Aiming for victory in the last 3 matches, building up one by one

　In Sec. 32 of the league, we faced JEF United Chiba away. On 11/15, in the 4th Round of the Emperor's Cup against Sendai, we lost 0 to 3 without showcasing the essence of Tokyo. It is true that it was a series of matches under a hard schedule, but no one is using that as an excuse. Each time, we sincerely accept the challenges and reflections that arise, and we are determined to switch our mindset both physically and mentally to aim for victory in the remaining league matches.

　Chiba, on the other hand, has confirmed its position below 16th place in the last match. Next season, they will move their battleground to the J2 League. Additionally, in the Emperor's Cup 4th Round, they lost 0 to 1 against J2 Gifu, indicating that the team is in a difficult situation. However, in last season's away match and this season's home match at the National Stadium, they were pushed back by Chiba's momentum and resilience, suffering defeats in both matches. Coach Jofuku emphasized that "regardless of the score, they will demonstrate their perseverance until the end and sharpen their desire for goals," highlighting that they cannot be underestimated.

　In Tokyo, Konno and Tokunaga have joined the Japan national team activities energetically. However, on the other hand, Nagatomo has injured his right foot, and Kajiyama is absent due to a two-match suspension for accumulated warnings. Hanyu is placed in the defensive midfield, and Nakamura is positioned as the right midfielder. Coach Jofuku reiterated, "Rather than having a negative attitude of someone being absent... I want to pursue the aspect of 'there are also these strengths' with a new member composition," and is considering a strategy that maximizes the characteristics of the players on the pitch, just as before.

　Hayabusa expressed his determination, saying, "While discussing with Yone, we will fight by leveraging each other's play. In defense, we need to clarify our roles in challenges and coverage. Additionally, I want to work hard on both offense and defense, getting involved in the build-up and pushing forward. I want to contribute to winning with a different role than Yohei on both sides of the ball." Although it is a game at Fukuda Denshi Arena, which has a strong impression of being a difficult venue for Tokyo, we aim for victory by overcoming Chiba's momentum with focused play. The match started at 13:03 with Chiba's kickoff.

Although they allowed the opening goal, Akamine equalized with a pass play.

　From the start, both teams displayed a strong desire to win, leading to an intense match. However, Chiba seized the ball with tough checks in the midfield and launched a series of vigorous attacks from the sides. In the 7th minute, Chiba MF Yonekura delivered a cross from the right side. Gonda punched the ball away, and MF Alex took a mid-range shot. It went well over the bar. In the 8th minute, MF Tanizawa broke through the center with a dribble. He took a mid-range shot, which was a difficult shot with a knuckleball, but somehow Gonda managed to get his body in the way and avert danger.

　In response, Tokyo carefully circulates the ball while looking for opportunities to attack the Chiba goal. In particular, the two forwards actively target the space behind the defensive line, creating chances in the area, but they are unable to take shots. Additionally, the rain has made the pitch slippery, causing both teams to struggle with ball control. There are many situations leading to fouls, and in the 22nd minute, Chiba's forward Maki is forced to substitute due to injury.

　In the 25th minute, from a counter-attack, Chiba's FW Neto Baiano became the pivot, and with a cross from left DF Alex, FW Niinai, who was in the center of the area, headed the ball in, allowing the first goal. However, Tokyo calmly connected the ball without panicking. Then, in the 30th minute, from a throw-in on the left side, Nakamura passed to Suzuki in the center, who then sent it to Akamine running into the area. He found himself one-on-one with the GK and calmly slotted the ball into the goal with his right foot, equalizing before halftime.

Allowed to fall behind, but fought back with one less player...

　At the start of the second half, Chiba launched a powerful side attack. Then, from Chiba's MF Kudo, the ball was passed to DF Sakamoto, who broke through on the right side and delivered an early cross. This was met by FW Neto Baiano, who was free in the center, and allowed an unnecessary additional goal early on. Tokyo, wanting to counterattack, brought in Kondo for Akamine in the 53rd minute to change the flow. In the 55th minute, Suzuki on the left side exchanged passes with Tokunaga and advanced into the left side of the area, but his cross was cut off by the opposing DF.

