J League Resumes! Creating something new and aiming for a comeback in the second half of the season

　After a break of just over a month, the J.League has resumed. On Saturday the 17th, Sec. 13 of the league will take place, with a home match against Vissel Kobe. During this break, Daikoku and So Yondoku joined the team. Takumi ABE transferred to Yokohama FC, and Nagatomo also moved on a loan to Cesena in Italy, resulting in some player changes. Meanwhile, Gonda was injured, so although the team is not in perfect condition, they have been focusing on the themes of "aiming for the fewest goals conceded while pursuing attacking football" and "who will score goals" in preparation for the restart. To carry momentum into the second half of the season, this match is one they absolutely want to win.Vissel Kobe currently sits 15th with 11 points. In the early part of this season, they struggled to secure wins, but FW Tokura has become a key player up front, and the attack centered around FW Okubo is powerful and dynamic. Also, with MF Botti and other players who have high kicking accuracy, they pose a threat with middle-range shots and set pieces. For Tokyo, the key will be how to carry the ball forward without losing possession and how to switch the play effectively. While raising defensive awareness, they want to win the battles on the flanks and break through to score.This first match after the restart is important for predicting the future. The starting lineup will feature a two-forward formation with Ricardinho and Daikoku, Hanyu and Otake on the wings, Matsushita and Nakamura as fullbacks, and Shioda as goalkeeper. Coach Shirofuku explained, "Based on each player's strengths and challenges, we made the choice closest to resolving the current team issues." He also said, "Nagatomo has something no one else can imitate, but other players also have something unique that no one else can copy. As a team, this is a chance to create something new," and the team aims for victory united.July has arrived, and while the days remain humid, the heat at Ajinomoto Stadium has finally started to ease in the evening. The match kicked off at 18:34 with Vissel Kobe starting the game.

Kajiwara and Otake score from the intended play! They take a 2-point lead.

　In the 10th minute, Otake and Kajiyama intercepted Kobe's ball on their own right side, and from Kajiyama to central Oguro. Oguro received it and immediately changed his body orientation, delivering a sharp pass to Ricardinho who had advanced into the left side space. From here, Ricardinho carried the ball inside and took a shot that was blocked by the goalkeeper, but Kajiyama, who dashed to the front of the goal, calmly pushed in the rebound for a goal! They took the lead with a sharp counterattack.At 18 minutes, Kajiyama → Matsushita → Ricardinho dribbled past the opposing defenders from the left side and entered the left area. Otake connected directly with a backward pass and scored an additional goal!! They smoothly transitioned from solid defense to attack, switched gears at key moments, and took a 2-goal lead early on.After that, they maintained a calm game and did not allow Kobe freedom. At 23 minutes, from Kobe’s passing in their defensive line, Ricardinho intercepted a ball sent by the goalkeeper. He immediately shot but missed the target. At 30 minutes, from Kobe MF Edmilson, a pass was given to FW Tokura trying to break behind Tokyo’s defense, but Konno marked tightly and the shot went off target. At 35 minutes, Kobe FW Yu OKUBO created a chance, and MF Edmilson running into the right area crossed from the right. The overlapping left side back Mogi took a shot at the far post, but Hanyu blocked it with his body.After 40 minutes, taking advantage of Ricardinho’s speed, Kajiyama and Matsushita launched a counterattack. At 43 minutes, Ricardinho cut inside from the left side, took a shot, and earned a left corner kick, but Matsushita’s kick was punched away by Kobe’s goalkeeper, preventing a third goal. In first-half stoppage time, during Kobe’s corner kick, Shiota collided with an opponent in front of the goal and hit his head, causing a temporary stoppage, but they did not concede a goal. They maintained their 2-goal lead and went into the second half.

Nightmarish stoppage time, conceding a penalty, painful draw...

