I want to fight aggressively at home and conclude the consecutive matches with a victory

　In Sec. 12 of the league, we will face Kashiwa Reysol at home. In the previous match, Coach Jofuku reflected, saying, "We became passive," as we struggled against Nagoya's intense pressure. In this match, as Coach Jofuku plans to be "aggressive from our side in both offense and defense," we want to take the initiative at home and conclude the five-match series with a victory.

　However, Nagatomo injured his right arm. Kurizawa also felt discomfort in his left calf and both will be absent. On the other hand, Kajiyama returns from suspension, and this match will see Kanazawa at left back, with Moniwa and Fujiyama as center backs, and Asari in the central position, forming a midfield with Konno and Kajiyama, while Hanyu will be included in the midfield lineup. Additionally, Mukuara has made the squad for the first time this season.

　Kashiwa currently sits in 7th place with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses. They have won their last two matches against Chiba and Kobe, and can be said to be on a roll. In particular, they have often struggled against the intense pressing from the front line in the past. Looking back at their head-to-head record, they are currently on a four-game losing streak in the league. They have not won since May 2004 (9th league match, 29th Nabisco Cup), and they have only won once at Ajinomoto, on March 22, 2003. This match will be crucial in shaking off their mental block and determining how well they can establish their own rhythm.

　Kashiwa has scored 3 out of their last 4 goals from set pieces in the last two matches. It is important to stay focused and not lose marks during set pieces taken by MF Alex and FW Popo, but ideally, they want to avoid unnecessary fouls. Additionally, Kashiwa's side MF Ota and FW Suganuma have speed, so it is crucial to finish the plays to avoid quick counterattacks. Let's engage in an aggressive battle on both offense and defense and secure a victory at home!

　Unfortunately, due to the rain and the chilly Ajinomoto, the match started at 16:05 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

The fast-paced offense and defense continue, but both teams end the first half scoreless.

　In the first half, we struggled against Kashiwa's speedy counterattacks. In the 6th minute, from a Kashiwa throw-in, right back Kurakawa sent a long pass forward, allowing midfielder Suganuma to break through behind the defense. However, it ended in a missed shot, and Tokyo quickly transitioned to attack, earning a right corner kick in the 7th minute. From Hanyu's kick, Kajiyama attempted a header but it went over the bar. In the 12th minute, we connected passes from a cut by Konno in our own half and advanced, with Kajiyama passing to Konno on the right side. Finally, we won a corner kick from Hanyu's cross. However, we couldn't carry it to the goal from the short corner.

　In the 24th minute, the ball was taken away while trying to clear it in their own half, and Kashiwa FW Popo quickly passed to right MF Ota. MF Ota charged into the area at high speed and received a backward pass from MF Alex in front of the goal, creating a scoring opportunity, but the shot went over the bar. Saved by the mistake, Tokyo avoided the early crisis and gradually took control of the ball without losing balance. Kajiyama spread the passes and tried to launch an attack with Cabore running up front. However, they were unable to create a decisive chance.

　In the 34th minute, Tokunaga's right cross was contested by Cabore in front of the goal, followed by Akamine, but they couldn't get a shot off just a little bit. In the 35th minute, Kashiwa's midfielder Ota made a fierce run into the right area, turned the Tokyo defender, and took a shot, but Shiota made a great save. In the 38th minute, from a throw-in in the Kashiwa half, Cabore contested on the side → Akamine chased the loose ball in the center and took a shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 41st minute, Kajiyama received a return pass from Akamine, kept the ball just outside the area, and aimed for a goal with a loop shot, but it went to the left, ending the first half at 0-0.

16 shots but no goals... the first consecutive losses of the season

　In the second half, Tokyo took control from the beginning. Right after the start, Kajiyama took a precise long-range shot from midfield. The ball spilled from the goalkeeper's save, but no one was there to follow up. Still, until around the 60th minute, they did not allow Kashiwa to take any shots. Kajiyama created the game, sending crosses to the front line from Kanazawa's interceptions and Konno's advances to create chances. In the 48th minute, Cabore broke through from the right side into the middle. Kashiwa's DF slid in for a corner kick. Hayabusa's kick spilled, and Kanazawa shot from outside the left area, but Kashiwa's DF blocked it. In the 51st minute, after picking up the spill from Cabore's right cross, Akamine sent a cross from the left area this time. Kashiwa's DF cleared it, resulting in a right corner kick.

