＜Previous Match: Sanfrecce Hiroshima Review＞
With 5 matches remaining in this season's Meiji Yasuda J1 League, the game after the International Matchweek will be a Friday night away match in Hiroshima. Tokyo will face the match with Yuto NAGATOMO returning from the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan national team) and Kim Seung-gyu, who contributed to the clean sheet victory against Paraguay as a member of the South Korean national team, rejoining the squad.
From the start, they faced high pressing from Sanfrecce Hiroshima and struggled to create attacking opportunities, but the entire team showed focused play and fought hard. They confronted the opponent by battling for the ball and defending resolutely in front of their own goal to prevent the opposition from creating clear chances.
At the start of the scoreless second half, goalkeeper Sungyu made consecutive fine saves to protect the goal, and in the 11th minute of the second half, the defense blocked a series of decisive shots after being pressed by the opponent. With a spirited defense, they did not allow any goals.
Then, in the 30th minute of the second half, against Hiroshima's powerful counterattack, player Nagatomo showcased brilliant defensive tactics by carefully covering behind and blocking the shot from the attacker running alongside. Following that, from a corner kick, Sungyu made an outstanding reaction with a flying super save to stop a headed attempt, as the representatives from Japan and Korea impressed with their defensive skills.
At the 40th minute of the second half, Taiyo YAMAGUCHI, a product of the academy, made his professional debut as a substitute. Although his time was short, he made his presence felt by becoming a focal point in the forward line.
In the final stages, Tokyo maintained possession while aiming for counterattacks to advance into Hiroshima's territory, but despite the open play, they could not shake the net. Leaving challenges in the attacking aspect, they endured the tense situation with high concentration and managed to bring back 1 point from the away game.
This Round's Preview
While maintaining a solid defense as the foundation, how to score goals is the key point. This is the biggest focus for this matchweek and for the current "Rikizo Tokyo."
After three consecutive clean sheet victories with a 1-0 scoreline, the team showed vulnerability by conceding three goals within 11 minutes in Sec. 32 against Yokohama F.Marinos. In the following match against Shimizu S-Pulse, they conceded one goal from a precise cross during a brief lapse, but hard work became the foundation of their playing style. They have established a style focused on minimizing goals conceded and building from there. The issue of conceding more goals from crosses has also been improving, and in the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, they recorded a clean sheet with concentrated defense. Overall, there have been more cases where the entire team aligns their focus and plays stable matches.
While valuing this foundation, everyone must focus on how to score goals through flexible attacks. Naturally, just defending will not bring victory. Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI emphasized the awareness of scoring, saying, "How much can we deliver the ball to the place where goals are most often scored? How many times can we receive the ball there? Even if we break down well, if there is no one there or the ball does not get in, no goals will be born. It's not just about holding the ball all the time; even if we lose the ball while trying, we have always demanded from the players to quickly switch and immediately recover the ball to connect to secondary and tertiary attacks. On top of that, we want to cherish the essence of scoring goals."
On the offensive side, a challenge has been that passes do not connect as expected after regaining possession of the ball. Captain Kei KOIZUMI said, "It is necessary to play with good spatial awareness. We want the whole team to be conscious of helping our teammates instead of leaving it to others." He also expressed his determination for the big title with potential, saying, "There are only two more matches this season at Ajinomoto Stadium, and since we haven't been able to win so far, we want to firmly win here and carry that momentum into the Emperor's Cup."
Fagiano Okayama currently stands at 15th place with 11 wins, 8 draws, and 15 losses. They have been struggling without a win in their last 7 league matches, but despite being in their first year in the J1 League, they have steadily achieved results with solid football centered on aggressive defense. Regarding Okayama's style, Coach Matsuhashi also said, "Their defense is truly solid, and their attack is not just dynamic; they are not a team that relies solely on the power and height of their forwards. They have players who can skillfully connect passes at their feet and convert them into powerful attacks. We need to be very cautious about that."
As a team, while approaching the upcoming game with a determination to win at all costs, it is also a time to improve our readiness for the Emperor's Cup scheduled for next month. Keita ENDO, who marked his 150th J1 League appearance in the previous match, commented, "The only title left for us is the Emperor's Cup. How the team prepares and enhances our coordination is key. We are focused solely on that goal. For that reason, we want to win the game in front of us." The team views the high motivation to pursue daily growth positively and is eager to achieve further level-ups.
In the previous away match, the team suffered a 0-1 defeat in the final stages of the game due to a strike by player Tabei, which was selected as the J1 League Monthly Best Goal in April, resulting in a frustrating return to Tokyo. The team aims to unite and avenge the previous loss, showing strong defensive solidity while demonstrating high scoring ambition to secure a victory that leads to the Emperor's Cup.
