Welcome Ehime to Komazawa Stadium and aim for consecutive victories!

　Sec. 15 will hold a home game at Komazawa Athletics Stadium and face Ehime FC. In the previous match against Kyoto, Tanabe and Otake were active in connecting passes and securing chances, resulting in a comfortable victory. However, there were also times when Kyoto gained momentum. This will be a match to aim for consecutive wins at home by improving the accuracy and quality of the new style.

　Ehime, on the other hand, is in 7th place with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses. Ivica BARBARIC has been in charge as head coach since mid-2009, and this year marks his third season. They play in a 4-1-4-1 formation, pressing from the front and also showcasing their ability to build up play carefully depending on the situation.

　The side backs also come up to a high position, so it is necessary to try to steal the ball on the side of the midfield and launch a short counterattack if possible. If Tanabe and Otake can effectively use the space behind the opponent's side back or on the side of the one-man midfield, chances should increase. We want to win with a well-balanced battle, using both scenes of creating opportunities by connecting passes and quickly launching attacks.

　This round, Konno is absent due to Japan national team activities. As a result, Jade NORTH made his first start as a center back. Ishikawa also returned after recovering his condition and made it to the bench for the first time since the opening game. The weather is relatively comfortable with clouds and not as hot as yesterday, and the match started at 2:04 PM in Tokyo.

Tokyo Aim For Consecutive Wins

The 15th game of the season saw FC Tokyo take on visiting Ehime FC at Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium. Tokyo were looking to build on the fine display of passing football that earned a comprehensive 4-1 away win over Kyoto in the previous outing, where Otake and Tanabe were outstanding. Despite the lop-sided scoreline Kyoto had enjoyed periods in control of the match and with that in mind Tokyo looked to improve the accuracy and quality of their game.
Opponents Ehime sat in 7th place at kick off with a W4 D1 L3 record. The side, under the leadership of manager Barbaric since the middle of 2009, played a 4-1-4-1 formation and was noted for its patience in constructing moves. The side backs pushed forward, allowing Tokyo the possibility of short counter attacks if they could win the ball in wide areas. As well as exploiting space behind the Ehime defence Otake and Tanabe would also be hoping to expose the lone defensive midfielder and create more shooting opportunities.
Konno was away on national team duty with Japan and Jade North made his first start for Tokyo as his replacement. Further, Ishikawa had sufficiently recovered from injury to take a place on the bench for the first time since the opening day of the season.
The heavy humidity of Friday had receded somewhat by the time Tokyo kicked off shortly after 2pm on a warm, cloudy afternoon.

Tanabe scores two consecutive goals to take the lead, but...

　Ehime pressed from the front line, but they calmly entered the game and took advantage of the opportunity. In the 7th minute, they launched a speedy counterattack from the opponent's corner kick, with Hayabusa advancing on the left side. Kajiyama in the middle passed to the right side where Roberto CESAR was in shooting position, but it was blocked. In the 12th minute, Tokunaga dribbled past the opponent in a high position and crossed. Takahashi, who followed up on the loose ball in the center, took a direct shot from the right area.

　In the 17th minute, Otake made a move in the center and was followed by Kajiyama from behind. Takahashi then connected in a tight area and sent a lob over the opposing defender in the left area. Tanabe ran in and scored a spectacular direct volley with his left foot, giving the team the lead with his second consecutive goal in two games.

　At 19 minutes, Hayu brought it in and entered the shooting position, but it was blocked. Kajiyama tried to aim for the goal in succession from the spill, but this was also blocked by the DF, and in the end it fell at the feet of Otake in the center of the area, but he was surrounded and couldn't take the shot. At 22 minutes, Kajiyama → Tokunaga crosses low and fast from the right front line. It goes perfectly to Cesar in the center, but the trap is too long...

　In front of Ehime's bold press, there were many scenes where they lost the ball due to mistakes and were unable to connect. In the latter half of the first half, Ehime passed the ball around and Tokyo tried to steal it. However, even when they managed to steal it, they couldn't maintain their rhythm due to mistakes in the connecting stage. However, the defense line did not show any gaps and they ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Tanabe's Second Goal In Consecutive Games Gives Tokyo The Lead

