Breaking the losing streak, and will there be revenge...

Since winning against Kyoto on July 22, Tokyo has forgotten the taste of victory. After a draw against Kashima, they have fallen into the worst situation with six consecutive losses.

Today's opponent is Kobe, who narrowly lost in the 1st stage. Kobe has also not won since the restart of the 2nd stage, currently sitting at the bottom of the table after the 12th round, and is in 13th place overall for the year, facing the risk of relegation to J2, putting them in a more difficult situation than Tokyo.

Kobe showed a strong determination to win, not even including Mr. Kobe, FW Nagashima, who announced his retirement at the end of this season, on the bench. On the other hand, Tokyo also made a positive attempt to find a new path to escape the current worst situation by starting former Japan national team player Asano for the first time this season.

In a situation where neither team can afford another loss, will Kobe show their determination at home and make significant progress towards J1 survival, or will Tokyo demonstrate their tenacity to break free from consecutive losses and seek revenge against Kobe? At 4 PM, the kickoff whistle echoed in the Kobe Univ Stadium, with the evening sun shining down.

Naito could not fill Amaral's gap...

Before the game, Coach Okuma's strategy was as follows: "Utilize Asano's long pass to exploit the space behind both sides of Kobe, where TUTO and Yukihiko will break through. Including Fujiyama and Seigo KOBAYASHI, we will actively challenge on the sides and break through from there."

However, when the match started, it was Kobe that took the initiative on the side. As it had been in the two matches after the restart, Tokyo struggled to get going on this day as well, losing the ball with a lack of sharpness in their passing. Kobe quickly delivered a cross from a fast side change. In the 4th minute, Sandro was caught off guard by a cross from Kobe's left side and headed the ball freely from directly in front of the goal, but goalkeeper Doi caught it right in front. Furthermore, in the 15th minute, a cross from the left side was dropped in front of the goal, and Shigehara struck a powerful mid-range shot from the center, but it hit the goalpost and was saved.

It goes without saying that the absence of Tokyo's key players, Naito and Amaral, has greatly affected Tokyo's inability to establish their desired rhythm. Until now, Tokyo's attacks have started from Naito's passes on the right side (the opponent's left side), accurately distributing combination plays on that side and passes to the top (Amaral). When that side became congested, they could switch play widely to the opposite side. However, including the last two matches, Tokyo without Naito has been unable to build attacks on the right side. Even when passes are made from Komine to Yukihiko on the same side, the combination is poor, and the ball is repeatedly lost to the opponent. Also, when the ball is played to Jinno, who has taken over the post-play role at the top instead of Amaral, the ball is consistently lost due to strong charges from the opposing defenders, preventing any attacking rhythm from developing. As a result, the entire line cannot be pushed forward, and Tokyo's characteristic vertical momentum has disappeared.

Asano created rhythm in the midfield

Although Tokyo had many opportunities to lose the ball and struggled to build attacking momentum, Asano was fighting hard on both offense and defense. The former Japan national team large midfielder, who made his first start of the season too late, stated before the match, "I will give it my all!" and demonstrated his abilities as a starting point for the attack. He is originally skilled at creating rhythm by easily distributing the ball with direct passes and delivering accurate long passes when space opens up in the front line. He began to function around 15 minutes into the first half, once he got used to the pace of the game. When the opponent's press was strong in the defensive midfield position, he easily spread the ball with direct passes, and when space opened up in front of him, he advanced with dribbling, delivering long passes behind the opponent's defense as intended by Coach Okuma.

Gradually adapting to the opponent's speed and intensity, Tokyo found a "new" approach to attack centered around Asano. In the 21st minute, after winning the ball on the left side, Seigo KOBAYASHI initiated a dribble, breaking through two defenders and charging towards the goal. He made a deep cut and passed to the free TUTO in the center, but TUTO's left-footed shot, taken while waiting, went wide to the right of the goal. In the following 26th minute, a beautiful pass from Asano reached Yukihiko on the right side, who then charged forward, breaking through vertically and sending an exquisite cross to Kamino waiting at the far side, but Kamino's volley shot missed the target.

Withstand Kobe's fierce attack with determination

Following Coach Okuma's instructions, chances gradually increased in Tokyo, centered around Asano, but Kamino still couldn't create a focal point up front, failing to bring out the strengths of TUTO, Tokyo's greatest weapon.

