One battle to continue winning by improving the accuracy of attacks

　In the 20th round of the league, we will face Oita Trinita away. In the previous round against Tottori, we took control from start to finish and achieved a comfortable victory at home. Although we have won 5 consecutive games, coach Okuma said, "I am not too conscious of the winning streak, but the team's base is gradually being established. The direction is good, so we want to continue to improve our weaknesses and score goals from combinations in the attacking third."

　Oita, who they will face, is currently in 16th place with 16 points. While they have had their ups and downs, under the guidance of coach Kazuaki TASAKA, they have shown more aggression and cohesion, gaining momentum. In particular, with a 3-4-3 formation, the attacking line consisting of tall FW Mori Shima, speedy FW Sanpei, and technically skilled FW Maeda, with MF Miyazawa as the core, each have their own strengths. It will be important to not let them play freely.

　Tokyo will face the same lineup as the previous match. This marks the 5th consecutive game without any changes in the starting lineup. As Kajiyama says, "The image of scoring is gradually coming together within everyone," the team's goal is clear. In this match as well, they will press from the front, maintain defensive stability, and improve the accuracy of their attacks to continue winning. That is the key point to watch in this match.

　Furthermore, we have been able to score by taking advantage of set plays and the opponent's weaknesses. With an increase in variations, we want to score by exploiting the space between Oita's three backs, through the combination of the midfield and side backs, and seize the victory. The match started at 19:05 in Tokyo with a kickoff at the hot and humid Oita Bank Dome.

Tokyo Set Sights On Sixth Straight Win

FC Tokyo made the long journey south to Kyushu to take on Oita Trinita in the 20th game of the season. The side was aiming for a sixth consecutive win following the comfortable 3-0 victory over Tottori in the previous outing. Manager Okuma played down the streak, saying, "We're not thinking about it too much, to be honest, the team's building a solid base little by little and we're going in the right direction. We still have issues though and we're working on our combinations in the final third of the pitch to score more goals".
Opponents Oita were in 16th place with 16 points at kickoff. The side was unpredictable but was showing more aggression under first-year manager Kazuaki Tasaka. The side played a 3-4-3 formation built around midfield pivot Miyazawa with forward Morishima supplying height, Mitsuhira speed and Maeda technique. Preventing them from playing would be the key to success for Tokyo.
Tokyo remained unchanged for the fifth straight game. Midfielder Kajiyama commented,
"We're slowly beginning to share a common image of how to score goals". Pressing hard from the front, defending solidly and exploiting any chinks in the Oita defensive armour would be the game plan, along with increasing accuracy in attack and making the best of set plays. Exploiting space behind Oita's three-man backline by the midfielders and fullbacks would also be vital.
Tokyo kicked off shortly after 7pm on a humid evening.

Unable to take advantage of chances, the first half ends with no points scored.

　Tokyo dominated the ball from the beginning, and Oita continued to counterattack. In the 7th minute, Tanabe floated a pass to the front of the goal from the center. Although it was cleared by the DF, Nakamura quickly picked it up and passed it to Kajiyama in the area. He calmly put it into the goal, but it was ruled offside. In the 13th minute, Nakamura on the left side dribbled inside and crossed. Nakamura reacted to the loose ball and took a shot, but it was blocked by the DF. In the 16th minute, Takahashi in the center carried the ball up to Taniyama. He trapped it and took a shot, but it went straight to the GK.

　The attack continued, and in the 20th minute, Takahashi → Roberto CESAR dribbled past the opponent's DF one after another and shot, but it went over the frame. In the 22nd minute, Kajiyama also made a through pass to Morishige in the center of the goal. Morishige turned and passed to CESAR. He quickly aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal with his right foot, but the opponent's GK made a great save and the goal was not scored. In the 26th minute, Morishige made a long pass to the front of the goal. Kajiyama broke through and tried to float it with his left foot while colliding with the opponent's GK, but it did not go into the frame.

　Despite Tokyo's careful build-up play, they were unable to shake the net in a one-sided match. They had multiple chances in front of goal, but were unable to deliver the final blow. On the other hand, Oita occasionally threatened with counters utilizing FW Morishima and right MF Nishi, but thanks to the efforts of Shioda in the center, Tokyo did not concede and the first half ended scoreless.

