Escape from consecutive losses, and will it be revenge...

Since winning against Kyoto on July 22nd, Tokyo has forgotten the taste of victory. In between a draw against Kashima, they have fallen into a terrible situation of six consecutive losses in the mud.

Today's opponent is Kobe, who narrowly lost in the 1st stage. Kobe has not won any matches since the 2nd stage resumed and is currently in last place at the end of the 12th round, with the risk of relegation to J2 and a 13th place overall ranking, making their situation even more difficult than Tokyo's.

On this day, Kobe showed a strong determination to win by not including Mr. Kobe, FW Nagashima, who announced his retirement at the end of this season, on the bench. On the other hand, Tokyo also tried to find a new way out of the current worst situation by positively trying a new approach, such as starting former Japan national team member Asano for the first time this season.

In a situation where neither team can afford to lose, will Kobe show their determination at home and make a big step towards staying in J1, or will Tokyo show their determination to break their losing streak and take revenge against Kobe? At 4pm, the kick-off whistle echoed through the Kobe Univ Stadium, with the setting sun shining down.

Naito, unable to fill Amaral's void...

Before the game, Coach Okuma's aim was this: "To exploit the space behind Kobe's sides with Asano's long passes, and have TUTO and Yukihiko make runs into that space. Including Fujiyama and Seigo Kobayashi, we will aggressively compete on the sides and break through from there."

However, it was Kobe who took the lead on the side when the game started. Just like in the two games after the restart, Tokyo's engine was not running well and they lost the ball with a lack of sharp passing, allowing Kobe to quickly change sides and put in a cross ball with good timing. In the 4th minute, Sandro was caught behind by Kobe's cross ball from the left side and was able to head it freely from the front of the goal, but GK Doi caught it in front. Then, in the 15th minute, a cross from the left side was dropped in front of the goal and was hit with a powerful middle shot by Shigeharu from the center, but it hit the goal post and was saved.

As a factor that prevents Tokyo from achieving their desired rhythm, it goes without saying that the absence of key players Naito and Amaral has had a significant impact. Up until now, Tokyo has been using Naito's passes from the right side (i.e. the opponent's left side) as the starting point for their attacks, accurately distributing passes to the same side's combination play and top player (Amaral), and if the same side gets crowded, they can make a big expansion to the opposite side. However, in the past two games, Tokyo without Naito has been unable to build attacks from the right side, and even when passes are made from Komine to Yukihiro on the same side, the combination play is poor and they end up losing the ball to the opponent. Also, even when they pass the ball to Kamiya, who has taken over Amaral's role as the target man at the top, they end up losing the ball due to the opponent's strong charge, and the rhythm of their attacks cannot be established. This prevents them from pushing up the entire line and also causes them to lose their characteristic vertical momentum.

Asano created a rhythm in the middle of the game.

Tokyo, which often lost the ball and struggled to get on the offensive, had Asano fighting hard on both ends. The former Japan national team's big midfielder, who made his first start of the season late, said before the game, "I'll do it desperately!" and showed his ability as the starting point of the attack. He is good at creating rhythm by easily spreading the ball with direct passes, and when space is created in the front line, he distributes accurate long passes, and he started to function around 15 minutes into the first half when he got used to the speed of the game. When the opponent's press is strong in the position of the midfielder, he easily spreads the ball with direct passes, and when space is created in front of him, he advances with dribbling and distributes long passes to the opponent's defense as intended by coach Okuma.

Gradually getting used to the opponent's speed and intensity, Tokyo found a "new" thread of attack centered around Asano. In the 21st minute, Kobayashi Seigo dribbled past two defenders after stealing the ball on the left side, charging towards the goal and then passing to TUTO in the center. However, his left-footed shot missed wide to the right. In the following 26th minute, Yuki from the right side received a beautiful pass from Asano and charged forward, breaking through vertically and sending a perfect cross to Kamiya waiting on the far side. But Kamiya's volley shot missed the goal completely.

Endure Kobe's fierce attack with your body

As instructed by Coach Okuma, Tokyo gradually increased their chances with Asano at the center, but as usual, Kamiya was unable to create a base on the front line, and they were unable to bring out the full potential of their greatest weapon, TUTO.

