Tokyo showdown with Verdy that cannot be lost

　The J2 League Sec. 10 match against Verdy will be held, welcoming an away game at Ajinomoto. The previous match ended in a scoreless draw, and the last two matches have ended without scoring. It is not that chances are not being created. Although there has been a long period of holding the initiative, Coach Okuma reflects, "We are taking too much time and closing down spaces. We need to improve the quality of our decisions to increase certainty."

　Therefore, in practice, we made detailed adjustments and utilized Hanyu on the side. Following Hirayama and Yonemoto, Roberto CESAR has also withdrawn, making the team's situation difficult, but we have been trying a midfield formation close to a diamond with Tokunaga playing as a single defensive midfielder and Kajiwara in the attacking midfield role. Continuing from the previous match, Roberto CESAR starts. He pairs with Takamatsu in a two-top formation, with Suzuki on the right side and Hanyu on the left.

　Verdy finished 5th in last season's J2. They are rivals competing for promotion, based in the same Tokyo, but this season they seem to be struggling with three consecutive losses. However, their aggressive play led by FW Kono brings a sense of speed and intensity to their attacks. In this match, the sharp FW Hira Shige will start. Additionally, the defensive midfielder Saeki, and midfielders Kobayashi and Kikuoka possess high technical skills and can connect the play calmly.

　In response, we want to apply pressure in the midfield as much as possible and strive to prevent Verdy from advancing the ball to their front line. We aim to maintain quick transitions, heighten our awareness of the goal, exploit the gaps in Verdy's defense, and seize victory. At Ajinomoto, under the warm weather that makes you sweat, the crucial match kicked off at 15:04 with Verdy's kickoff.

Tokyo Take On Verdy In Capital Clash

FC Tokyo were back at Ajinomoto Stadium for the 10th game of the season but this time as the away team as they faced Tokyo Verdy. Tokyo had failed to score in their previous two matches despite dominating the games for long periods and creating a reasonable number of chances. Manager Kiyoshi Okuma commented, "We take too long in the build-up and that denies us space. If we can't improve the quality of our decision-making we won't increase the number of clear-cut chances we create." Tokyo worked on fine-tuning the team in training, employing Hanyu on the wing. With Hirayama, Yonemoto, and Roberto all injured, Tokyo practiced with a diamond midfield featuring Tokunaga as midfield anchor and Kajiyama behind the two strikers. Roberto Cesar made his second consecutive start alongside Takamatsu in attack with Suzuki on the right and Hanyu on the left of midfield.
Opponents Verdy had finished 5th in J2 last season. The side, also based in the capital city, were expected to be promotion rivals but had made a disastrous start to the year, losing all three games so far. However, the aggression of forward Kawano and darting runs of his strike partner Hirashige carried some threat in a pacy attack. Coupled with the ball-playing ability of midfielders Saeki, Kobayashi, and Kikuoka, it meant that Tokyo would need to press hard in midfield to deny the front pair any service. Swiftly turning defense into attack would be the key to exploiting space left by Verdy defenders who frequently pushed forward.
A bumper Bank Holiday crowd of nearly 29,000 created a carnival atmosphere as they basked in the sunshine on a warm afternoon. Tokyo Verdy kicked off the "unloseable" game shortly after 3pm.

Missed early chances and gradually dominated by Verdy

　Both teams started with strong determination, and a fierce battle for possession continued. In the midst of this, they launched a quick transition attack, and in the 3rd minute, Kajiyama and Hanyu connected quick passes in front of the opponent's goal. Kajiyama broke into the area in response to a clearance from the defense. Although he found himself in a near one-on-one situation with the opposing GK, a good play by the opposing GK resulted in only a corner kick being awarded.

　In the 6th minute, Konno was substituted by Abe, who made a cross. Takamatsu jumped in the center, creating a quick play, but the diving header couldn't be executed and went wide. In the 15th minute, a play was initiated on the right side, and Hanyu aimed for a mid-range shot from the loose pass to the center. However, they couldn't capitalize on this opportunity, and gradually the rhythm shifted to Verdy. They connected passes swiftly, and FW Hira-shige was thoroughly targeted behind Tokyo's defense.

　However, centered around Morishige, the Tokyo defense also demonstrated strength. In the 17th minute, FW Kono took a shot from the rebound, but Gonda made a save right in front. In the 28th minute, FW Hiraoka went off the pitch, and FW Hiramoto came on. Shortly after, Tokyo lost the ball during an attack, and Verdy countered. FW Hiramoto dribbled into the area, but Morishige, who came in to cover, managed to contain him well.