　However, they were unable to capitalize on the set-piece opportunities. In the 59th minute, Kanazawa intercepted a pass from the opponent and advanced, passing to Kajiyama in the center. Kajiyama's shot from distance hit an opponent and resulted in a corner kick. Shortly after, Ohtake was brought on to replace Hanyu. Ohtake's left corner kick was met by Konno with a header, but it went just wide of the goal... In the 65th minute, Ohtake received a pass from the right with his back to the goal. He turned inside, faced the goal, and took a shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper.

　In the 68th minute, Kondo was brought in on the right side to replace Asari, forming a double pivot with Konno and Kajiyama. Ohtake played as an attacking midfielder, with Akamine on the left, as Konno supported the attack aiming to score first. However, in the 74th minute, after conceding three consecutive corner kicks to Kashiwa, the last one was punched away by Shiota from Kashiwa FW Popo's left corner kick. Unfortunately, the ball spilled into the left area and was finished off by Kashiwa MF Otani with his right foot, resulting in a goal... They were unable to defend against Kashiwa's set pieces, which they had been wary of.

　In the 78th minute, Hirayama was brought on to replace Akamine. They launched a fierce attack against Kashiwa, who were defending deep. Just after that, in the 79th minute, Konno's left cross was contested by Kondo and the opposing DF, and it spilled into the right area where Hirayama was in shooting position. However, he was closed down by the Kashiwa DF and couldn't make contact... In the 82nd minute, from Cabore's post, Kanazawa advanced into the left area and delivered a cross in front of the goal. Hirayama dropped it at his feet, but there was no follow-up. In the 83rd minute, they earned a left corner kick, but Otake's kick was cleared by Kashiwa. In the 84th minute, Kashiwa DF Koga, who jumped and contested with Konno in midfield, hit his head and was injured, causing the match to be interrupted.

　After that, the match resumed, but there were only 6 minutes of stoppage time left to equalize. Here, they earned a corner kick, and Tokunaga headed in Ohtake's left corner kick perfectly. Following that, Ohtake took a shot from a loose ball after a right throw-in in the area. However, both were blocked by the Kashiwa defense. Despite taking a total of 16 shots in both halves, they were far from scoring a single goal, suffering a frustrating defeat at home and experiencing their first consecutive losses of the season.

　[Player Comments] {Shioda} "The conceded goal was due to a combination of various conditions, but it was my mistake. Until then, we hadn't been broken down, and as the captain, I cannot allow myself to be the cause of a conceded goal in that situation. However, there is no time to look down. It's important to switch our focus towards the match against Iwata." {Kanazawa} "I think the difference showed in the final critical moments. It's necessary for the players who took the field to fight with responsibility. Everyone must be aware that victory is the most important thing. We cannot afford a third consecutive loss. It's an away game, but we want to break the bad streak of not scoring and aim to take all three points against Iwata."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "We struggled several times against Kashiwa's sharp counterattacks, but I think we were able to compete on equal terms or even better at times during the match. However, we cannot win without scoring goals. In the penalty area leading to the final goal, I believe the opponent's defensive fighting spirit was superior. Regarding the conceded goal, we need to review it again to understand the sequence leading to the corner kick, but there are always several reasons for conceding a goal. There was a corner, the goalkeeper punched the ball, and there was a free player there... Of course, the opponent's shot was good, but we concede because our mistakes pile up, and we have to accept that. (About bringing in Hirayama) He was able to carry the ball up to the goal area, and since it was slippery and mistakes were likely, I expected his finishing ability to make a difference in the penalty area. (You pressed in two consecutive matches but couldn't secure a win?) Today was especially slippery, so it was difficult to carry the ball without technical mistakes. However, I strongly feel that we need to increase the number and quality of occasions where we break down the defense inside, spread the play outside, show the option to shoot, and come up with different ideas."

　[Summary of Coach Ishizaki's Press Conference at Kashiwa] "The players did well to endure the tough schedule of only 2 to 3 days between matches during Golden Week. Despite many injuries making things difficult, all the players who took the field fought with responsibility. I believe that led to today's 1-0 result. However, there is still the issue that we struggled to move the ball effectively in attack and had difficulty creating chances. We have a week until the next match, so we want to regroup then. It was a tough game, but I'm glad we won thanks to the players' efforts. (The opponent controlled the pace for a long time, but did you resist making substitutions?) Tokyo brought in big players like Hirayama and Kondo, but we didn't have many players to substitute. MF Sugiyama is still recovering from injury, so his time was limited. However, we maintained our defensive rhythm. We didn't want to disrupt that rhythm by making unnecessary changes, so we endured to some extent. Due to DF Koga's injury, we moved MF Sugiyama to defensive midfield and dropped MF Kamata back, but even when the ball was lumped forward, the defensive line stayed focused and I think they did well to pick up loose balls."