2nd Stage Restart

After about two and a half months since the fierce battle with Kashima Antlers held on a midsummer night, the J1 League 2nd stage resumed after the break for the Sydney Olympics and the Asian Cup.

FC Tokyo has been actively working on strengthening during this break period. From September 11th to 14th, they held a training camp in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, mainly focusing on physical improvement. Following this, from September 18th to 24th, they went on a training trip to South Korea to regain a sense of practicality through practice matches with K-League teams. On October 8th, they played a preseason match with Kawasaki Frontale in Nagano Prefecture, and from October 16th to 19th, they held a training camp at J-Village in Fukushima Prefecture for final conditioning.

After that, Yokohama F.Marinos (2 games), Kashiwa Reysol and other top J1 teams held practice matches, and devoted all their efforts to preparing for the remaining 5 matches of the 2nd stage.

And the first game after the restart arrived. The opponent is Júbilo Iwata, a powerhouse club representing Japan. In the previous home game at the National Stadium, we were able to achieve a dramatic come-from-behind victory of 3-2 thanks to TUTO's explosion, but the content was completely dominated by Júbilo. In addition, this time Júbilo has transformed into a super team with a significantly improved team strength compared to last time, with the addition of Asia Cup MVP man and genius lefty for the Japan national team, Narumi, who has grown into Japan's ace striker at the Asia Cup, and Hattori, who has established himself as a key player in the national team's defense.

On the other hand, Tokyo has been actively working on strengthening, but has not achieved results in practice matches so far, and is also facing concerns such as the absence of King Amaral due to poor conditioning, making it a difficult restart. However, in the two previous seasons, they have managed to make a good start despite similar situations, so there is hope that they can once again create a "whirlwind" in their third season opener. The highly anticipated match, mixed with both hope and anxiety, will kick off at 7pm at the away Júbilo Iwata Stadium.

Unstoppable Offensive Power

Tokyo was the first to take a shot. In the first 30 seconds, the ball was passed to Kanno from the right side, and he took a shot while turning around. Although the ball was right in front of the keeper, Tokyo's aggressive attitude was evident.

Afterwards, DF Fujiyama aggressively took the ball from Iwata FW Takahara multiple times with sharp footwork and distributed passes to the left side where Seigo Kobayashi was flowing. Seigo Kobayashi, who is expected to show the results of his study abroad in Brazil, also actively attempted to dribble past the opponent's DF and put pressure on them. On the right side, Naito and Masuda, who have been a duo since their Antlers days, create chances from their hot line. For the first 10 minutes of the first half, Tokyo showed a more aggressive and evenly matched performance.

However, Jubilo could not stay silent. In the 10th minute, from a right corner kick, Nami raised a soft ball and a scramble ensued in front of the goal, with shots raining down mercilessly. Thanks to GK Doi's great save, they were able to survive the danger, but in the 11th minute, Nami received the ball right in front of Tokyo's penalty area and with a subtle heel pass, dropped it to Takahara who came running in and took a powerful shot. Again, Doi was able to save it, but Jubilo gradually began to show their fangs.

Júbilo applies strong pressure in the midfield to steal the ball, and then always passes it to the defensive midfielder, Thales. From there, they either make a direct pass to the forward with a variety of passes, or pass it to the other playmaker, Seigo KOBAYASHI. KOBAYASHI moves the ball with dedicated movements, and passes it to the right side, Nishi, or to the forward, Fukunishi, who moves widely from the right side or the position of the defensive midfielder, or to the left side, Hattori, who jumps out at the perfect timing, and then breaks through with a side attack. Each individual has high technical skills, and the imaginative attack centered around Thales has many patterns, leaving Tokyo on the defensive. Nishi from Júbilo's right side and Hattori from the left side are very aggressive in their attacks, causing Tokyo's wings, Seigo KOBAYASHI and Masamitsu KOBAYASHI, to focus on defense, making it difficult for them to counterattack and creating a vicious cycle.

Naito's ejection disrupts game plan

There was not a lack of strategy in Tokyo. After the game, coach Okuma looked back and said, "If we had kept the first half at 0, we could have taken a more aggressive stance and regained control of the ball at a higher position... However, we were forced to rethink our game plan due to that unexpected incident..." As coach Okuma mentioned, we were well aware that the opponent would dominate the ball, and we believed that we could manage if we kept the first half at 0. In fact, defender Fujiyama was doing a great job and midfielder Koike was functioning well as a key player in the attack. As mentioned earlier, the attacking players on both sides were too afraid of the opponent and were pulling back, which hindered our momentum. However, coach Okuma's game plan was to push forward in the second half and we believed that there was a chance to win. But then, in the 33rd minute of the first half, right back Naito was forced to leave the field due to pain in his left hamstring, which was an unexpected incident that disrupted our game plan. Naito was a key player in the strategy we had been working on during the break, which was to regain control of the ball at a higher position and launch a strong attack from there. His absence meant that we had to rethink our entire plan.

Kofumi, who replaced Naito, is a center back by profession, and while he was able to strengthen the defense in one-on-one situations, a review of the strategy of "going for goals to win" was necessary.

Endure with everyone's high concentration and expect TUTO's one shot.

Despite Naito's unexpected expulsion, Tokyo managed to keep the first half score at 0. In the second half, they aimed to unify their consciousness by pushing forward and stepping up as a whole, and took to the pitch.