　Although we were focused on defending against Verdy's speedy attacks, mistakes occurred when transitioning the ball forward after regaining possession, leading to another counterattack. There were noticeable scenes where passes aimed at Roberto CESAR were intercepted, resulting in us being pushed back. The defensive line began to drop, and we struggled to create chances, ending the first half.

Tokyo Miss Early Chances Before Verdy Slowly Dominate

The opening exchanges were as fierce and frenetic as expected, with possession frequently changing hands. In the 3rd minute Hanyu and Kajiyama exchanged rapid-fire passes on the edge of the Verdy area before a loose clearance fell to Kajiyama who bore down on Doi in the Verdy goal. Kajiyama shot but Doi produced a fine save to turn the ball around the post for a corner.
In the 6th minute Konno found Abe and the young Tokyo side curled an early cross into the Verdy area that narrowly evaded Takamatsu's diving lunge. In the 15th minute Tokyo crafted a move down the right and when an infield pass was deflected into his path Hanyu let fly from middle range. With Tokyo unable to make their early chances count, Verdy slowly began to find their rhythm through some brisk pass-work while Hirashige attempted to run in behind the visitors' defence.
However, with Morishige leading the line the Tokyo defence showed its strength. In the 17th minute Gonda comfortably held Kawano's blast from outside the area. In the 28th minute Verdy replaced Hirashige with forward Hiramoto. Moments later Verdy stole the ball as Tokyo pushed forward and launched a counter attack, Hiramoto dribbling into the Tokyo area. Morishige was on hand to provide defensive cover and clear the danger.
The Tokyo defence was coping well with Verdy's pacy attack but possession was soon lost again in midfield, allowing the home side to counter attack. Verdy were clearly focused on preventing the ball from reaching Roberto Cesar and intercepted several passes to the striker, increasing the pressure as the first half drew to a close. The Tokyo line began to sink deeper, unable to create much in attack. The first period finished 0-0.

Roberto CESAR was sent off, but even with 10 men, they grasped the rhythm and aimed for victory...

　It was a second half where we wanted to calmly regroup, but in the 54th minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack, and Roberto CESAR dribbled. He tried to evade the Verdy defender but fell, resulting in a foul. He received a second yellow card and was sent off... Forced to fight with 10 men, in the 59th minute, we substituted Tanizawa for Takamatsu on the side. With Suzuki leading the front line, we aimed for opportunities. Although we were at a numerical disadvantage, the pressing from the front began, and the rhythm shifted to Tokyo.

　In the 68th minute, Pedro JUNIOR was brought in to the front line to replace Hanyu. In the 71st minute, from a clever keep by Pedro JUNIOR after Kajiyama, Suzuki took a shot from distance. In the 72nd minute, Tanizawa received an early cross from the right side, rounded into the left area, and his shot shook the net, but there was a handball foul at the trapping stage, resulting in no goal.

　Riding the momentum of the crowd, they launched a fierce attack, but in the 78th minute, a cross from Miku Hara was headed by Pedro JUNIOR but went wide. In the 81st minute, a pass was connected from the defensive line, Suzuki to ABE, with a floated ball into the area. Pedro JUNIOR skillfully controlled it and attempted a shot, but it was cleared just in time, resulting in a left corner kick. From this left corner kick, Konno shot from the right area, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... In the 90th minute, a cross from Morishige was headed by Kajiyama, but a foul was called in front of the goal.

　In the 4 minutes of stoppage time, Verdy GK Doi was injured. Since all substitution slots had been used, FW Hiramoto took on the role of GK. However, they were unable to capitalize on the subsequent corner kick opportunity. Despite being at a numerical disadvantage, they did not give up and showed a strong attitude towards victory, but once again ended without scoring, resulting in a draw for the second consecutive match. They managed to secure just 1 point in a painful tie.

　[Player Comments] {Hanyu} "In the first half, Verdy had the ball, but I didn't feel like we were being dominated that much. Especially in the early stages, we had chances too, and if we had converted those, including myself, I think the game would have unfolded differently. We played thinking about what we needed to do, but as a team, we struggled to move the ball into the attacking third and to finish. After going down to 10 men, our mindset changed, and we were able to pass the ball around and had more time on the ball. That's something to think positively about. Of course, we need to reflect on the result, but I think it's a plus that even with 10 men, we showed a willingness to go for the win and that we were more spirited than in the previous match."

