The tough opponent Urawa comes to our home as the J-League resumes

　After a three-day break following the second leg of the Nabisco quarterfinals, the J.League resumes. Approaching Sec. 22, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the entire schedule, Tokyo faces Urawa Reds at home. Although the Nabisco match against Shimizu ended in a 0-0 draw, Tokyo continuously threatened Shimizu’s goal with passionate play. However, Coach Shirofuku warned, "The biggest danger is being overwhelmed by the feeling that 'the content was good,'" and tightened the team’s focus for further growth, aiming solely for goals and victory in this match.For this round, to address the lack of finishing power, Coach Shirofuku took "considerable risks with tactical adjustments," adopting a more offensive formation. The starting lineup features Oguro at the front, Suzuki and Ricardinho on the wings, with Kajiyama, Hanyu, and Takahashi as the lone defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 setup. Additionally, Kim Young-gun is suspended due to accumulated warnings, so the defensive line will be the same as in the Nabisco match against Shimizu.On the other side, Urawa currently sits 10th with 28 points. They suffered three consecutive losses starting from Sec. 16 but have since recovered, recording one win and two draws in the last three matches. Midfielder Yuki Abe transferred to England at the end of August, leaving the team, but in the Emperor's Cup match on September 5, they scored seven goals in a decisive victory, giving them ample time to prepare carefully since then. The main threats to watch are the individually skilled forwards Edmilson, midfielder Ponte, and Kashiwagi. If they are allowed to face forward easily, Tokyo will face difficulties.Concentration in the back line is essential, but the key to victory will be strict defense in midfield centered on Takahashi, preventing the opponents from playing freely. Offensively, the focus will be on how well Tokyo can coordinate attacks and powerfully push the ball into the goal. Tokyo has not won in 11 matches against Urawa over the past five and a half seasons. Especially at home, they have failed to score since 2005, so this match is crucial to dispel that psychological barrier. The team must unite and overcome the pressure of absolutely needing to win.Although a slight breeze picked up in the evening, the humidity remained at Ajinomoto. The match kicked off at 19:04 with Tokyo starting the game.

Hanyu and Takahashi are injured. Forced to make player substitutions early on.

　From the start, they aimed for the goal with an aggressive attitude. At 3 minutes, Takahashi took a middle-range shot, and at 8 minutes, Hanyu won the ball in midfield, and Kajiyama launched a counterattack. Kajiyama advanced through the center, drew the defenders, and passed to Suzuki on the right. Against Suzuki's grounded cross, Oguro rushed in from the far post, but the Urawa goalkeeper came out early and caught the ball just in time. At 11 minutes, Oguro dropped a feed from Morishige, and Kajiyama's shot hit the net, but Oguro was in an offside position. At 18 minutes, Mukuhara sent a cross to Oguro, but it was ruled offside again. Urawa also connected passes and launched energetic attacks, maintaining a speedy pace. At 19 minutes, from a through pass by Urawa MF Ponte, FW Edmilson broke through to the front line, but Tokunaga marked him tightly, forcing a corner kick. However, at 20 minutes, Hanyu injured his leg and was forced to be substituted. Konno was immediately brought on, but gradually mistakes led to losing the ball, and Urawa pressed forward. At 22 minutes, Urawa's right FW Takahashi's cross shook the wide area, and MF Kashiwagi attacked from the center. At 29 minutes, Tokyo tried to launch a quick attack, but Ricardinho's pass to Kajiyama was intercepted by Urawa DF Sanu, leading to a counterattack. At 35 minutes, Tokyo suffered a counterattack from a corner kick; starting from Urawa MF Ponte, DF Hirakawa crossed, and MF Hosogai volleyed, but the shot missed the target, escaping danger. However, at 37 minutes, Takahashi was injured and replaced by Ishikawa. Konno moved to center back, and Tokunaga and Kajiyama formed a double defensive midfield in a 4-4-2 formation. Due to successive accidents, they were forced to change plans, but they switched from tenacious defense to attack. At 45 minutes, Suzuki passed forward to Nakamura in their own half, Oguro headed the ball down in midfield, and Kajiyama fiercely dribbled forward from just before the halfway line. Entering the area, he cut back the opposing defender and took a shot, which struck the corner of the goalpost... The net did not shake, and the scoreless first half ended.

Conceded a goal from a penalty kick. Shot opportunities were denied by the crossbar, and the goal seems far away...