On the other hand, Kobe circulated the ball around the midfield with former South Korean national team players Kawaguchi and Hasebe at the center, sending crosses from the open left side of Kobe (which is Tokyo's right side). In the 28th, 40th, and 41st minutes, consecutive crosses from that left side created dangerous situations, but with goalkeeper Doi at the center, Sandro and Yamauchi made strong plays to prevent any goals.

Conversely, in the 43rd minute, Asano dribbled up the center and made a through pass to TUTO, who got behind the opposing defense, but unfortunately, it was cut off by the opposing defense.

Why, how... once again, a painful goal conceded just five minutes before the end of the match

In the first half, Tokyo ended with just one shot, but they showed some good attacking shapes with Asano's distribution, Seigo KOBAYASHI, and Fujiyama's dribbling breakthroughs, albeit limited. Conversely, in defense, they did not allow any goals by putting their bodies on the line in front of the goal, but the positioning of Komine and Yukihiko on the right side was poor, which was a concern as they were broken down from that side.

As the second half began, the match intensified.

Two minutes into the match, Seigo KOBAYASHI broke through on the left side and crossed the ball in front of the goal, but the opposing defender cleared it. However, Asano picked up the ball on the left side and immediately sent a long pass to the opposite side to TUTO. TUTO, facing a difficult ball that went over his head, controlled it with a right-footed trap and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot, but the ball went high over the bar.

On the contrary, in the 4th minute, a pass was made to Fabinho, who was free on the left side from a counterattack by Kobe, and a decisive shot was taken from close range, but the ball went over the bar.

In a tense back-and-forth battle, it was Tokyo who made the first move. In the 8th minute of the second half, Masuda was brought on to replace Yukihiko, who had failed to create another opportunity on the right side. Just a minute later, in the 9th minute, Masuda sent a superb looping pass to Kamino, who had made a run forward from the right side, creating a chance with a different presence than Yukihiko.

Tokyo, after noticing that Asano's activity level had decreased, brought in Kinjo in the 23rd minute of the second half. This proactive substitution allowed Tokyo to create a new rhythm. Kinjo contributed to both defense and offense by stealing the ball with his enthusiastic defense and pushing up the midfield line with his abundant energy. In the 32nd minute, he stole the ball on the right side and quickly moved forward with Masuda ⇒ Kinjo ⇒ Masuda, and finally delivered a superb through pass to TUTO, who slipped between the opposing defenders, but unfortunately was offside. The introduction of the two players with high ball retention increased the team's attacking power.

On the other hand, Kobe also made a move. In the 15th minute of the second half, they substituted the often isolated Fabinho with the tall Kurozaki. Kurozaki became a focal point in the front line with his deep post play, and the frequency of quick crosses targeting his height increased. In the 35th minute, a cross was sent from Kobe's right side, and although Kurozaki connected with a header, it went straight to goalkeeper Doi.

In a back-and-forth battle with equal intensity, as the second half approached the 40-minute mark and the prospect of extra time began to loom, after a persistent struggle in front of Tokyo's goal, a perfect pass was finally delivered to Kurosaki, who calmly slotted it in, allowing a painful opening goal.

Once again... There were no words other than nightmare. In the second half after the restart, against Jubilo, goals were conceded 5 minutes before the end and during stoppage time; against V Kawasaki, during stoppage time; and even against Kobe... The football rule of thumb, "Be careful during the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes of the match," is something Tokyo players must have been told since childhood. Is it the level of J1 that "even if you understand it, you still get scored on"? Although we should not accept it, comparing the number of shots in the last three matches, Tokyo’s numbers are far too disappointing. It is also clear that the quality of football when Amaral and Naito are playing is drastically different from when they are not. TUTO’s two goals against V Kawasaki came after Amaral entered in the second half. It is natural that the team’s strength drops without the ace, but the fact remains that without addressing this, it is impossible to compete in J1.

In the next match, we must absolutely win for the fans gathering at the National Stadium for the final home game, and to entrust our dreams to next year's home, Tokyo Stadium. Everyone, including players, staff, and management, understands how important this is and will approach it with all their heart and soul.

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

The attacks we had planned on the side were executed, but we struggled due to the lack of a focal point in the front line. Additionally, without Naito, there were no decisive moments that could lead to scoring, especially from the right side.

It is clear that the issue is not being able to perform consistently when key players like Amaral, Sandro, and Naito are absent in the last three matches. In the remaining two matches, we want to change our mindset and fight with importance.