Ryunosuke SATO, who is currently on a developmental loan from Aozora to Okayama, participated this month in the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Chile as a member of the Japan national team U-20. At Okayama, he mainly plays as a left or right wing-back and has become the team's top scorer with 6 goals, including the opening goal from a cut-in in the previous match against Cerezo Osaka. Although he will not play this match due to contract reasons, attention should be paid to the future performance of this 19-year-old who is showing significant growth at Okayama.
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q. Following the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, what kind of feedback did you give to the team?
A, I appreciate that we were able to defend firmly. In a match with that kind of development, there were long periods when we had to focus on defense, but we managed to hold them off well. I told the team that there will likely be tough times in the next match as well, and that we should value this as a source of confidence.
Q. Before the match against Hiroshima, there was also discussion about how to break the opponent's arrows and connect that to our own attack.
A, we were conscious of aligning our actions and perspectives with the plan we had made, and although we received the ball well and at good points, many times the subsequent play did not lead to the next phase. Because the opponent is a team that presses forward aggressively, we focused on transition (switching between offense and defense) as one of the key points, but I think we were unable to execute the attack effectively.
Q, Based on that story, what kind of things did you instill in the team?
A, there are no major changes. Since Fagiano Okayama uses a system similar to Hiroshima's, I don't think there will be significant changes in structural weak points or target areas. Within that, I believe it is important to repeatedly practice both offense and defense without being swayed by the opponent.
Q. What is your impression of Okayama?
A, they are truly a defensively solid team, and their attack is not just about using dynamism, power, or height up front, but also about connecting play at their feet while targeting key points. They have players who can convert this into powerful attacks, so we must remain vigilant.
[Player Interview]
<Player Marcos Guilherme>
Q. I think the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima was a tough game with a lot of defensive time.
A, Hiroshima is in good form, so it was a difficult away match for us as well. We certainly spent a lot of time defending, but I think it would have been better if we had been able to convert the few chances we got by exploiting the opponent's gaps. We will take the positive from finishing without conceding any goals and focus more on the accuracy of our attacks.
Q. Fagiano Okayama, which has a player lineup similar to Hiroshima, is the opponent this week. Based on the match against Hiroshima, how do you want to approach this game?
Team A Okayama also bases their play on a three-back formation, and following last week's match against Hiroshima, I believe we have been able to thoroughly share our strategies and countermeasures from training. We want to break down the opponent through good relationships among the players. Personally, I want to contribute by turning set plays into goals. I also feel that my kicking touch has gradually improved through practice, so I want to make the most of it in the match.
Q. Depending on the match, you form a vertical relationship with Sei MUROYA and Yuto NAGATOMO. How is your combination with them?
A, both are excellent players, and it is very reassuring to have such highly skilled players at the back. I communicate with Nagatomo in Spanish during matches, and we can smoothly discuss what happens on the pitch and share our opinions. Muroya is also an experienced player, having played in Europe. I communicate with Muroya in English, and he actively encourages from the back during matches and training. Both are wonderful players.
<Keita ENDO>
Q. In the match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, you reached a total of 150 appearances in the J1 League.
Q: When you reached 100 matches with Yokohama F.Marinos, it didn't feel like it took that long, but after that, I experienced a period where I couldn't play after transferring to Germany. In that sense, I want to think about how much I can increase my appearances in Japan from here. In Tokyo, there are seniors who have played hundreds more matches than me, so I don't feel that reaching 150 matches is that amazing. From now on, I want to steadily build up match by match.
Q: In the match against Hiroshima, it was a goalless draw and I think the defense was well organized, but what do you think was necessary to win the game?
A, good defense alone is not enough to win a match. You have to take the ball and score goals to win, so it is important to maintain that balance. Especially for attacking players, I think it is essential to be aware of playing with balance in mind.
Q. It seems that after winning the second ball, the passes are not effectively leading to attacks. What do you think is important in this situation?
A, I believe the issue is largely individual. It changes just by the receiving player showing their face and creating passing lanes. Especially in tough situations like the match against Hiroshima where the pressure is tight, it is important for the receiver not to run away but to consciously create passing lanes themselves, and for the whole team to be aware of receiving the ball. When the flow is good, everyone wants to receive the ball and can immediately face forward after receiving it, but when the match situation worsens, including myself, sometimes players hide from the opponent. If the entire team can properly show their faces in such situations, second balls can naturally be recovered, leading to better attacks.
Q. There was also a break due to national team activities, but it has been about a month without a victory.
A, The only title left for us is the Emperor's Cup, and we need to prove how we will prepare for it and what we can do in tomorrow's match. It is important to improve the team's cohesion as much as possible, and the entire team must work towards that goal. Personally, my numbers are not sufficient, and I want to continue scoring more goals from here on. Tomorrow's match is important, but winning at Ajinomoto Stadium is something special, so I want to secure a solid victory.