　Kobe changed to a 4-1-4-1 formation from the end of the first half. From the second half, DF Kondo and DF Ishibitsu were brought in as fullbacks, with DF Kitamoto moving to center. DF Motegi was pushed forward, and MF Matsuoka took the lone defensive midfield role to counterattack. They pressed from the front and attacked aggressively. At the 46th minute, Tokyo’s defensive line was pressed and lost the ball; Kobe FW Yu OKUBO passed to MF Park, who was free in the right area, creating a dangerous situation, but Shiota made a quick save. At the 55th minute, Kobe MF Botti took a middle-range shot. At the 58th minute, Kobe’s right MF Park sent a powerful middle shot to central MF Ishibitsu, but Shiota saved it, resulting in a corner kick. Kobe controlled the ball for longer periods, but still did not allow entry into dangerous areas, limiting Tokyo to shots from mid-range. At the 62nd minute, Hanyu’s early cross from the left perfectly reached Oguro in the right area, who volleyed but missed the target. At the 63rd minute, Oguro dropped Hanyu’s left cross to Otake, who ran inside and took a looping shot, accurately on target but blocked by a great save from Kobe’s goalkeeper. Missing chances, at the 63rd minute Hanyu was replaced by Suzuki, and at the 69th minute Ricardinho was replaced by Ishikawa. At the 76th minute, Hirayama came on for Otake, and Tokyo also made attacking substitutions aiming for an additional goal. However, in the final stages, Kobe’s momentum pushed Tokyo back. At the 84th minute, from a Kobe counterattack, MF Botti advanced into the right area. Unable to stop him, he scored a looping shot into the top left corner of the goal, conceding a goal. Kobe, refusing to give up, continued to press Tokyo’s goal mainly through set pieces even into 4 minutes of stoppage time. At 90+4 minutes, Kobe MF Botti’s precise free kick was blocked by bodies and resulted in a corner. The right corner was cleared once but the ball was thrown back into the box, where Morishige committed a handball foul, conceding a penalty. Kobe FW Yu OKUBO scored the penalty, and immediately after, time was up. Tokyo was caught up at the last moment, ending in a painful draw. 【Player Comments】《Otake》“I was focused on scoring from before the match. I’m glad I could score from a good ball by Ricardinho. I practice with Ricardinho, so I knew the timing of his pass. We created a good chance and scored. However, after scoring two goals, we couldn’t recover loose balls or second balls, and couldn’t keep possession, which gave the opponent more time. That is a big point to reflect on.” 《Oguro》“We conceded an unlucky goal near the end, but not scoring the third goal affected the result. I had decisive chances too, and I have to score in those moments. Especially in the second half, when we were pushed back, I wanted to create chances to score on counters. (Regarding the opening goal) I received a pass from Kajiyama, turned, and tried to move forward, then saw Ricardinho moving on the left side. I think I gave a good pass there, and Kajiyama also made a good run. The connection between the forwards and defensive midfielders isn’t bad, and I think it will get better. We didn’t lose today, so it’s important to learn from this and prepare for the next game. I want to switch focus.” 【Coach Jofuku’s Press Conference Summary】“We were grateful that many fans eagerly awaited the restart and came to Ajinomoto Stadium. It’s very disappointing that we couldn’t share joy with them. It’s hard to accept finishing with just one point. That was the kind of match it was. (How do you evaluate Oguro?) Including him, we want to play soccer that brings out each other’s strengths more strongly to earn 3 points. I want him to contribute further to that.” 【Kobe Coach Miura’s Press Conference Summary】“I appreciate the supporters who came to the away game. The content changed drastically between the first and second halves, but Tokyo is one of the top three defensive teams in J1. After conceding two goals, the fact that we caught up shows the players played well until the end. On the other hand, in the first half, we allowed Tokyo to show only their good points, and I regret falling behind due to my mistakes. It was a game with two contrasting sides. (Why did you change to a 4-1-4-1 formation?) After conceding the second goal in the first half, we put FW Tokura as the lone forward, FW Yu OKUBO inside, and MF Botti on the side. Since we were blocked by defensive midfielders and side halves, we changed to a more attacking shape. I think that brought the momentum to our side. (Regarding points to reflect on, was there a misreading?) How much we could stop Tokyo’s build-up was a key point. The plan was to put more pressure on Morishige, Konno, and Kajiyama to force back passes or sideways passes and prevent forward penetration. We couldn’t do that at all and let them play comfortably. In the 4-4-2 formation, it felt like we were just chasing the ball and getting tired. That was a misreading or rather, Tokyo’s quality was high.”