First game under the new Kuramata system! Want to regain momentum

　J1 League Sec. 18 will be an away game against JEF United Chiba. After the previous match against Urawa, the team changed managers from former manager Garo to new manager Kuramata on Tuesday, the 15th. With the new system, they aim to make a comeback in the second half of the season. Manager Kuramata has set the goals of "quick transition between offense and defense" and "rebuilding the defense" as well as "conditioning". He is particularly concerned about the team's overall condition and has conducted focused training in a short period of time this week.

　However, the actual time spent on player evaluation and coordination was limited to three days from the 16th to the 18th, and it cannot be denied that the desired adjustments could not be made. As for the members, coach Kuramata stated, "The best team in the current condition. We have chosen the "fighting players" to practice the soccer we aim for." In order to stabilize the defense, a 4-4-2 system was adopted with Fujiyama as the left back, Lucas and Akamine as the two top players, and Kawaguchi and Ishikawa on the sides. Asari and Kajiyama will form a double pivot formation to face the match.

　Chiba, on the other hand, is currently in 7th place with 8 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses. After the break, they welcomed new coach Amar OSIM, but their direction of "running well and attacking from both defense and midfield" has not changed. In fact, compared to when Ivica OSIM was the previous coach, they have become more attacking and are practicing a risky style of football. In their last 5 games, they have 3 wins and 2 losses. Both losses were at home, but they created many chances and lost due to a lack of finishing. In addition, on the 16th (Wednesday), 4 players, Abe, Sato, Hanyu, and Maki, played for the Japan national team in the Yemen game, which is also a concern for their condition.

　Players are saying, "In the first game of the new soccer season, winning points are more important than performance," and Coach Kuramata continues, "We absolutely must avoid conceding goals from our own mistakes." As planned, we will prioritize defense and aim to secure points by taking advantage of opportunities. The Fukuda Denshi Arena is hot and humid with no wind. The match started at 7:04pm with Chiba's kickoff.

Despite conceding 2 goals early on, they manage to pull back within 1 point thanks to Lucas' goal.

　After a fast press from both sides, a fierce battle for the ball continues, but Chiba easily concedes 2 points. In the 4th minute, the ball is taken away in the opponent's territory, and a sharp counterattack is initiated by MF Sakamoto. FW Haas → MF Sakamoto enters the area, but Fujiyama holds him back and escapes to the left corner kick. However, in the 5th minute, MF Abe scores a header from this corner kick. In the 7th minute, a weak clearance in front of the Tokyo goal is taken advantage of, and the ball kicked by Chiba MF Sakamoto with a slight loop is sucked into the upper right corner of the goal.

　Despite the unexpected turn of events with two sudden goals, Tokyo does not give up and launches a counterattack. In the 8th minute, Kajiyama passes to Ishikawa from a left FK, who then switches to the center and takes a shot, but it is cut off by the opponent's DF. In the 11th minute, Jean cuts off the ball and brings it to Akamine, who then passes it to Kajiyama. He takes a middle shot, but the opponent's GK manages to escape with a CK. In the 15th minute, Kawaguchi receives a side change and takes a shot from just outside the box. It narrowly misses the top right corner of the goal. After the goals, Tokyo picks up their momentum and puts up a fight that is on par with their opponent's energy level.

　Then, in the 16th minute, Lucas, who received a throw-in from the left side, persisted and entered the left area, and his powerful shot found the bottom left corner, bringing one point back. In the 19th minute, Kajiyama → Ishikawa → Lucas received the ball from a counterattack, dribbled into the middle and took a shot, but it went over the bar. After the 25th minute, Chiba started to make a comeback. They kept the ball and launched attacks from both sides, with FW Haas as the starting point. However, the defense put their bodies on the line and didn't allow any shots. Both teams played with great determination, resulting in a fast-paced game with constant changes between offense and defense, making it an intense match.

　At 29 minutes, Ishikawa on the right side ran alone from Doi's throw. Although he didn't make a shot, he started to gain momentum. At 35 minutes, there were two right corner kicks. Lucas tried to head it in from Kajiyama's kick, but it didn't hit. At 38 minutes, Lucas → Tokunaga ran up the right side and made a minus last pass to the center. Ishikawa took a direct shot, but it narrowly missed to the right. At 44 minutes, from Akamine's post, Ishikawa → Akamine received a return and took a shot. It was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the end, the first half ended with a one-point deficit, but the second half showed promising content.

Abe's goal secures a chaotic battle and gives Coach Kuramata his first victory!

