Overcome the poor compatibility and aim for the third consecutive victory!

　In Sec. 5 of the J1 League, we will face Nagoya Grampus away. In the previous match, we achieved a 1-0 victory against Jubilo Iwata, a team we had not beaten since the 2000 1st Stage, maintaining our position at the top with 3 wins and 1 draw, ahead of Kashima on goal difference. Winning against Iwata is significant, but winning the first match of the three consecutive games that follow in just two days allows the team to approach today's match against Nagoya and the match against Urawa on the 16th with a positive atmosphere.

　Nagoya currently has 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 loss, with 5 points, placing them 7th. In the previous match, they lost to C Osaka, who had not secured a victory, so it cannot be said that the team's condition is good. Additionally, the drop in form of FW Weslley, the top scorer of 2003, who has not been included in the squad since Sec. 2, is also a contributing factor. However, the renowned coach NELSINHO has made adjustments, changing the system from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 as a strategy against Tokyo. This aims to strengthen the midfield and disrupt Tokyo's fast attacks from the center to the sides. The return of Japan national team GK Narazaki, who missed the last match due to injury, is also a reassuring factor.

　Tokyo faced a setback in the last match as Kaji injured his left ankle and will be out for about 4 weeks, but Fujiyama stepped in, and the rest of the lineup remains the same as the previous match. In fact, Tokyo has a poor record against Nagoya at Mizuho Athletic Stadium, with 2 draws and 3 losses, having never won. Particularly in the most recent encounter in the 2003 2nd Stage, they lost after being ahead by 2 goals, and it cannot be denied that their league record over the past 10 matches shows only 2 wins. However, similar to the match against Iwata, the current Tokyo team has a momentum that transcends past performances, and I hope they can win and overcome this unfavorable record. As the cold wind blew, the match started at 7:04 pm with Tokyo's kickoff.

Battling The Bogey Teams

The 5th game of the season saw F.C.TOKYO travel to Nagoya to take on Grampus Eight. The first win over Jubilo in five years in the previous match had kept TOKYO top of the table, ahead of Antlers on goal difference. The win over Jubilo was doubly important as it set the mood for a potentially difficult schedule of three matches in six days, with a home fixture against the Reds on the following Saturday.
Grampus were in 7th place before kickoff with 5 points and had suffered their first defeat of the season in the previous game. This could perhaps be traced to the absence of 2003 Golden Boot winner Ueslei, whose sudden loss of form had led to his exclusion from the squad. Wily Grampus manager Nelsinho had abandoned his team's usual 4-4-2 for a 4-5-1 formation clearly designed to stifle TOKYO's preferred attacking style of gaining possession in midfield and using the flanks. The return of Japan keeper Narazaki from injury boosted the home side.
Fujiyama replaced Kaji, sidelined for at least a month with an ankle injury, in an otherwise unchanged TOKYO team. Mizuho Athletics Stadium was an unhappy hunting ground for TOKYO; they had failed to win in five previous appearances there, drawing twice and losing three times. In 2003 Grampus had overturned a two-goal deficit to take the three points. In fact, TOKYO had only beaten Grampus twice in the ten league meetings between the two teams. However, the dramatic win over the other perennial bogey team Jubilo had heartened the team and they entered the game full of confidence. The visitors kicked off just after 7pm on a chilly evening.

Unable to score even with a penalty chance, struggling to take control.

　As coach Hara said, "No matter what tactics the opponent uses, let's play Tokyo's football," we tightened our battles in the midfield as usual, seized the ball, and launched attacks from the sides. In the first minute of the match, a shot was made by Lucas on the right side from Miyazawa, and in the fourth minute, we seized a chance from a free kick on the left side by Miyazawa, with Kurizawa shooting from outside the penalty area, which was not a bad start to the match.

　Then, in the 12th minute, a left free kick earned from a foul by Nagoya MF Honda on Lucas was delivered by Miyazawa into the goal area. It reached Konno, who controlled it with his chest and was about to shoot when Nagoya DF Masukawa couldn't help but foul him, resulting in a penalty kick. Lucas aimed for the bottom right of the goal with his shot, but GK Narazaki made a save, missing a great opportunity to take the lead. Then, in the 14th minute, an unexpected incident occurred for Tokyo. Fujiyama injured his left knee and was urgently substituted by Mashima. They had already used one substitution card early on.

