8/2 Kumamoto Match MATCH REVIEW & INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW2023.8.02

8/2 Kumamoto Match MATCH REVIEW & INTERVIEW

<Match Review>

The first match after a two-week break was the Emperor's Cup Round 16, facing Roasso Kumamoto in their home ground. The team, aiming for continuity and development, has been training hard even during the period without official matches and has gained a solid sense of confidence. Since taking office a month and a half ago, the color of Peter CKLAMOVSKI's coaching has also been permeating.

The starting lineup to watch out for is without star goalkeeper Jakub Slowik and captain Masato Morishige. Taishi Brandon Nozawa will make his first appearance in this tournament as goalkeeper, while Kosuke Shirai, who joined in the summer, will be playing as right back. Kei Koizumi, who has been playing as a side back in the new system, will now play as a defensive midfielder, with familiar faces lining up in the front line.

In the midst of the unique heat of Kyushu, the match between Roasso Kumamoto, who belongs to the J2 League, and their opponents began in order to advance to the quarterfinals by showing the difference in strength.

1st HALF - Conceded the first goal with an early PK

It was an unexpected start. In the 2nd minute of the first half, Ryoma WATANABE threw in from the right side, Diego OLIVEIRA dropped it, and Koki TSUKAGAWA took the first shot. From the clearance in front of their own goal, Ito was caught behind the high line and allowed to run alone, and Daishi NOZAWA fouled in the penalty area, giving away a penalty kick. In the 4th minute of the first half, this was scored by Hirakawa, who had been with Tokyo until last summer, and they conceded the opening goal at the start.

After losing the lead, we tried to push forward from both sides, but perhaps because it was our first official match in a while, our tempo of moving the ball didn't increase. Our passes and controls were off, and we continued to face dangerous situations from counters. Thanks to a great save by player Daisuke Nozawa, we were able to prevent any additional goals, but the game remained difficult.

In the 42nd minute of the first half, a chance finally came. The ball was passed around in the center and crossed to the right side where player Shirai was waiting. Tawaratsumida Kota tried to score from the rebound after the goalkeeper dropped the ball, but his shot hit the side net and did not result in a tie.

2ndHALF - Eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 after conceding an additional goal

First of all, in the second half, we wanted to catch up, but we didn't make any player substitutions and took the lead early on. In the 5th minute of the second half, we approached the goal from the right side. The player at the center of it all was Erik. Standing in the corner of the penalty area, he put in a close cross ball, followed by a last pass from Lori, and created a scene where he broke through and entered the penalty area for a shot. However, the ball that was on target was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper.

Just as a good flow was starting to emerge, another pitfall was waiting. In the 9th minute of the second half, a pass mistake in the enemy's territory was picked up by Matsoka, who was raised in Tokyo's academy. Watanabe, who was chasing from behind, couldn't catch up, and Henrique Trevisan was avoided and dribbled all the way to the goal, and in the end, calmly shook the goal net.

After falling behind by two points, the team made an early player substitution and put out a fresh lineup, but they were unable to make any significant changes. In the 19th minute of the second half, Adailton made a through pass to Leon NOZAWA, who made a big chance for the team with their substitute appearance, but Leon NOZAWA's shot missed the goal.

After the second half's water break, spaces were created in the opponent's territory and the number of shots increased. However, there were many instances where the shots lacked power or missed the target, resulting in no goals and the end of the Emperor's Cup tournament in the round of 16.

MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Diego OLIVEIRA
DF Yasuki KIMOTO/Yuto NAGATOMO (27th minute of the second half: Shuhei TOKUMOTO)/Enrique TREVISAN/Kosuke SHIRAI
MF Kusei MATSUKI/Koki TSUKAGAWA (11th minute of the second half: Leon NOZAWA)/Kei KOIZUMI (26th minute of the second half: Keigo HIGASHI)
FW Diego OLIVEIRA (31st minute of the second half: Leandro PEROTTI)/Ryoma WATANABE/Kota TAWARATSUMIDA (11th minute of the second half: Adailton)

SUBS
GK Tsuyoshi KODAMA
DF Kanta DOI

GOAL

<Roasso Kumamoto>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Ryuga TASHIRO
DF Kohei KUROKI/Ryotaro ONISHI (38th minute of the second half: Takumi SAKAI)/Takuro EZAKI
MF Shuhei UEMURA/Yuki OMOTO (38th minute of the second half: Keisuke TANABE)/Yuhi TAKEMOTO (26th minute of the second half: Kazuto FUJITA)/Rei HIRAKAWA
FW Shun ITO (7th minute of the first half: Yutaka MICHIWAKI)/Rimu MATSUOKA (26th minute of the second half: Tatsuki HIGASHIYAMA)/Takuya SHIMAMURA

SUBS
GK Yuya SATO
FW Shohei AIHARA

GOAL
4 minutes into the first half: Rei HIRAKAWA/9 minutes into the second half: Rimu MATSUOKA



[Peter CKLAMOVSKI Director Press Conference Comments]


Q, please review the game.
A, I think it was a good football match. Roasso Kumamoto played a very good game, and I want to congratulate them.

We have prepared with respect for Kumamoto and have done what we can do. However, I think our strength was not enough. It was a game where the goal decided everything, and we had a few chances that we could have scored. I think Kumamoto firmly decided on their chances.

The players fought with dedication and I am extremely proud of their efforts. They continued to fight and give their all. In the midst of that, I believe we were able to create scoring opportunities. The players here, and those who remain, may feel pain and disappointment. With that pain, I hope we can move forward and become a strong team, a strong group, and a strong club.