　Even in the second half, it was an intense battle with both teams showing their determination without losing focus. In the 46th minute, Chiba was given a free kick in front of the goal after passing the ball around. Chiba MF Abe took the direct shot, but it missed the target. In the 53rd minute, they were awarded a free kick from outside the left area. Akamine jumped in for Kajiyama's kick, but was unable to take the shot. From the rebound, they were awarded another free kick from outside the right area. However, they were unable to convert it into a shot. In the 55th minute, they threatened Chiba's goal from a left corner kick, but Ishikawa was unable to finish the pass from Kajiyama. They were unable to score a goal.

　57 minutes, Chiba made a sharp counterattack, MF Hayashi flew out to the left in the area and took a shot. It was a decisive scene, but it slightly curved to the right. Then in the 62nd minute, Kajiyama on the left side dragged the opponent's DF and brought it to the end line, and made a last pass to Akamine who was in close range. Akamine turned around and took a shot, even though he was being crushed. The ball rolled into the goal, tying the game. After that, the game became even more intense, with a rapid back-and-forth attack and defense.

　At 69 minutes, Jean intercepted and dribbled up to take a right CK. He did it three times in a row, and the last time the ball rolled to his feet, but he couldn't shoot. At 71 minutes, Chiba MF Mizuno, who came on as a substitute, took a shot from just outside the area. It narrowly missed to the right. At 72 minutes, Abe was substituted for Kawaguchi, and the attack gained even more momentum. At 75 minutes, from Kajiyama who stole the ball, Ishikawa had an exquisite timing. He entered the area on the right and took a shot! The ball pierced the net on the opposite side, and finally took the lead.

　Substitute Akamine with Ozawa immediately. We wanted to hold on to the lead by properly defending the front line, but in the 84th minute, we lost the ball in the midfield and MF Erik, who received the ball from the central MF Raku, precisely aimed and scored on the opposite side. The game is tied again. However, just one minute later, we substituted Ozawa, who had just come on, with Baba. We are going for the win. In the 89th minute, Baba connected with a heel pass and Abe entered the area. It looked like he was fouled by the opponent's DF, but there was no call. And the game entered stoppage time.

　From the front line, Baba kept the ball and Tokunaga ran up the right side and made a fast cross. However, two Chiba DFs were unable to clear it. Abe, who was behind them, pushed it in with his right foot, scoring a valuable go-ahead goal. Despite Chiba's counterattack, the referee blew the whistle and the game ended. It was their never-give-up attitude that led to this amazing comeback victory.

　【Player Comments】《Abe》"I am happy that the team was able to win in a good way. It was the first game under the new system, so I thought it was very important. I am really glad that we were able to get results. In the scene of the shot, when Yuhei dribbled, I always thought the ball would come. It turned out that way and I was able to calmly score with my right foot."《Doi》"Coach Kuramata told us, 'Don't be afraid, go forward aggressively.' In the previous game, we might have been disappointed after conceding two goals, but this time we were able to go forward with the mindset of 'let's get it back.' It was a big deal that we were able to outrun the running Jeff. If we fail next time, it will be like saying 'it's hopeless after all.' So we have to fight hard in the next game."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "Honestly, I am relieved. It has only been four days since I became the manager, but I am grateful to the players who have done their best so far. (What was the most emphasized approach to the players in the four days since becoming the manager?) First and foremost, it is important for the team to come together. There were some players who were selfish during practice matches, so I have been conscious of the need for the team to come together. (What is the significance of winning away against JEF?) We had planned to take advantage of Chiba's decrease in physicality in the second half and make our move, and that is exactly what happened, so I think it went according to plan. (What were your instructions to the players after conceding two goals early on?) Conceding a goal like that is something that happens often, so I have always told them to never give up until the end. There were no players who hung their heads after conceding from a set piece, so I am looking at that aspect positively. As for the two goals, we have been slow to react to second balls recently, so I have been talking to the players about being more alert to second balls, but in that situation, we hesitated for a moment. That is something we should not do. However, the attitude of not giving up until the end and going for a goal, I think that has changed since before."

　[Summary of Chiba Amaro Osim's press conference] "Today was a typical Japanese game. The fact that many goals were scored is also a sign of that, and the back-and-forth lead changes between teams is also a part of that. It was also a game where we played aggressively. In the end, the goal was scored in stoppage time and the game was decided, which I think is a typical Japanese game in every aspect. In a game where a total of 7 goals were scored by both teams, it is wrong to focus on tactics. I think the fans were able to enjoy it, especially the Tokyo fans. After scoring 2 goals, Tokyo pressed forward without anything to lose and it was successful. After it became 2-1, Jeff had to score another goal but couldn't, and instead Tokyo gained momentum by tying it up 2-2. Then, Jeff tied it up again 3-3 and gained the flow, but couldn't score another goal and in the end, Tokyo scored one more. Jeff is a team that can pass calmly, but it's not because Sato was sent off due to injury, it's because Tokyo didn't allow it and we couldn't do it ourselves."