　Nagoya has thoroughly prepared for Tokyo. They stopped passing in the midfield and started sending long balls to the left and right sides early on, with MF Nakamura and DF Kakuta attacking on the right side, and MF Honda and DF Nakaya on the left side. They constantly engaged in one-on-one battles, aggressively marking closely to win the ball, and once they won it, they launched a counterattack straight towards Tokyo's goal. In the 22nd minute, Kakuta on the right side sent a middle pass to Honda, who ran into the goal area, advancing into the penalty area. Honda attracted the Tokyo DF and sent a last pass to the left FW Marques, but it narrowly escaped for a corner kick. From that left corner kick, Marques headed the ball at the near post, but Doih was able to make a nice save to prevent the goal.

　Although Tokyo cannot completely take control, they attack the Nagoya goal. In the 24th minute, Ishikawa on the left side keeps the ball with a dribble, sends it to Masushima on the right side, and delivers a cross. Toda, who is in shooting position in front of the left goal, attempts a shot, but GK Narazaki makes a save. In the 38th minute, Jean passes to Toda, who then sends it to Lucas on the right side. A cross is delivered to the center, but Toda's shot does not connect and is cleared. In the 41st minute, a quick attack from Konno to Kurizawa leads to another pass to Konno, who runs behind the opponent's DF on the left side and returns the ball to the center, where Masushima, who had moved up in front of the goal, has a shooting opportunity but is cut off by the opponent's DF. Just before the end of the first half, in the 44th minute, Miyazawa and Ishikawa take consecutive shots, but they cannot break the goal, and the first half ends as is.

Missed Penalty Disrupts Rhythm

"Regardless of the opponent, we'll play our own football," commented TOKYO manager Hara before kick off and, true to his word, his team began the game battling fiercely to gain possession in midfield before sweeping the ball out to the flanks. Lucas shot from Miyazawa's right wing pass in the first minute and Kurisawa fired wide following a left wing free kick in the fourth minute as TOKYO began brightly. 
TOKYO seemed set to open the scoring in the 12th minute after the referee awarded a penalty for a foul on Konno as he shaped to shoot after neatly trapping a Miyazawa free kick on his chest. Narazaki guessed correctly though, diving low to his left to block Lucas' attempt, and a golden opportunity was wasted. To make matters worse Fujiyama was forced off the field with an ankle injury in the 14th minute, Masushima taking his place. 
Grampus bypassed the midfield and its attendant dangers with long balls played along the flanks that allowed Nakamura and Kakudo on the right and Honda and Nakatani on the left to attack the TOKYO defense. Tight man marking and barely legal challenges regained possession and the ball was played forward as quickly as possible again. Honda took the ball to the byline inside the TOKYO area in the 22nd minute but ran out of room after drawing the defense towards him and failed to thread the ball through to Marques. Marques met the resulting corner with a firm header at the near post but Doi pulled off a smart save. 
TOKYO had failed to seize the initiative but still managed to threaten the Grampus goal. Narazaki whipped the ball off Toda's boot in the 24th minute following a fast break out of defense and superb crossfield pass from Ishikawa. Toda again came up short in the 38th minute as a sharp block prevented Lucas' cross reaching him in a good position. Masushima and Konno led a rapid counter attack in the 41st minute but the former failed to make contact with the latter's cross as the home defense again proved solid. Miyazawa and Ishikawa both had shooting opportunities in the 44th minute but neither could convert and the first period ended scoreless. 

Conceded a goal from a mistake, unable to grasp the rhythm of attack until the end, resulting in defeat

　Even after entering the second half, Nagoya's defense and counterattack situation against Tokyo's offense remains unchanged. In the 49th minute, Tokyo received a long ball from Miyazawa, and Ishikawa made a return pass near the end line, leading to a shot from Toda to Lucas, which was blocked by the opposing defender. In the 51st minute, Nagoya's midfielder Kraiton passed to Honda for a shot inside the left area, which was a decisive moment, but Doi made a fine save to prevent a goal.

