Seiji KIMURA and Kashif BANGNAGANDE. The two long-time "comrades" from U-15 Fukagawa will once again wear the same uniform in Tokyo this season. After being promoted to the top team, Kimura has grown through multiple loan transfers and became a key player for the U-23 Japan national team of the Paris Olympics generation last season, gaining experience in the world and returning to the blue and red. On the other hand, Kashif BANGNAGANDE has honed his skills in Tokyo and made his debut for the A national team in March 2023. He did not participate in the main tournament of the Paris Olympics due to injury, but has evolved into a player who stands out on the pitch. The two who have walked different paths will meet again in the 2025 season, having evolved in their own ways. What will they think about each other? In the second part, they will talk about the new season's soccer, their own play, and their jersey numbers.
──With the arrival of new coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI, how do you think Tokyo's football will change?
Seiji KIMURA Kazufumi was watching (the practice) from the outside, right? At first, I thought I wanted to connect the ball, but...
Kashif BANGNAGANDE Hmm... But I think what I'm particular about is scoring goals and winning for the team.
Kimura Team's characteristics and (the coach's) desire to match them well, I thought it would settle into a style that takes advantage of the traditional vertical speed. However, what Rikizo wants is not that, but to hold the ball if he can, and to keep moving the ball until the opponent gets tired. He even said in practice matches, "Make the opponent a mannequin." I thought he was the type who was obsessed with not losing the ball and holding onto it, but he never said, "Don't attack quickly vertically," and he said it would be the best if he could do it. He may be a coach who wants to connect, but he won't erase the strengths of this team. With the quality of Tokyo's players now, I think they can keep up with what the coach wants. We will use the goalkeeper as many times as necessary and play soccer from the bottom up more than before.
Yoshifu If you can hold the ball like that, I think the position of the side back will become even more detailed. There may be times when you have to pin down the role, and in attack, you may be asked to go into the goal area for the side back on the opposite side where the cross comes up. As long as you can manage the risk behind, I think the side back on the opposite side can actively enter the area like that.
Kimura Last season, he scored 2 goals and had 2 assists in that form.
Yoshifumi So true.
──Well, within that soccer, what do you want to shine as?
Kimura Last season, I think the style of possession that I cultivated at Sagan Tosu will not change much. Some coaches urge us to speed up the attack when we slowly carry the ball, but Mr. Rikizo is not like that. He is a coach who understands the tactics of attracting opponents while holding the ball. He also said that if a long-distance pass goes through, it is the best. It feels very close to my own image and ideal. I think I can be a good help if I can firmly demonstrate the build-up that I was able to achieve last season.
Yoshifumi The movements required for a side back are likely to increase, and since the coach demands aggressive attacks, I think I can make the most of my strengths. I think there will be a lot to learn, so I also expect my playing style to expand. That's something I'm really looking forward to from now on.
──Kazufumi player's eagerness is also transmitted to those around him.
Yoshifumi Yes, that's right.
Kimura But don't rush. It would be a shame if your return is delayed again.
Yoshifu Probably now is the most unstable time for me. Since the new team started at the timing when I was finally approaching my return, even when watching practice games, I always thought "I want to play soon". Even when running on the pitch during rehabilitation, I am very curious when the players gather in a circle and listen to the coach's talk. I had the same feeling last season, but now I want to come back even faster. Especially during camp, that feeling is becoming stronger and stronger.
──Last season, out of the three clubs based in Tokyo, our league ranking was the lowest. In addition, not being able to win even one game was truly disappointing.
Kimura "When it comes to Tokyo, there should have been an image of FC Tokyo, so both are opponents that must not be defeated."
Yoshifu I truly believe that beating them is the best proof. Academy players will surely have stronger feelings than anyone else, and there are many players who grew up in blue and red this season, so I want us to raise our morale and face the battle with them.
──Last season, we finished 7th in the league. As we approach this season with a new system, there may be fans and supporters who have both expectations and concerns.
Kimura If we win with this new team where half of the players are from the academy, it will naturally prove the strength of the academy. Even if not all players are involved in the game, I believe that the team's strength is reflected in all players who are enrolled, and that will be reflected in the ranking. This is because the intensity and quality of our usual training serve as a barometer of the team's strength. In that sense, I also think it's a great opportunity to showcase the strength of the academy graduates.
Kaka Even objectively, it's amazing that players from the academy want to come back even after going through university. That's why, if there are any anxious fans or supporters, we have to prove ourselves with results and performance. No matter what we say here, it won't be proof of anything if we don't get results. On the other hand, I think it's a world where our credibility increases if we do get results. This season, there are a lot of players from the academy, so as Seiji said, the results of the top team will inevitably affect the evaluation of the academy. So the most important thing is to keep getting results, and for the sake of Tokyo's fans and supporters, as well as for the sake of our academy juniors, we want to focus on proving ourselves with results. We want to show the same kind of fight that we had in the 2019 season when we were competing for the championship.
──Kashifu player will wear number 6 from this season. How does Kimura player see this?
Kimura I think it's good. (Kosuke) Ota-san and Ryoya-kun (Ryoya OGAWA, current player of Sint-Truiden VV) have different styles, but since it's a number that has been carried by the previous left-backs, I think it's the most suitable number for Yoshifu. If Yoshifu can surpass his two seniors and play even better, the value of the number 6 will increase even more, so I hope we can work hard together with that expectation.
Yoshifu Last season, there were various things both in soccer and in private, and every season is a competition, but I think this season will be a particularly competitive year. In order to put pressure on myself and also to change my mood, I was thinking of changing my jersey number. So when the club asked me, "Do you want to change it?" I thought it was a good timing and decided to take on the number 6.
Kimura When you say that, I don't want to put pressure on myself and 47 becomes like a safe number (bitter smile).
Yoshifumi No, no, no... That's wrong, that's wrong (sweat). But Seiji also had a good number available...
Kimura From the club, I was asked "What number do you want?" but without thinking, I answered "47 is fine as it is" and that was decided (laughs). Maybe I should have thought about it a little more (bitter smile).
──Finally, please make a promise with the fans and supporters to "protect this one thing" as we go into this season.
Kimura Of course, winning is the most important thing, but even if we draw or lose, I want us to be able to play with passion as a team and have people think "it was a good game", "it was interesting", "it was an interesting soccer game" and have it lead to the next game.
Yoshifu I want to play a game that everyone can say "It was fun" and go home, including the fans and supporters who came to the stadium. I want to be a team that I can support from the bottom of my heart, and I promise to show that kind of play in any situation.
The first part is here
Text by Kyohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
