Challenging the in-form Kashiwa with a challenger spirit

　In the 4th round of the league, we will challenge Kashiwa Reysol away. Currently, we have 1 win and 2 losses in the league. We have not achieved victory in the Nabisco Cup either, so this is a crucial match where we want to produce results no matter what. However, Wanchope missed practice earlier this week due to a cold. Evaldo is temporarily absent due to family circumstances. Additionally, Hirayama, Inobu, and Kajiyama joined the team after playing in the Olympic representative qualifiers on the 28th (Wednesday).

　The period when the players practiced together was short, but Manager Hara said about the three Olympic representatives, "The time away from the team was shorter than before. There were also domestic matches, and above all, we won 3 games in the second qualifying round and gained confidence. I can feel the enthusiasm of 'Next is with the team!'". Hirayama himself also maintained good form by scoring in 3 consecutive games in the Olympic representative match. He started with Inonami. Kajiyama started on the bench. In addition, Tsuchi and Kurizawa returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the 3rd round of the league, and Kurizawa returned to the starting lineup for the first time in 2 games. Hirayama and Lucas will lead the 4-4-2 formation with Ishikawa as the right MF and Kurizawa as the left.

　Kashiwa is currently in 4th place with 2 wins and 1 draw, in good form. They press from the front, and when the ball reaches top FW Fransa, the surrounding players quickly jump out. At the same time, the final line is also tenacious, with only 1 goal conceded in the league. In the Nabisco Cup, they have tried various things by changing the members, but as a team, they have formed a "shape" and their momentum is something to be wary of. In particular, it will be crucial to contain FW Fransa.

　Manager Jean said, "We are challengers. Our starting point is to have a good defense = compact and press, and see who can run and pick up more balls." They aim for victory by quickly switching between offense and defense without losing to Kashiwa's momentum. The match started at 19:04 in Tokyo, at the Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium, for the first time in the league since 2003.

Although we tried to resist Kashiwa's momentum, we were scored on first...

　The rain suddenly started pouring before the game, making the pitch slippery. The game started with a speedy pace. Shortly after the start, Kashiwa FW França made a run on the right side after stealing the ball in midfield. MF Tatsuya Suzuki connected the play and right back Kurakawa took a shot. In the 5th minute, Imakawa → Ishikawa made a run into space and crossed the ball. Hirayama was in the center and Kurisawa made a run from the far side, but they couldn't quite connect. In the 12th minute, Lucas' shot hit the opponent's defender and they were countered. Kashiwa left MF Suganuma made a through pass and MF Tatsuya Suzuki took a shot from the right side of the box, but Tsuchi made a brave save! Both teams showed an attacking attitude and the game continued with back and forth attacks and defenses.

　However, gradually Kashiwa began to surpass Tokyo with their strength in ball control and quick start, and Tokyo struggled against the attack led by FW Fransa. In the 17th minute, Kashiwa threatened the goal with quick passing, and FW Fransa was in a shooting position. The rebound was picked up and FW Fransa took a header shot again. In the 25th minute, Tokyo earned a free kick after Hirayama was fouled just outside the box on the left. Lucas took the direct shot. In the 29th minute, Inaba → Hirayama's shot hit the post and Lucas took a shot, but both missed the target. In the 30th minute, they lost the battle in the midfield and Kashiwa's FW Fransa was able to exploit the space. MF Suganuma's fast cross was saved by Doi with one hand. Despite being dominated by Kashiwa, Tokyo persisted in defense and launched counterattacks.

　However, in the 34th minute, they were caught off guard and Kashiwa MF Tatsuya SUZUKI was able to take the ball and make a free attack. This led to Tokyo DF being dragged along and a long cross was sent to the far side. MF KANUMA ran in here, but Ishikawa, who had returned with a dash, couldn't catch up. He was perfectly matched with the cross and allowed a goal to be kicked in. In the 36th minute, Hirayama → Now, who had made an attacking run, took a sharp shot, but the opposing GK caught it. The attack ended in a single shot and they were unable to create any real chances. They went into the second half trailing by one goal.

Unable to make a comeback in an all-out battle, defeated with no points scored

　The rain has completely stopped, but strong winds blow in the second half. Tokyo, who wants to change the flow, substitutes Kajiyama for Ishikawa and puts Fukunishi in the attacking midfielder position to aim for an equalizer. However, in the 48th minute, a direct pass in front of the goal leads to a left corner kick from Kashiwa MF Kanno's shot. From the scramble for this corner kick, the ball is kicked in by DF Koga, resulting in the second goal being conceded.