Tokyo responded to Ehime's hard pressing from the front by probing for openings in a calm manner. In the 7th minute, Tokyo counterattacked from an Ehime corner, Hanyu bringing the ball down the left flank before moving it inside to Kajiyama. Kajiyama moved the ball on to Cesar on the right, but a defender blocked the striker's shot away. In the 12th minute, Tokunaga raced past a defender and crossed. Otake pounced on the loose ball and played it back to Takahashi, who dragged his shot narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area.
In the 17th minute, Otake broke forward down the middle of the pitch before Kajiyama and Takahashi exchanged passes in the tightest of spaces. Takahashi chipped the ball over the Ehime backline, and Tanabe raced between the static defenders to meet the dropping ball with an exquisite first-time volley that gave Kawakita no chance at all. Tanabe's second goal in consecutive games had given Tokyo an early lead.
In the 19th minute, the Ehime defense blocked consecutive shots from Hanyu and Kajiyama. Then, when the loose ball fell to Otake, sheer weight of numbers prevented him from making room to shoot. Kajiyama picked out Tokunaga marauding down the left again in the 22nd minute. Tokunaga's low cross reached Cesar in a good position, but the striker's first touch was heavy and took the ball away from him.
Mistakes crept into Tokyo's game in the face of Ehime's resolute pressing, allowing the visitors to enjoy increasing possession. When Tokyo regained the ball, they quickly lost it again and struggled to create any kind of rhythm. Despite that, the defense held its line, and the first period ended 1-0.

Equalized, but unable to take the lead

　In the early part of the second half, they aimed to add a goal and in the 53rd minute, they substituted Tanizawa for Otake. Immediately after, Ehime's right back Sekine used his speed to make a move and brought the ball to the cross. In the center, Tokunaga competed and prevented a header, but the ball fell to MF Sugihara just outside the box. However, the shot grazed an Ehime player and went out of bounds. With the help of the mistake, Tokyo began to move and in the 60th minute, Roberto CESAR, Tanizawa on the right, and Kajiyama in the center bewildered the Ehime DF with a one-touch pass. However, in the end, it was sent to Hanyu on the left side, but he was surrounded by the Ehime DF...

　After missing this chance in the 63rd minute, Ehime quickly launched an attack. FW Jojima received a pass from MF Saito after a drop from FW Jade NORTH, who was trying to break through the front line again. Although Morishige intercepted it, the clearance went to right MF Ishii. From here, a perfect loop was sent... and Ehime was able to equalize with one chance. In response to Ehime's momentum, Ishikawa, who made his first appearance this season, replaced Tanabe in the 64th minute. Then, in the 70th minute, Murohara was substituted for Jade NORTH and played as a right fullback. With Tokunaga as the center back, they were able to stop Ehime's momentum and aim for a win.

　Increased pressure on the front line, and in the end, they continuously entered dangerous areas. In the 88th minute, Kajiyama → Tanizawa in the center of the area attracted the DF and passed to Cesar on the right side. However, they were unable to finish and the pass to Hayashi on the outside was delayed. In the 90th minute, Ishikawa ran up to the right front line and passed to Tanizawa in the center of the area. However, the Ehime DFs were able to block the goal and they were unable to finish. In the last play, they were unable to make the right decisions and connections, and were unable to score, resulting in a tie at home in Komazawa. Despite taking the lead in a good way, they lost their rhythm and were unable to recover, ending in a draw.

　【Player Comments】《Tanabe》"Personally, I made a lot of mistakes and the team didn't perform well. I feel sorry for playing this kind of game at home. As for the goal, I put my heart into the shot because Takahashi sent a good ball. In the previous match, I was able to dribble past the opponent in a good position, but today I made simple mistakes and I think it disrupted the team's flow. In order to play a connecting football, I think it's important to support each other with courage and work together to unify our intentions and improve for the next game."

　"Takahashi" "We were able to score because our positioning was good and we were able to enter the attacking third. After taking the lead, we couldn't find our rhythm, but it was good that we were able to keep the first half without conceding any goals, even though we were still playing at the opponent's pace. In the second half, the game dragged on and we were exploited in the midfield space. Our defense was on the back foot. However, even after being equalized, we still had time. How to score was a constant challenge. A strong team should be able to win even after being equalized. That's what we want to aim for."

　[Summary of Manager Ohkuma's Press Conference] "After taking the lead, our ball control became a bit sloppy and we lost our rhythm. In the previous two matches, we focused on keeping things simple in the midfield, but today our ball control in the midfield was poor and we relied too much on dribbling in the front line, which disrupted our rhythm and allowed the opponent to counterattack. In fact, we were caught on the counter a few times. We need to reconfirm our approach of winning back the ball and playing simple in the midfield, while also utilizing the space behind and on the wings. Hayashi is already making runs behind the defense, but players like Roberto CESAR need to make runs from tighter spaces as well. If we do that, the opponent will also have to pay attention to Roberto CESAR. He himself may need to adapt to that as well."

　[Ehime・Ivica BARBARIC's press conference summary] "In the first 10-15 minutes, our challenges from the second line were weak and we were pulling back too much. However, we didn't give Tokyo many chances, but we made passing and trapping mistakes and conceded goals easily. But after that, we connected our passes well and tried to threaten the opponent's goal. In the second half, Tokyo was leading, so we expected them to set up a defensive line around the halfway mark and counterattack. Instead of just kicking the ball from the back, we wanted to use the space given to us, find openings, and send passes to threaten the goal. We were also satisfied with our possession."