　"Abe" "In the first half, we managed to seize the flow of the game, but there are definitely times when the opponent takes control during the match. It lasted longer than usual, but we were still able to keep a clean sheet. Next, we need to focus on how to regain the flow in a shorter time. We have to work towards that. With Cesar sent off, I thought I should run for two people, and I believe everyone's work rate increased as well."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "In the first half, we struggled to find our rhythm as the opponent held the ball, but the team showed good patience during that time. However, in our attack, the ball did not reach the two forwards, and we aimed to use Hanyu as a starting point to connect with the forwards and make runs behind, but we couldn't get the ball to Takamatsu either. We couldn't establish a starting point in a high position."

　Kajiyama was also in too much of a hurry. He should have been more conscious of using Takamatsu and Hanyu while connecting the play. In the second half, due to a player being sent off, we were unable to make substitutions as part of our game plan, but even so, we were able to show our determination to go for the goal. However, including the need to circulate the ball, it is necessary to show a more forward-thinking attitude from the first half, similar to that of the second half.

　(About Kajiwara) He has been working hard since spring, but after injuring his calf once, he doesn't feel at his best. In fact, the first half lacked simplicity, and due to Yonemoto's injury, the trust and positioning in the ball exchanges with Tokunaga were not smooth. Nevertheless, being able to perform like that in the second half, despite the stretched play, is proof of his potential. It is not just about Kajiwara; we must also examine the interactions with others.

　(About Cesar) I am saying to consciously keep Cesar in mind, but we also need to verify whether he is moving in situations where a pass can be made. This is not just about him alone; we must also consider the positioning of those nearby moving forward.

　【Verdy Coach Kawakatsu's Press Conference Summary】"In the last two matches, we had possession, but our awareness of breaking through and exploiting gaps was lacking. I saw that Tokyo's back line was vulnerable, so today I wanted to get the ball in quickly from the midfield. In the first half, we made good runs, and the opponent's left side was a target. Their coverage was weak, so I wanted to exploit that. We managed to do that, but I wanted to score in the first half."

　(Specifically targeting the left side?) It seemed that the relationship among the four players in the final line in Tokyo was not going very well. Konno is concerned about the left side, but there is a gap between Morishige and Konno. When the ball is played to the left, the center opens up. FW Hiraishi often exploited that, and normally, I would instruct FW Hiramoto to spread out a bit wider. On the side, MF Inoue can hold his position and win aerial battles. By playing the ball there, Konno gets drawn out. It seemed that there was not much awareness of the space behind the holding midfielder today, so I wanted to show the sides while utilizing the center. We were able to do that in the first half. I wanted to continue that into the second half and delay the pace down a bit longer, but we ended up being too careful and moved too much into the center, which allowed the opponent to have a player sent off, and as a result, our movements became smaller.

　FW Kono was free several times, and I wanted to start from there, but the center was thin, and we simply went vertically without being able to exploit the opponent's few numbers. If the team had a little more leeway, we could have drawn the opponent out while using the outside more and added more players to the attack to create variations, but we couldn't take advantage of having one more player. In the second half, it felt like we were helping the opponent. The team is in a situation without points and lacks composure. It was a game where if we could gradually remember things like speeding up and simply heading towards the goal... it could have been different.

Ten-man Tokyo Find Rhythm

Tokyo needed to calmly regroup as the second half opened but were soon reduced to ten men as Roberto Cesar was shown a second yellow card for fouling a Verdy defender as Tokyo broke forward on a counter attack in the 54th minute. Yazawa replaced Takamatsu in the 59th minute and played on the flank, with Suzuki pushed forward into attack. Despite being at a numerical disadvantage Tokyo began to press hard from the front and soon found a rhythm.
In the 68th minute Pedro Junior replaced Hanyu and moved into the front line. In the 71st minute Kajiyama picked out Pedro Junior, who held the ball up skillfully, before laying it off to Suzuki who shot from middle distance. Tokyo managed to put the ball in the net in the 72nd minute as Yazawa fired an early cross past Doi but the goal was disallowed for handball.
Roared forward by the crowd Tokyo attacked in waves, Pedro Junior heading Mukuhara's cross narrowly wide in the 78th minute. In the 81st minute Tokyo passed the ball across the backline before Suzuki found Abe, who floated a pass forward to the edge of the Verdy area where Pedro Junior neatly controlled the ball and shaped to shoot. Before he could pull the trigger though a Verdy defender whipped the ball off his toe and out for a corner. From the resulting corner Konno cracked a shot on target from the right side of the area but Doi made the save. Kajiyama made contact with Morishige's cross in the 90th minute but again a foul was called.
Verdy keeper Doi suffered an injury in additional time and was forced to leave the field. Having used all three substitutes forward Hiramoto went in goal for the final couple of minutes. Tokyo won a corner after the change but were unable to put the substitute keeper under pressure and the match finished in a 0-0 draw. Tokyo had shown admirable tenacity to play with ten men for 40 minutes and still come close to snatching a win, yet the result was a second consecutive scoreless game and a single point earned.