　In the 53rd minute, Tokyo substituted Kajiyama for the fatigued Miyazawa in an attempt to change the rhythm of the attack. Then, in the 54th minute, Ishikawa intercepted the ball and surged forward, passing to Kurizawa who had run into the left side. He took a shot in the area, but it was blocked by a nice save from goalkeeper Narazaki. In the 58th minute, Ishikawa delivered a line-drive corner kick that flowed to the left side, where Masushima returned it to the center, allowing Toda to take a volley shot, but it went over the goal. Amidst the ongoing stalemate, a single mistake led to a conceded goal. In the 61st minute, a pass error by Kajiyama in midfield was intercepted, leading to a counterattack. Midfielder Nakamura advanced with a dribble, drawing in the Tokyo defense before delivering a final pass to Marquez on the left side. He finished it cleanly, allowing a goal to be conceded.

　Tokyo also shifts to offense. In the 65th minute, Masushima lifts a lob in front of the goal from the right, and Lucas shoots from the scramble but hits the opposing DF. In the 73rd minute, Yusuke KONDO is brought in to replace Ishikawa, trying to increase their attacking numbers, but they struggle to finish against Nagoya, who completely pulls back to defend. Conversely, Nagoya's FW Marquez and MF Yu NAKAMURA occasionally launch counterattacks, creating dangerous situations, but Tokyo's DF does not allow any goals. In the 89th minute, another accident occurs as Shigeno injures his foot and has to leave the field, and since they had already used all their substitution slots, they are left with 10 players. Tokyo attempts to counterattack until the end but fails to score, and the match ends as is. They were unable to grasp the rhythm of the attack throughout the game, resulting in a frustrating defeat.

　　【Player Comments】《Toda》"Nagoya kicked more than expected, and I think the cause of the defeat was that we couldn't respond or adjust during the match. Compared to Kashiwa in the Nabisco Cup, it was a different kind of long ball, and the opponent's fullbacks recklessly pushed up, which confused us with their all-or-nothing play. We received intense play early on, which caused some disruption. The whole team tried to stay calm, but we got frustrated. However, there's no point in being down after this loss. We need to switch our mindset immediately." 《Masushima》"The substitution wasn't unexpected since I was already warming up, but the first half was tough. I wasn't beaten, but my legs were tight. In the second half, I got used to it and tried to create chances with early crosses and forward runs. The goal conceded happened when I was pushing up. I think you have to take risks to score, but that's also the next challenge." 《Kanazawa》"The balance in attack was off, and the fact is we couldn't show our good points. We have to overcome the intense pressure from the opponent and win... I felt the opponent had many players in midfield. Defensively, we need to fix our marking on corners and free kicks."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We have had a hard time winning against Nagoya away, so we came with the intention to win today. However, the opponent did not connect much from the back and played long balls earlier than expected. Our players stayed up front, and we ended up chasing loose balls, which led to tough situations. The contest was quite intense, and there were many yellow cards. When the ball was recovered in midfield, I felt Nagoya was gaining rhythm. Early in the first half, from a free kick, Konno earned a penalty kick. Lucas was injured in his leg, but since he said he was okay, we let him take the kick. If that had gone in, the game might have unfolded differently. More importantly for the team, Kaji was injured in the previous match, and today Fujiyama also got injured, which was a painful accident. At halftime, we talked about stabilizing the midfield balance, but things got a bit chaotic. Miyazawa also showed signs of fatigue, so we brought in Kajiyama, who was in good condition. We thought the ball would settle there, but a small mistake was exploited. Without Fujiyama, Masushima had been practicing on the side, but since he is originally a center back, the response was a bit slow. I don't think the content of the game was bad at all. Of course, Nagoya came with great determination. We wanted to win, of course, but Moiniwa also got injured at the end. However, we have another match on Saturday, and in these tough times, I hope we can prepare well for the next game with fresh players and the strength of others."

　[Summary of Nagoya Coach NELSINHO's Press Conference] "It was a speedy and tense game. In the first half, the quality of passes was not good, and although we had better ball retention, there were many dangerous situations caused by misplaced passes. At halftime, I talked about the importance of valuing passes and being clear about what we want to do when attacking. The instructions were to play with clear intent, whether it be finishing, passing, or crossing, as it had been ambiguous. FC Tokyo was launching counterattacks, so we decided to aim for counters as well. While maintaining tight marking as in the first half, I told the team to be careful and clear when launching attacks. Then, from one of those counterattack opportunities, Marquez scored a goal, which became an important victory for the team. The substitution of Akita was also based on the expectation that FC Tokyo would play long balls, and Masukawa's unstable performance. Narazaki also played well, but today the goalkeepers of both teams stood out."

