Showed great potential and resilience despite being plagued by injuries.
People, players, and stories. Introducing the 2024 PLAYER'S REVIEW, featuring all the blue and red warriors who fought through the 2024 season. What were their thoughts and feelings during the season? Confidence, progress, challenges, joy, and regret... Each player will reflect on their battles this season in their own words.
Kanta DOI, who secured a starting position in his second year of promotion to the top team. In the 2024 season, he showed his presence as a starting point for build-up while repeatedly suffering from injuries. It was a season where he felt the potential for growth and positive challenges, but was unable to fully capitalize on the opportunities he had. The potential for growth is limitless. Let's look back on his year where we caught a glimpse of it.
Kanta DOI, who made a brilliant start to the season, adorned the starting lineup. However, as he himself says, "I had a lot of injuries this season. That was the biggest issue. While receiving chances from coach Peter, I couldn't make the most of them," and his league appearances were limited to 15 games due to repeated injuries.
It was difficult to deal with injuries, but facing opponents in the J1 league also made me realize my physical shortcomings, which was a "professional baptism".
"First of all, I need to change my physique more. When facing a strong forward, I felt that I was lacking. Specifically, when facing FC Machida Zelvia's Se Hun OH, I felt that there were a lot of areas where I was lacking in this season."
Even if he couldn't control the opponent well due to physical differences, he has the ability to sense dangerous situations and rush to them, or to prevent goals with quicker decision-making. There may be areas that he can defend with his agility and individual defensive tactics. However, there were opponents who were superior in that aspect as well.
"Shin YAMADA from Kawasaki Frontale was also a tough opponent. He kept his body on me until the very end, chased me desperately when I was on defense, never gave up until the ball went out of bounds, those little details. He fought until the very end. I really felt that."
I also felt a lack of skills. As a player who has played multiple positions since my academy days and has a versatile impression, I often swore to improve my ability to change the situation by being able to make passes. However, there were often times when I felt that I didn't have enough challenges.
However, it's not like there was no sense of accomplishment. In the first half of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Sec. 10 match against Albirex Niigata and the Sec. 11 match against Kyoto Sanga F.C. where I was forced to leave the game due to injury, I found a standard that could be applied in the professional world, saying "It was good overall, including the flow of the game. As a team and as an individual, I was able to play well."
"The way we passed the ball was also good. In the match against Niigata, the opponent had possession, but there was no fear and the team was able to connect well when we needed to."
The team went through periods of good and bad form, and I myself experienced multiple injuries. It was a season with big ups and downs, but in my second year as a pro, I played as a center back, defensive midfielder, and full back, and found potential for growth in our style of play starting from the build-up.
Text by Katsu Goto (Freelance Writer)