Tokyo Failed to Capitalize on Opportunities in a Scoreless First Half

The game quickly settled into a pattern of Tokyo enjoying most of the possession while Oita tried to hit on the counter attack. In the 7th minute, Tanabe's lofted pass forward was cleared, Nakamura pounced on the loose ball and moved it along to Kajiyama inside the Oita area but he was given offside. In the 13th minute, Nakamura raced down the wing and crossed; MF took the ball down neatly and shot but a defender blocked the effort away. Takahashi fed Yazawa with a through ball in the 16th minute but Yazawa's shot was straight at Shimizu.
Tokyo continued to press forward aggressively. In the 20th minute, Takahashi fed Roberto Cesar and the big Brazilian held off a defender before shooting narrowly over the bar. Two minutes later, Cesar drew a stunning save from Shimizu, the Oita keeper diving low and left to keep out a firm drive after good work by Morishige. In the 26th minute, Morishige hoisted a long ball forward, Kajiyama sprinted through the Oita defence and attempted to flick the ball over the onrushing Shimizu's head. Kajiyama made contact first but the ball sailed narrowly over the bar.
Tokyo continued to create chances as the game progressed without finding a decisive finish while at the other end Shiota marshaled the Tokyo defence to see off threats by Morishima and Nishi on the counter attack. The first half ended 0-0.

Unable to break through Oita's solid defense, the match ended in a scoreless draw.

　In the 47th minute of the second half, Oita's FW Maeda made a strong dribble and shot from the right area to FW Sanpei, but was saved by a mistake. In the 49th minute, they got a CK and kicker Tanizawa did a trick play. He sent a ground ball to the front of the goal and Takahashi ran in. In the following 51st minute, Kajiyama also headed from the CK, but both were blocked by Oita's GK's quick reaction.

　Tokyo, who continue to pass the ball in the second half, and Oita, who launch quick attacks, have not changed the flow. In the 66th minute, Kajiyama took a skillful dribble shot, but he couldn't find the target. In the 61st minute, Ohata was substituted for Tanabe. Immediately after, Taniyama, who had moved inside from the side, aimed for the goal with Ohata in the center, but the Oita defenders blocked it.

　In the 82nd minute, Uesato entered as a defensive midfielder and Kajiyama was pushed up one line to aim for the goal. However, in the 86th minute, Oita MF Nishi → FW Sanpei was able to get past the offside line and create a 1-on-1 situation with the GK. But the shot was saved by Shioda's fine play! In stoppage time, Imakano, who was left free at the far post, brought down Otake's right corner kick with his chest and took a volley shot, but it went wide...

　Despite taking nearly three times as many shots as Oita, they were unable to break through their solid defense and could only manage "1 point" until the end. They were unable to achieve their sixth consecutive victory and had to settle for just 1 point away from home.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"Oita played with a 5-back formation and their defensive midfielders dropped back to create a solid block. We couldn't break through, but in the future, we may face more teams using this strategy. We clearly saw areas to improve on in terms of defense, such as taking care of counter attacks. We didn't lose and we want to use what we gained today in our next game. We may have rushed too much vertically today and got tired in our attacks. To break through the opponent's block, we needed to use the wings more. I think it was necessary to make side changes while passing to unsettle the opponent."

　I also felt the need to rest while connecting during the attack. We were able to advance to the attacking third and if there was an opening, we could attack, but if we were to thoroughly change sides at a faster tempo or use the attacking runs of the fullbacks, there may have been moments where the opponent's concentration would have been broken. I want to increase those opportunities and improve the quality."

　"Shioda" "I think it was a game where we lost 2 points because we were attacking quite a bit. (There were also some pinch situations?) We received a lot of counters from Oita, but I think it was good that we were able to prevent goals in those pinch situations. The opponent doesn't attack that much, so we are always focused on maintaining a defensive balance."

　(The winning streak has stopped, but?) We have kept a clean sheet in the last three games, and that is the result of everyone's hard work. We didn't lose today either, so I don't think we need to think negatively. (Will Lucas be able to play from the next match?) Competition within the team is a good thing, not just for FW. Everyone is in good condition and I think it's not a problem whoever plays. Right now, we want to fight each game as a team and accumulate points."

　[Coach Oikuma's press conference summary] "In the first half, we were creating chances, but I think we lacked a bit of boldness in our shots. In the second half, there was a scene where Takahashi took a shot, but we needed to create those kinds of opportunities from the first half to draw out the opponent's defensive line. As for the second half, Oita will solidly set up a block of five when attacking, so I think we lacked decisive opportunities to aim for the back. In the end, it's good to attack through the center, but we need to improve our accuracy in those situations and the accuracy of crosses aimed at the space between the goalkeeper."

　Despite the opponent's efforts in the hot weather, there were moments where the precision and combination of passes, as well as the accuracy in playing in tight spaces, were lacking and prevented us from taking shots. On the defensive end, Shioda did a good job in preventing them. I think that was due to our positional mistake, which is something we cannot afford to do in our battles in J2. However, he did a great job in preventing them. In a way, we need to take a positive approach and make adjustments while playing each game, as I believe that is crucial for our success.