　In the 58th minute, from a quick restart, Hanyu made a through pass to Kondo. In the 63rd minute, from Kondo's pass, Tokunaga sent a pass to Nakamura, but both were offside. Perhaps due to impatience, they rushed forward too much and were well defended by the opposing defenders. Moreover, in the 63rd minute, Hirayama received his second yellow card and was sent off, forcing the team to play the remaining time with 10 men. In the 69th minute, Hiramatsu was brought in to replace Nakamura, with Hiramatsu moving to the back line and Konno moving to midfield. They tried to increase their attacking options to somehow catch up, but Chiba chased the ball from the front line and their compact, solid defense prevented them from scoring.

　In the 77th minute, Otake was brought on for Hanyu. The final line was changed to a three-back formation with Kondo and Suzuki as the two strikers. With determination, Yonemoto and Bruno QUADROS repeatedly cut the opponent's ball and advanced it forward, but Tokyo could not convert their chances. In stoppage time, Konno threw himself into the opponent to clear the ball, and after the rebound, he picked it up and delivered a low cross from the right. Suzuki jumped in the center but could not connect. However, the opposing goalkeeper also failed to catch it cleanly, and Suzuki desperately tried to push the loose ball into the goal, but cruelly, the ball went outside the frame. The match ended this way, resulting in a painful defeat.

　[Player Comments] <Hanyu> "It was a situation where we had to win. Some players were substituted, but there was still motivation to achieve results. The forwards probably felt they had to score goals themselves. Everyone needs to unite well for the team's victory, or the results won't follow. I think everyone is doing their best. However, to turn that into a greater strength, everyone must dedicate themselves fully to the team. We want to reaffirm and unify our intentions on that point." <Tokunaga> "There was a possibility of finishing 4th, which was motivating, but there were quite a few mistakes. With our style of football, too many mistakes make things tough. Of course, the opponents applied strong pressure on the midfielders, but despite practicing to handle that, we couldn't do it. If we can't handle this level of pressure, we can't reach the next level of football, and we have to build on that. Our attack lacked final impact, so we want to share that and work on it together. With two matches remaining, we want to firmly shape the football we've played this year. Above all, we want to finish by winning firmly with our style of football."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "If we had won today, we could have been in 4th place, so all the players were determined to get a result and stood on the pitch. I think the players did well. I believe the failure to get the result is entirely due to my shortcomings. We need to be able to manage the game around the 30-minute mark of the first half much better, but we could only do that for about 15 minutes. Even with the current squad, we should have been able to maintain that style of play for a longer period. Not being able to make that happen is my problem. Until Sota HIRAYAMA's sending off, I also made the players feel frustrated about why we received yellow cards while the opponents did not—that is my fault. It is because I lack the ability. (What went wrong?) In a situation where I had no choice but to change the lineup, the team must show the strengths that come from those changes, not just feel something is missing because of them. I absolutely do not want to blame injuries or suspensions, and the players fought with that mindset. However, whether the new lineup was able to produce something that the previous lineup could not, and whether that was sustained for a long time, the time was very limited. Of course, each player has their own characteristics, which is why they are on the pitch, but including myself, we are not perfect, so with some challenges, I believe we could have done more to complement each other and bring out each other's strengths with the current squad. We were not able to do that."

　[Summary of Coach Ejiri's Press Conference for Chiba] "Last week, we experienced a historic relegation to the second division as a club, and we suffered a humiliating defeat to Gifu in the Emperor's Cup. Until this week's match against Tokyo, we emphasized the mental aspect that 'we can still do more.' Specifically, as seen in today's game, building up properly from the back is the style I have pursued. Although we lost the ball several times due to pressure from players Hirayama and Akamine, the approach was 'Don't fear mistakes, let's challenge.' Including the goalkeeper, we built up from the back, with MF Kudo and MF Nakago receiving in midfield. By drawing the opponent in this way and creating opportunities on the sides, we aimed to take action in the side spaces, which appeared throughout the match. I believe the first goal breakdown was a result of this approach. What we practiced today directly translated into the result. After being relegated to the second division following the match against Frontale on November 8, I think the players showed their pride and expressed their determination to absolutely win at home. Although unrelated to the match, there was a greeting from the president at the start, and that sentiment was also part of the players' mindset in today's game. Because of that, we fought until the end, ran more than the opponent, and never gave up for the full 90 minutes, which allowed us to earn 3 points."