Q, How did you think about the game plan against Kumamoto and how much were you able to execute it?
A, Kumamoto is a very good team and they were desperately fighting to grab a victory in front of their home fans. Even in such a situation, we wanted to attack the opponent and I think we were able to do that. We were expecting Kumamoto to play while moving the ball, so we were fighting while understanding to exploit that space. It was a game where both teams were trying to play football.

As mentioned earlier, the important point is that we continued to play in our own way. If we had scored one goal, we might have scored two or three more. I think we were able to create chances. If we couldn't create chances while having the ball, there may have been some areas where we were lacking, but today we were able to create chances. I think there were chances to score a few points, but we couldn't finish them tonight. The important thing is that the players continued to play until the end and fought to find solutions. However, we couldn't convert our chances into goals.

Q, especially in the first half, it seemed like we struggled a lot against the opponent's press. Was a second plan necessary or was there not enough time to prepare?
A, rather than a second plan, the opponent also put on a very good press. There were parts where we were able to release the pressure, and parts where we couldn't. As the game went on, I think we were able to regain our rhythm and open up the opponent. The good thing was that the players were able to come up with solutions.

Q, what are the points for reflection in today's game?
A, I would like to analyze all elements. The biggest point is that the players bravely and devotedly continued to play their football and fight. That is the most important element and will lead to future success.

We will thoroughly analyze our performance and provide feedback. This is something we always do. However, what I felt from the players in today's match was the courage to play our football, the dedication to play, and the attitude to fight with our hearts. In these types of matches, players may sometimes hide under pressure. However, our players believed in our football and tried to find solutions while fighting. I think this is important in becoming the team we want to be in the future.

If you answer the previous question, it's all. I think I have to solve everything. We have to get better in every situation and continue to get better.


[Player Interview]
Kosuke SHIRAI


Q, Please look back on today's game, which was your debut match in Tokyo.
It is very frustrating that we were unable to win the team and lost one possibility of the title.

Q, we were able to maintain a balance between offense and defense, and there were also active attacks. Please tell us what you were conscious of on the pitch.
A, we conceded a goal early on, but as a player on the defensive line, I was especially conscious of not allowing consecutive goals. While defending well, I always looked for opportunities to join the attack and had a constant awareness of creating chances for goals. First and foremost, I was thinking about making a play to score a goal and equalize the game.

Q, In the first and second half, the players who formed a vertical combination with Ryoma WATANABE and Leon NOZAWA changed, but I think their strengths were shown.
A, I was conscious of playing in a way that makes the most of the strengths and characteristics of the previous players. In that, I believe that thickness is created by my own participation in the attack as a supporting role. Even in the recent practice match, we had good cooperation in that aspect. I think we were able to play well.

Q, We could see glimpses of Kosuke SHIRAI's strengths in his play.
There were also moments where I was able to express scenes of overtaking the outer space with a sprint, carrying the ball to a deep position and sending a cross ball. From here, I want to increase the number of defensive coverings and attacking participations with my own characteristic of sprinting while deepening cooperation.

Q, please tell us about the sense of accomplishment and challenges you gained from today's match.
A, While setting the defensive line high as a team, we want to reduce the scenes that lead to the first goal. On the other hand, it is important for the team to challenge and improve while correcting mistakes. I think there were good scenes in various places in today's game. We want to improve as a team and make it a good one.


<Kuryu MATSUKI>


Q, please review the game.
A, if we concede a goal at the beginning, we will lose the momentum. The opponent pressed with a purpose and put pressure on us when they entered the side, and we seemed to fall into that trap.

Q: Did the opponent's attack cause any defensive breakdowns or unexpected situations during the game?
A, the opponent was pressing with a one-top against our final line, so I thought it would be surprisingly easy to break through, but when the ball was passed to Diego OLIVEIRA from the center back, there were many scenes where there was no support and we lost the ball. I think the defensive midfielder can also pick up the ball, but if we don't push up from the center back, it becomes difficult against a slightly deeper opponent.

Q, When Matsuki had the ball during the attack, it seemed like he was being tightly marked. How was the team's attacking strategy?
In the latter part of the second half, the opponent was also getting tired, but we were able to execute our combinations well. We need to be able to do this from the first half. The game is still ongoing, so we will take this challenge back and prepare to win in the next match against Cerezo Osaka.


<Leon NOZAWA player>


Q, I entered the game in the second half. What instructions did Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI give you?
From coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI, I was told to utilize my own strengths while carrying out defensive duties on the right side and following the team's rules, and to attack the opponent's back. When I came on as a substitute, I was determined to create a good flow by getting involved in scoring plays.

Q, I was impressed with the plays that led to scoring opportunities by working well with Kosuke SHIRAI.
A, Shiraishi always gave me a voice from behind. We were able to play together while confirming each other's movements through overlaps and plays to the inside. While understanding each other's strengths, we were able to break through in a good relationship, but my own challenge is that I couldn't make it to the end. I repeated the same mistake as the Levain Cup Cerezo Osaka match, which was my debut match of the season, and I realized that I still have a lot of room for growth.

Q, the playing time has been gradually increasing, but please tell us again about the challenges and achievements of this round.
A, I think we lost the ball too many times. The accuracy of our one-touch plays was low, and we easily lost the ball and gave it to the opponent. Another issue was that we couldn't finish in one-on-one situations with the opponent's goalkeeper or when we had chances for volleys. I believe that if we can't finish in important moments, we won't be able to survive from here. As for making runs behind the defense, I have been able to get a good sense of it in today's match and in the previous practice match. I want to organize my sense as a striker and connect it to scoring goals.

Q, I think we are getting closer to the goal, but please tell us about your future enthusiasm.
A, Personally, I do feel like I am getting closer to scoring, but I believe that a striker is only truly proven by their results in official matches, even if they can show it in practice matches. From the next match onwards, if I have the chance to play, I want to leave visible results as an individual and continue to improve from my daily training.