Failure To Find Attacking Rhythm Leads To Defeat 
The second period followed the same pattern as the first. In the 49th minute Ishikawa took Miyazawa's long ball to the byline but Lucas was unable to capitalize on the pull back as the Grampus defense smothered his effort. In the 51st minute midfielder Claiton slipped the ball to Honda inside the TOKYO area and Doi averted a certain goal with a fine save. 
TOKYO replaced the tiring Miyazawa with Kajiyama in the 53rd minute in an attempt to alter their attacking rhythm. In the 54th minute Ishikawa latched onto an interception and raced forward before moving the ball over to Kurisawa on the left. Kurisawa struck firmly but Narazaki produced a fine save to deny TOKYO the opening goal. Ishikawa struck a low corner to the far side in the 58th minute; Masushima played the ball back into the centre but Toda failed to keep his volley down and it sailed over the bar. 
The stalemate continued until a simple mistake led to the decisive moment. Kajiyama played a loose pass in midfield allowing Grampus to counter through Nakamura. Nakamura raced forward, drawing defenders to him before crossing to Marques at the far post. Marques finished cleanly and TOKYO were behind. 
TOKYO were forced onto the offensive. In the 65th minute Masushima lobbed a high ball into the Grampus area that caused a wild melee; Lucas struck only to see his goal bound effort cannon off a defender. Yusuke Kondo replaced Ishikawa in the 73rd minute and TOKYO threw men forward but to no avail. Grampus were content to defend in depth and counter through Marques and Nakamura, a tactic that nearly brought a second goal as the TOKYO midfield became stretched. To add insult to injury a leg injury forced Moniwa from the field in the 89th minute leaving TOKYO to finish the game with 10 men. Despite the best efforts of the team it proved an impossible task and the final whistle blew on a disappointing loss. 


Players' comments
Toda
"Grampus kicked into us far more than we had expected and our inability to cope with that led to the defeat, I think. It was slightly different from the Nabisco Cup game against Reysol though; their sidebacks took a huge gamble in pushing forward so much and we were bewildered by the all-or-nothing attitude. The opening period was very rough and there were a few stormy moments. We tried to keep cool as a team but it was difficult not to be ruffled. It's no use being down over the loss though; we have to pick ourselves up and prepare thoroughly for the next game."

Masushima
"I was already warming up before the substitution so I was ready when the call came but the first half was very tough. I wasn't beaten but I was really stretching. I got used to the pace in the second half and tried to put in a few early crosses and support the attack. They scored while I was up the field. If you don't take a risk you can't score, though".

Kanazawa
"The attacking balance was uneven today and there wasn't much to praise in that performance. When an opponent comes on so aggressively we have to turn it against them to win but...I felt they really packed the midfield today. We have to improve our defending from set plays".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara 
"We haven't had much success against Grampus away and were really up for the game today but they didn't play the ball around at the back at all and got it forward much faster than we had expected. They left a lot of players up the field and it became a battle for the loose ball and a fairly aggressive one at that. They had a lot of yellow cards. We failed to dominate the midfield and that allowed Grampus to find their rhythm. Still, we started well and got the early penalty. Lucas had a knock but said he was capable of taking it. If it had gone in I think it would have been a different story. The team is suffering a little at the moment; last game it was Kaji that was injured and today Fujiyama. At half time we talked about maintaining the midfield balance but lost it on a few occasions in the second half. Miyazawa looked tired so I sent on Kajiyama who has been in good form recently. We thought we would be comfortable on the ball but a slight mistake led to the goal. Masushima has practiced at sideback but is essentially a centre back and was a little slow at backtracking there. I don't think we played badly today though, and Grampus were very fired up, of course. Naturally we wanted to win but then Moniwa was injured at the end of the game. There's another game coming up on Saturday and we'll do our best to prepare for that with some fresh players".

Grampus manager Nelsinho
"That was a fast, tense game. In the first half our passing was poor, we failed to keep possession and put ourselves under pressure with some loose balls. At half time we stressed the importance of passing accurately and having a clear picture of what we were trying to do when we were attacking. A shot, a pass or a cross; the first half was too vague. TOKYO were counterattacking so we decided to take that approach too. We aimed to maintain the close marking and attack clinically. We created a good chance from a counterattack and Marques got the goal. It's an important win for the team. We sent on Akita to counteract the expected long balls from TOKYO and also because Masukawa was looking nervous. Narazaki played well; in fact both goalkeepers had good games today".