On the other hand, Kobe passed the ball around the midfield with former South Korean representative Kawa and Hasebe at the center, and crossed from the left side of Kobe where space was open (in other words, the right side of Tokyo). In the 28th, 40th, and 41st minutes, they continuously invited danger with crosses from the left side, but thanks to the efforts of GK Doi, Sandro, and Yamao, they did not allow any goals.

In the 43rd minute, Asano dribbled up the center and sent a through pass to TUTO, who had taken the opponent's defense behind, but unfortunately it was cut off by the opponent's defense.

Why, how... once again, a fatal goal was conceded just 5 minutes before the end of the game.

In the first half, Tokyo only managed to make one shot, but they showed good attacking form with Asano's distribution, Seigo Kobayashi, and Fujiyama's dribbling. On the other hand, they defended well and didn't allow any goals, but the positioning of Kominato and Yukihiko on the right side was concerning as it left them vulnerable to being broken down.

The game intensified as the second half began.

2 minutes into the game, Seigo Kobayashi breaks through the left side and crosses the ball in front of the goal, but the opposing defender clears it. However, Asano picks up the ball on the left side and immediately sends a long pass to TUTO on the opposite side. TUTO controls the difficult ball with his right foot and takes a powerful shot towards the goal, but the ball goes over the crossbar.

In the 4th minute, Kobe was countered by a free pass from Fabiño on the left side, but they were also shot with a decisive shot from a close distance, but the ball also went over the bar.

As the intense attack and defense continued, it was Tokyo who made the first move. In the 8th minute of the second half, they substituted Yukihiro for Masuda, who couldn't create another chance on the right side. Just a minute later, Masuda made a difference by sending a perfect looping pass to Kamiya, who ran forward from the right side and created a chance in a different way from Yukihiro.

Afterwards, Tokyo responded to Asano's declining physical condition by substituting in Kina in the 23rd minute of the second half. This proactive substitution created a new rhythm for Tokyo. Kina contributed to both offense and defense by aggressively stealing the ball and pushing up the midfield line with his abundant physicality. In the 32nd minute, he stole the ball on the right side and quickly moved up the front line with Masuda, Kina, and Masuda, but unfortunately, the final pass to Lins was offside. The team's attacking power increased with the addition of these two players with strong ball retention skills.

On the other hand, Kobe also made moves. In the 15th minute of the second half, they substituted the tall Kurosaki for Fabiño, who had been isolated on the front line. Kurosaki became the focal point of the front line with his deep post play, and the frequency of crosses aimed at his height also increased. In the 35th minute, a cross was sent in from the right side by Kobe, and Kurosaki's header was met with a cool finish, but the shot was saved by GK Doi.

In the second half, after a back-and-forth battle, with the possibility of an extension looming, in the 40th minute, Tokyo was persistently held back in a chaotic situation in front of the goal, and in the end, a perfect pass was made to Kurosaki, who calmly pushed it in, resulting in a devastating first goal for the opponent.

Once again... There are no other words to describe it but a nightmare. In the Júbilo match after the 2nd half restart, in the last 5 minutes and stoppage time, in the V Kawasaki match in stoppage time, and even in the Kobe match... The golden rule of soccer, "be careful in the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes of the game," is something that Tokyo players have surely been told since they were young. Is it the level of J1 to know it but still fall victim to it? It's not something to be satisfied with, but even comparing the number of shots in the last 3 matches, Tokyo's is far too few. It's clear that the quality of soccer is drastically different when Amaral and Naito are on the field compared to when they are not. The 2 goals by TUTO in the V Kawasaki match were scored after Amaral came on in the second half. It's natural for the team's strength to decrease without their ace, but if they don't do something about it, they won't be able to compete in J1.

In the next match, for the fans who will gather at the National Stadium for the final home game, and also to entrust our dreams to our new home, Tokyo Stadium, next year, we must absolutely win. All players, staff, and front office must approach this with a shared understanding of how important it is, and give it their all.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

"We were able to execute the planned attacks from the side, but without a strong presence in the front line, it became a difficult situation. Additionally, without Naito, there were no clear opportunities to break through and score from the right side."

In the last three games, it has been clear that our main players, Amaral, Sandro, and Naito, have not been able to consistently perform when they are absent. This is a challenge for us. In the remaining two games, we want to change our mindset and fight with determination.