was a match where we spent a lot of time defending against the opponent's possession, so we focused on plays that would push the team's awareness forward and on recovering second balls, which the coach had also mentioned. Personally, I am not satisfied with that aspect, and while it was good that we kept the score at zero, I believe it is important to score a goal and win in matches like this, so that is something we still need to build on in practice.
Q: I think it's difficult to come on as a substitute in such matches, but how do you feel about your individual performance?
A, there is still a long way to go. However, I think there were parts where we performed well defensively, so that was good. I value what kind of play I can show in my first play, and I think I did that well. Still, I feel like I didn't accomplish anything in the 20 minutes I played, so I want to dig deeper and improve.
Q: I felt that the aggressive play of Terayama, from defense to offense, has returned to its best form.
I often talk with Coach Minoru KOBAYASHI, and we discussed the need to regain the aggressiveness that we had during the camp. I feel like I am somewhat achieving that, but not completely, so it is important to be more conscious of that in practice and to challenge myself. If I always keep in mind what Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI often says about 'playing bravely,' I can naturally feel that I can play in my own style.However, the baseline level is higher for players like Shuto ABE and Kuryu MATSUKI, so I want to keep up with them and eventually surpass them.
Q: The next match is against Verdy. Please tell us about the enthusiasm of player Terayama, who is also a graduate of the academy.
This is a match we absolutely cannot lose, and I believe we are only allowed to win. Our fans and supporters always sing after the match, but both the players and staff have the feeling that we cannot lose to Verdy, so I don't know if I will be on the field, but I want to fight passionately and prove that we are 'Tokyo'.
