Raised in the blue and red since his academy days, last season he was selected for the Japan national team along with Kashif BANGNAGANDE and Taishi Brandon NOZAWA, who both have a strong sense of confidence and awareness.
This year, the two who will turn 23 and 22 say in unison, "We are no longer young. We have to lead the way."
In the second part, we will talk about the results of the team, which is stronger because of their experience with the Japan national team. This season, the men who should be the face of Tokyo are determined to lead the way and pull towards winning the league and titles.
──Please tell us your personal goals for this season.
Yoshifu Of course it is the J1 League championship. I strongly feel that young players need to push themselves up in order to achieve that, and I have a strong desire to lead the team. Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI also said, "I want each player on the pitch to have a captain-like mentality," and I believe that a championship team is made up of players who take responsibility for their play and have no weaknesses. I also believe that I should not be on the field unless I become that kind of player, so I have to think of myself as a core player, not just a young player, and play accordingly.
TITA I used to struggle with taking on a leadership role and defending the goal, but now I want to not only focus on my own play, but also become a player who can influence those around me. That is my ideal. It's a battle with myself. If I can remove my limits, I believe I can become a bold, big goalkeeper who can lead the team to victory. I have high expectations for myself in that regard. I want to challenge myself, grow, and even if I fail at times, I want to continue striving for victory.
──What is needed to win the J1 League championship and acquire titles?
Yoshifu It is important for a team to continue looking in the same direction. During a game, it's not always going to go well, so it's important to be able to discuss and make adjustments on the pitch. And also, to be able to communicate from the outside. I think it's really important for the whole team to address challenges, not just the 11 players on the field.
Taishi We have to come together. Can we all come together for the victory in front of us, not in the form of licking each other's wounds? Even if it's not beautiful soccer, even if things don't go well, we want to fight together and win with all our might. Of course, while following the team's rules, we want to show soccer that excites fans and supporters. We don't want to be told "We lost, but it was a good game," so we want to play with the victory in mind.
The two who have clearly set their goal for this season as "J1 League Champions" understand that they must take the lead in order to achieve it. Age and career are irrelevant on the pitch. What matters is what they can do to win the next game. It seems that two young and promising leaders will emerge in Tokyo this season.
──What kind of behavior do you want to show for that purpose?
Taishi I think I have to change myself on the pitch. I think there is a figure that the team is looking for, and I think I understand it myself, so I have to get closer to it. This season, I want to aim for a high place as myself.
Yoshifu At FC Tokyo U-18, I was entrusted with the captaincy in my third year of high school, but I don't think it suited my personality. I was supported by everyone around me. However, recently I have been consciously trying to change my character. As a side back, it is the position where I can see the whole pitch, so I have started to think about connecting the team from good defense to good attack, and my voice naturally comes out. I want to continue doing that this season and do more and more.
──Now that the two of you are together, please tell us what you expect from each other this season.
Taishi Half joking, half serious, Kashi Fuku-kun says "I won't get injured" (laughs). If he gets injured, a lot of plans will fall apart.
Yoshifumi Yeah, that's right. I've never finished a season without getting injured, and a lot of people have told me that. It's what I think the most, and if I can do that, I have confidence that I can achieve better results, so I want to focus on that and keep going.
Daisuke Come on, I want you to attack and defend like crazy.
Yoshifu This season, we'll do it! I want to focus on numbers, so please look forward to it. So, I want you to focus on keeping a clean sheet. I'm a defender, so I want to do it together, but last season, Daishi saved me a lot, so I'll do my best to avoid any dangerous situations, but when it's really necessary, I'll say "Daishi, please" (laughs).
Taishi I think I have to become a goalkeeper who can stop such scenes, so I will do my best.
──So, please tell us your thoughts for this season.
Ambition Our goal is always to win the title. We haven't been able to win the title recently, so I don't think we have the qualities of a champion, but I want people to see how we behave in order to win the next game. I want our fans and supporters to say, "It was worth coming to watch" and "It was exciting." We want to continue playing like that and have a season where we can finally grab the championship in the end.
Yoshifumi I want to win every game in front of me, no matter what the content is. We have to focus on the results and show the fans and supporters that we are aiming for the championship through our play. As Daishi also said, I want the fans to come and enjoy watching exciting games and plays.
First part is here
Text by Daisuke Suga (El Golasso)