　[Summary of Oita-Tasaka's press conference] "First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all the company, related parties, media, and supporters who have been working together since one month ago for this kind of supporter mobilization towards July 9th. Finally, I told the players that I want them to win against FC Tokyo in order to conclude this. Only you players can do that." From such discussions, we approached today's match.

　Of course, compared to the opponents we have faced so far, the level is very high and the speed is different. In the first half, there were times when the players were confused and lost on the pitch, but I told them not to lose to that and said it at halftime. In the second half, we managed to move the ball and challenge FC Tokyo, and we also created chances. We couldn't score the goal in the last moment, but I think the players did their best and barely took one point.

Oita Frustrate Tokyo As Game Ends Scoreless

In the 47th minute, Oita forward Maeda dribbled his way through the Tokyo defence and set up Mitsuhira, whose glaring miss from a good position earned Tokyo a reprieve from making a poor start to the second period. In the 49th minute, Tokyo won a corner and Yazawa attempted to surprise the Oita defence by playing the ball along the ground into the area where Takahashi met it on the run. Another corner in the 51st minute saw Shimizu deny Tokyo again with a superb save from Kajiyama's header.
The second half developed the same pattern as the first; Tokyo stroking the ball around, probing for openings and Oita attempting to hit on the break. In the 66th minute, Kajiyama showed his technique as he retained possession, dribbled forward and shot. Unfortunately, the effort was wide of the target again. Tokyo replaced Tanabe with Otake in the 61st minute. Shortly after his introduction, Otake nearly broke the deadlock following good work from Yazawa but a solid block by an Oita defender cleared the danger.
Tokyo introduced Uesato in a defensive midfield position in the 82nd minute, moving Kajiyama one rank further forward. Oita had a golden opportunity to win the game in the 86th minute as forward Nishi slipped the ball through to Mitsuhira, and the Oita striker was in the clear with only Shiota to beat. Mitsuhira shot but Shiota pulled off a superb save to keep Tokyo in the game. In additional time, Otake floated a corner beyond the far post to Konno who had time to chest the ball down and shoot, but again his volley sailed over the bar.
Tokyo had managed three times as many attempts on goal as their hosts but the tight Oita defence held firm to the end. The final whistle blew on a 0-0 draw that ended Tokyo's winning streak at five and earned a single point for their exertions.


Players comments
Kajiyama
"Oita played with a block of five defenders at the back and we couldn't break them down. I think we're going to see a lot of teams play this way against us from now on. It was a game that showed us the issues we face. We didn't lose though and we now have to make use of what we learned today in the next game. We played the ball straight up the field too much and I think that showed we're suffering from some fatigue. We should have used the sides more and played more crossfield balls to pull them apart. We also need to find some way of taking a break when we have the ball and are passing it around in attack. We also need to increase the tempo and bring the side backs into the game more. Basically we have to increase all those things and improve the quality of our game".


Shiota
"We attacked a lot but we dropped two points in the game. Oita had several counter attacks and it was very pleasing that we stopped them from scoring. They didn't really commit too many players into attack but we focused on our defensive balance and keeping our concentration.
What about the winning run ending? Well, that's our third straight clean sheet and it's the result of everyone's hard work. We didn't lose today so there's no point in being negative.
What about the prospect of Lucas playing in the next game? It's great that there's competition for positions throughout the side, not just in attack. We're all in good condition so there's no problem with whoever plays. The team is united right now and we just want to take each game as it comes and carry on racking up the points".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"Although we created a lot of openings in the first half we didn't really take many shots on goal. We need a way of drawing the opposition out when they are defending deeply, as they did in the first half. We didn't really get behind their defensive block enough. Then in the second half when we were attacking through the middle we needed more crosses from wide positions into the danger area between the defense and goalkeeper.
Shiota played very well today. That late chance came from a mistake in our positioning but he made a great save to keep us in the game. From now we have to continue with what we're doing, fixing what needs to be fixed and taking each game as it comes".

Oita Trinita manager Kazuaki Tasaka
"First of all I'd like to thank the supporters and everyone who has worked so hard over the last month, the company staff and the media, to bring this great crowd here today.
I told the players that the culmination of all this work would be in them beating FC Tokyo and that they were the only ones who could achieve that. We haven't been faced with an opponent like Tokyo so far, a top level team with great speed and some of the players were perplexed and we lost our way a little in the first half. I told them to overcome this at half time and in the second half we put pressure on Tokyo and made some chances. We nearly had the winner but it wasn't to be. Still, the players fought very well and really dug in to earn us the point".