Shortly after the start of the second half, Jubilo's fierce attack began, but Tokyo's strategy of consciously moving forward also showed its effectiveness.

5 minutes, Kamiya turned forward from the post play and passed to Masuda on the right. Masuda easily crossed it to the center, and TUTO took a powerful volley shot from a perfect trap. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a goal as it was saved by the goalkeeper, but it was a play that showed the "momentum" and "aggressiveness" that was not seen in the first half. In the following 9 minutes, TUTO passed two opposing players in a narrow area in the center and passed it to Kamiya who entered the post. Kamiya quickly passed it to TUTO who ran in from the side with a heel kick, and TUTO charged towards the goal. Unfortunately, he was stopped by two opposing defenders, but it was a great play that proved TUTO's ability to break through the Iwata defense alone and gave confidence to the team.

As Iwata gradually began to panic, TUTO turned the tide and attacked in the 11th minute. Once again, Lins showed his brilliance. When Tokyo DF took the ball from Iwata, they passed it to TUTO on the front line. TUTO received the pass in his own half and ran about 50 meters. Hattori, a member of the Japan national team, chased after him, but TUTO's dribbling was faster. In the end, his shot hit the opposing DF who had made a tackle, but TUTO was able to create a good opportunity with his signature counter attack.

The Tokyo defense was also outstanding. They were dominated by the ball about 80% of the time, but they were able to withstand Jubilo's attacks with high concentration and intense fighting, connecting with direct passes and preventing them from scoring. They also shut down the opponent's two top players, Nakayama and Takahara, with their height, Sandro and Yamao. In the 18th minute, the right side was broken by Nishi, and Takayama ran in close to the goal, but Yamao fiercely dove in and headed the ball away, narrowly missing the post. As a result of this play, Takahara was injured and sent off, and Yamao also suffered a cut on his forehead.

The team that works hard also has luck on their side. Jubilo's shots either fly straight to the goalkeeper or just miss the goal, and in the 21st minute, when it was the biggest pinch, Oku, who came on as a substitute, took a perfect shot from the front of the goal, but the goal post saved it.

Regrettable last 5 minutes

In the second half, TUTO had two chances to score with their aggressive play, but in the 21st minute, they had their third big chance. Just like the second chance, TUTO received the ball in their own half and started a solo run. As they approached the opponent's goal, they were sandwiched between a chasing defender from behind and a defender trying to stop them from the front. Right before being caught, TUTO passed the ball to the right like a pass, slipped past the defender on their left, leaving both defenders behind, and quickly caught up to the ball they had just passed to take a powerful shot. It seemed like the third time would be the charm, but unfortunately, the shot went wide to the right of the goal. It was a very disappointing missed opportunity, but TUTO's genius speed and dribbling once again proved to be top class in the J league. Watching this play, it was impossible not to expect another dramatic comeback like the one they showed against Iwata on April 5th, no matter how much they were being pushed back.

On the other hand, Jubilo's fierce attack was intense. It was clear from the atmosphere in the stadium, where about 10,000 people were watching, that it was unacceptable for them to lose to Tokyo twice, especially on their home turf. This pressure did not negatively affect the Jubilo players, but rather created a strong supporting mood that reminded them of their tradition and pride.

At the 30-minute mark, Robert unleashed a powerful middle shot from about 30 meters in the center, and Tsuchi dodged it with a punch. In the 33rd minute, a precise cross from Oku, who had broken through the right side, met the head of Nakayama on the far side. The shot narrowly went over the bar, but the danger of being scored on continued.

In the 36th minute, a cross was sent in from the left side and resulted in a scramble, with West eventually attempting an overhead kick. The shot hit the crossbar, once again saved by luck.

However, luck did not last until the end. In the 40th minute, Hattori, who had been participating in attacks repeatedly and looking for chances, entrusted the ball to the front line and rushed towards the goal. Fukunishi and Oku connected, and in the end, Hattori, who had come out from behind, was unable to keep up with the mark and passed the ball to Hattori, who had escaped freely in front of the goal, and the goal was pushed in, resulting in a goal. It was a goal that was called in by the experience and determination that had passed through the turmoil in the previous Asian Cup. And in the 44th minute that followed, the ball was passed to Fujita, who had flowed from Oku to the left side in front of the goal, and in the end, Nakayama, who was not in good shape today, jumped in and scored a perfect header to the far side. In the end, they could not withstand the last 5 minutes and lost the chance to win, which was within their reach.

The difference in strength between Iwata, which could be called one of the top clubs in Asia, and us was undeniable, but we must one day overcome them with our own strength. The precision of their techniques in this match was impressive, even though they were our opponents. The most notable aspect was the accuracy of their crosses, which coach Okuma always emphasizes. Their crosses were aimed and kicked with pinpoint accuracy. We must not let today's defeat be in vain. And in the near future, we will definitely defeat them with our strength!

[Manager Okuma's Comment]

"It was regrettable that we couldn't be more aggressive in our attack due to Naito's ejection. Also, when we conceded a goal, I was thinking 'I can't take it anymore' and had a substitute ready. It's regrettable that we conceded before making that substitution."

However, I think the things we were trying to do today with this team were done well, and we were able to do what I said at halftime, "Let's go forward more." If we can reduce mistakes in the front line, we should be able to create more good opportunities. From now on, I want to switch our mindset and prepare for the next game."