　Still trying to score one point, in the 52nd minute, Kajiyama dodges Fukunishi and enters the area, but is blocked by the Kashiwa DF. In the 53rd minute, a pass from Norio Suzuki reaches Fukunishi who has escaped into the area, but his shot goes over the bar. Missing this chance, they lose the ball to the fast-starting Kashiwa and are unable to create chances. In the 66th minute, Hiraoka and Kurizawa are replaced by Wanchope and Kawaguchi. They launch a full-scale attack. Immediately after in the 67th minute, the ball is dropped from Wanchope in the area, but Noriyuki Suzuki on the left side of the area cannot take a shot and passes to the center. From here, Kajiyama tries to get to the ball again, but the timing is off and he cannot take a shot.

　In the 75th minute, Norio Suzuki caught up with a fast cross from Fujiyama on the left front line. The DF's loose ball rolled in front of Wanchope, but he couldn't take a shot. However, Fukunishi ran in and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In the final minutes, Tokunaga and Inonami switched positions, with Tokunaga attacking from the right. In the 89th minute, they connected from a left throw-in and Tokunaga's shot resulted in a right corner kick. However, Kajiyama's corner was cleared by the DF. Despite attempting a counterattack, the goal was too far away. In the end, they were defeated without conceding any goals, as Kashiwa dominated the game with their fast start.

　【Player Comments】《Kurisawa》"We conceded in a way that we should not have. That caused us to panic and make more floating passes, resulting in many mistakes that we gave to the opponent. The pitch was slippery, so I think we could have played with more rhythm if we connected more with our feet. However, even when we won the ball, there were not many movements from our teammates. We lacked the physicality and composure to connect. We practice for this and it's not like we can't run. We need to think about what actions we should take next, whether to support or make runs behind the defense, and everyone needs to think about it. We can't keep going like this for the sake of the fans who supported us desperately in the rain."《Tokunaga》"We didn't feel like we were being broken down, but we keep conceding from set pieces. We made a lot of mistakes and didn't have many shots in attack. We couldn't even create a shape. When the game goes on in this negative flow, the opponent gains momentum. We have to practice to be able to play our own style. For that, we need better communication. We know what we want to do as a team, but we can't bring out our individual strengths. We need to think as a team about how we can do that."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Kashiwa has been in good form since the start of the season and is a team with momentum. We expected them to defend compactly and come forward with speed. In the Nabisco Cup match against Oita, we played a sluggish game, so today we talked about attacking from the start and not losing to Kashiwa with our momentum. However, we lost many ball battles and had the ball taken away from us. In the first half, the ball was settled at Hirayama's feet, but the movements after that were not sharp. We were able to pass the ball around, but we couldn't exploit the opponent's weaknesses. And when we tried to go forward, we were countered and lost the ball. In the second half, Ishikawa was substituted due to a back injury. We tried to move the ball simply by bringing in Kajiyama, but we immediately conceded from a corner kick and lost our confidence. So we brought in Kawaguchi to run into space and we expected Wanchope to do the job in front of goal. Even though we were losing, we pushed forward and the ball started moving, but we couldn't score because we didn't take shots in the finishing moments. Despite having so many supporters cheering us on, we are still not playing as a cohesive team. We need to regroup. It's not that Hirayama is playing poorly, but we are not clicking. We also need to think about how to make the most of his abilities."

　[Kashiwa・Ishizaki Coach's Press Conference Summary] "Today, we faced an important match as we bid farewell to President Onodera and our PR representative, who will be replaced. We were able to send them off on a good note with a 2-0 win. In the first half, we moved the ball simply and were able to successfully switch sides in midfield. However, there were still many easy mistakes and we were unable to break through decisively. In the second half, Tokyo changed their players and system, and we were pushed back a bit, but our defensive line and midfielders worked hard. We were able to win the ball in good positions, but if we were able to smoothly transition from forwards like FW França and MF Kanno, and Tatsuya Suzuki, we could have created more chances to score. If we improve in this area, we can play more exciting football with more shots. With the performance we had today, we could have had around 20 shots. Our defensive balance was not broken, but in the second half our defensive line dropped back and we were unable to win the ball in higher positions. If we can improve on these things, we can approach the next match with confidence."