Players' comments 
Hanyu 
"We allowed Verdy to have a lot of the ball in the first half but I didn't feel that they really put us under much pressure. Particularly in the early stages we made a few chances and if we could have put one away then the game might have been very different. We were thinking hard about what we should be doing but couldn't really bring the ball forward well or end moves with an attempt on goal. Going down to ten men forced us to change our approach completely and after that we were able to move the ball around and enjoy a lot of possession. We have to think of that as a plus to take from the game. Of course we have to look at the result but even after we were a man down we showed a positive commitment to win the game and greater desire than in the last match, which is another bonus for the team".

Abe
"We took control in the first half but in all games there's going to be some time where the opposition are on top. Even though that was longer than usual today we were still able to keep a clean sheet. There isn't much time before the next game now so it's question of us recovering quickly. After Cesar was sent off I felt that I had to run twice as hard and the team raised its workrate to cope with his absence".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma 
"Although we allowed them to have a lot of the ball in the first half and couldn't find a rhythm we stood firm when we needed to. We couldn't get the ball up to our strikers and when we used Hanyu to try to play Takamatsu in behind their defence we couldn't get the ball through to him. We couldn't start from a position high up the field. One cause of that was Kajiyama being in too much of a hurry. He should have been aware that we were trying to move the ball around and bring Hanyu and Takamatsu into play. With the sending off our game plan and substitute planning went out of the window but we showed great desire in the way we went for a goal. I think we needed to have shown more of that desire in the first half. 
What about Kajiyama? He's been working very hard since the beginning of spring to shake off a calf injury and still isn't at his best yet. In the first half perhaps he needed to keep it simpler and the injury to Yonemoto means that his new partnership with Tokunaga isn't as smooth as it could be yet, in terms of reliability in movement and positioning. Even so, his performance in the second half was proof of his potential. 
As for the sending off Cesar is saying that the defender deliberately put himself in his field of vision but I'll have to look at it again to see if he was moving when the pass was hit. Again, it's not only him but the other players around whose positioning we will have to look at".

Tokyo Verdy manager Kawakatsu 
"In our last two games we've enjoyed a lot of possession but we've had trouble getting through and behind the opposition defence. Tokyo's defensive line seemed brittle so we decided to try and move the ball forward quickly from midfield today. We managed to get forward in the first half, particularly along their left side where the cover was thin. We really wanted to score in the first half. 
Why did we target their left side? It seemed that their back four weren't working together smoothly. Konno was being drawn over to the left and that was leaving some space between him and Morishige that we felt we could exploit. Hirashige was able to make some use of it and Hiramoto was also playing wider than usual. Midfielder Inoue was pushed out wide and was winning the aerial battle. The idea was to lure Konno out to the left. It looked as though we weren't focusing on the space behind the defensive midfielder today and instead were concentrating on the left flank but in fact we wanted to come through the middle. We were able to achieve that in the first half. We continued in the second half but were a little too cautious, slowed the pace too early and came inside too much. Then they had a man sent off and our movement slowed right down. 
Forward Kawano found himself in space a few times and we wanted to build from there but the support in the middle was lacking so we ended up hitting the ball straight which played into Tokyo's hands, making it easier for them to defend. If we'd had a little more composure we could have drawn them out by using the wings, added more bodies to the attack and shown some variation in our approach. As it was, we didn't make the best use of the man advantage. I felt we let them off the hook in the second half. We haven't won yet and have no room for manoeuvre. We have to remember how to speed up the play and attack with simplicity".