　In the second half, both teams fiercely contested possession, leading to rapid changes between attack and defense. At the 54th minute, Ricardinho picked up a cleared ball from Urawa on the right side, and Ishikawa made a free run into the right area. A pass was sent there, creating an excellent shooting opportunity, but it was blocked by the opponent's quick defensive cover. At the 58th minute, from Tokunaga's side change, Nakamura advanced into the left space and passed to the center. Ishikawa let it through, passing to Oguro in front of the goal, but he was tightly marked by the opposing defenders and could not take a shot. At the 60th minute, from Ishikawa's sharp cross, Mukuhara attempted a diving header, but it was stopped by the goalkeeper's excellent save...Despite creating chances but failing to score, at the 66th minute, Urawa's MF Kashiwagi's dribble could not be stopped, connecting to FW Edmilson, who passed to FW Haraguchi inside the area. Mori shige fouled to stop this, giving Urawa a penalty kick. Tokyo, who had defended well until then, conceded the first goal as MF Ponte scored the penalty, making the situation difficult.Still, at the 67th minute, Hirayama was brought on for Ricardinho to launch a counterattack, but at the 71st minute, Kajiyama passed to Oguro on the right front line for a cross. Suzuki and Hirayama ran into the goal area, but the Urawa goalkeeper caught the ball first. There were moments when Urawa pressed forward, and the back-and-forth battle continued. At the 81st minute, a rebound from Suzuki's left corner kick reached Tokunaga, who was free in the right area. However, Tokunaga's powerful shot hit the bar again. Ishikawa's shot, following the ball that bounced back to the left area, missed the target, and they just could not break through the defense.In the intense battle, Suzuki injured his leg and had to leave the pitch at the 87th minute. Still, with strong determination, they pushed toward the goal, but at the 88th minute, Nakamura's shot from a side change was caught by the goalkeeper. In stoppage time, Gonda's kick was dropped by Oguro, and Konno ran in, taking two corner kicks, but they could not turn them into shots. Then, Ishikawa's long throw from the left was chest-controlled by Konno in the right area, but no shot was taken... it was a miss. Finally, they were caught off guard in attack and countered, with Urawa MF Ponte shaking the net, but it was offside. Although they avoided conceding another goal, the match ended 0-1. Once again, victory against Urawa was not achieved...Player CommentsTokunaga: "At the start, our marking of the opponent was unclear, and positioning was vague. However, I thought, 'As long as we don't get beaten at the last moment, it's okay,' so although Urawa pressed us a lot, I think we didn't allow many decisive shots. The plan was to have more players in front of the goal even if we were pushed back. The fact that the shots didn't go in reflects my current ability. I have to practice more. I want to use the issues and reflections from this game in future matches, and with a sense of urgency, unite the team and fight together."Konno: "When I came on, I first played in midfield, but Urawa connected passes from the back, and it was hard to take the ball. Later, with substitutions, we switched to a 4-4-2, and I think I became center back because I am used to the defensive balance. Right now, we can't get results, and the whole team seems to feel anxious about everything... Everyone must head in the same direction toward victory."Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary"Within the given time, I prepared as much as possible within my abilities. Despite many injuries, the players prepared well. All players, whether on the pitch or not, fought for this match. I am satisfied with the players, but of course, there were shortcomings, and we couldn't score. I think that reflects my coaching ability. The problem is probably with me. (Regarding the tough schedule and some bad luck?) If you think luck favors some teams or that only our team is unlucky, then I shouldn't be a coach. If you think that way, it's better to watch from the stands. Unless you believe luck is equal, you can't sit on the bench.(You started with a different system and switched back in the first half. Was it due to injuries?) The system change had various aims. There were good points but also risks. Especially Ricardinho had communication issues and had just one day of practice due to childbirth. Defensively, there were some spaces, and Hanyu was covering by switching things on. We were watching whether to continue or revert to bring out Ricardinho's strengths. I recall Hanyu's injury happened after switching back to 4-4-2. While aware of the system's flaws, we considered these two aspects regarding the initial three forwards."Urawa Coach Volker FINKE's Press Conference Summary"I am happy to have earned 3 points in this way. Before the match, I did not say it would be a deliberately tough theme. Six key players were absent today, but with this performance, we achieved the result. Many players fought hard until the very end and showed excellent play. In fact, young players have emerged, and I believe they will become key faces of the team going forward. FW Takahashi Shun, Haraguchi, DF Spiranovic, MF Hosogai, and Kashiwagi will be pillars of the team for many years. I hope the absent players return soon because we need them now."