　However, we should have used the sides a little more in terms of attack. We were able to equalize, but after that, the opponent did not come forward much and played a relatively counter-attacking football. We may have given away 2-3 chances, but I don't think we allowed many clear-cut opportunities. We couldn't turn the game around, but FC Tokyo is the highest quality team. We were able to earn 1 point against them, so it was a satisfying performance."

Tokyo Unable To Conjure Winner

Tokyo began the second half looking for a quick goal and replaced Otake with Yazawa in the 53rd minute. Immediately after the substitution, Ehime's right back Sekine rushed down the wing and curled a cross into the Tokyo area. Tokunaga outjumped an Ehime forward and headed clear, but the ball fell to midfielder Sugiura just outside the Tokyo box. Sugiura struck hard and low, but the ball hit his own player and bounced harmlessly out for a goal kick. After narrowly escaping a potential goal, Tokyo then sliced through the visitors' defense with a one-touch move involving Cesar, Yazawa, and Kajiyama, which played Hanyu in on the left. However, before Hanyu could shoot, he was surrounded by Ehime defenders and the opportunity came to nothing.
In the 63rd minute, Ehime launched a rapid attack, with forward Josimar knocking the ball down to midfielder Saito and attempting to dart through the Tokyo defense line to receive the return pass. Morishige spotted the danger and slid in to clear the ball, which then fell kindly for midfielder Ishii on the right. Ishii produced a deft lob to hoist the ball over Gonda and into the back of the net. Ehime had capitalized on a sudden opportunity to tie the score. In response to this setback, Tokyo brought on Ishikawa for his first appearance of the season, replacing Tanabe in the 64th minute, and substituted Jade North for Mukuhara in the 70th minute. Tokunaga moved inside to play at center back while Mukuhara took his position at right back.
Tokyo bolstered their front line and steadily increased the pressure on the visitors, but were unable to find a way through the blanket defense. In the 88th minute, Yazawa dragged the Ehime defense out of position, but Cesar was unable to find room to shoot and delayed his pass out to Hanyu on the flank. In the 90th minute, Ishikawa burst forward and found Yazawa on the edge of the Ehime area, but his route to goal was blocked by the massed ranks of the visitors. Tokyo were unable to find the key to unlock the Ehime defense, and the game finished in a 1-1 draw. After taking the lead with a fine finish from a promising move, Tokyo lost their rhythm and struggled to regain it, eventually being forced to settle for a single point from the home game.

Players' comments

Tanabe
"Personally I made a lot of mistakes and overall it wasn't a good performance, especially as we were at home. I got a great ball from Takahashi for the goal and put everything I had into the shot. Last week we were able to get away from our opponents in good positions but today we made far too many simple mistakes and that ruined the flow of our game, I felt. To play a passing game it's important to be strong and to offer support. We have to continuously work to improve our unity as we look forward to the next game".

Takahashi
"For the goal I was able to take up a good position and get myself into the attacking third of the pitch. Although we took the lead we couldn't really establish a rhythm but despite that it was pleasing we kept a clean sheet until half time. We lost our shape in the second half and allowed them too much space in midfield. Even though they equalised there was still plenty of time left. The big issue is how we should go about scoring goals. Strong teams can find a way to win even if they are pegged back and that's what we have to try to achieve".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"After we took the lead we stood off them somewhat and lost our rhythm. We've been trying to keep it simple in midfield but today, with us standing off, we tried to dribble too much in attack and that allowed the opposition to counter attack when we lost the ball. We have to look at the areas where we win the ball and then make use of the space on the flanks or behind the opposition defence. Hanyu is getting in behind them but we need Cesar and the midfield to get out of those tight areas and in behind them as well. If we can manage that then Cesar should be able to give the opposition plenty to worry about. I feel that's something he needs to adapt himself to as well".

Ehime FC manager Barbaric
"For the first 10 or 15 minutes our pressing from the second line was half-hearted and we played too deeply. Even so, Tokyo didn't really create many chances but then we conceded a soft goal from a misplaced pass and a poor trap. After that though we played the ball around steadily and threatened their goal. In the second half with Tokyo leading we expected them to widen their defence line and attempt to draw us forward, then strike on the counter attack. We decided not to simply hoof the ball forward but to move it around steadily, use the space available and strike when we found an opening. We were able to retain possession well and I was satisfied with that. We should have used the sides more, though. Despite that we still managed to score the equaliser. The opposition didn't push forward so much after that and it became a counter attacking game. I felt we prevented them from creating any really decisive openings. We couldn't find a winner ourselves but then Tokyo are the highest quality team so we should be content with the point we took from the game and our performance".