Welcoming the 23rd Tamagawa Classico

The league Sec. 4, which comes three days after the Nabisco Cup. We will face Kawasaki Frontale in the 23rd Tamagawa Classico.
In the Nabisco match against Kashima, we utilized members who had fewer opportunities to play during the league matches and achieved a resounding victory. Coach Massimo also mentioned, "The performance in the league was not bad, but in the Nabisco, the new members took their chances and turned them into results. Therefore, the options for player selection will increase."

The combination of the attacking lineup with a two-top formation is functioning well. The coach stated, "This is one of several strategies, but I want to make decisions based on both our situation and that of the opponent going forward," and adopted the two-top formation again this match. Tokunaga, Takahashi, Edu, Higashi, as well as Gonda, Kaga, and Yonemoto also made the starting lineup, with Watanabe and Edu forming the two-top, and Mita positioned just behind them.

Kawasaki is currently in 16th place with 1 draw and 2 losses. This season, new additions include MF PAULINHO and FW Morishima. Under the guidance of coach Kazama in his third year, they have made solid reinforcements and are aiming for the league title. However, like Tokyo, they remain winless in the league. While they showcase attacking power centered around FW Yu OKUBO and Renato, they have conceded many late goals and have been unable to secure victories.

In response, Coach Massimo said, "Regardless of the opponent, the important thing is that we play well. It's still the early part of the season, and building a team is likely just as difficult for Kawasaki. Therefore, we do not want to give Kawasaki any momentum. Our future depends on ourselves," emphasizing the need to stick to our style and aiming to surpass Kawasaki in this match.

As evening approached, it gradually became colder at Ajinomoto. The match started at 19:04 with Kawasaki's kickoff.

Conceded the second goal after being caught out by a mistake...

From the very beginning, both teams pressed each other for the ball and launched fast-paced attacks. In the 5th minute, Takahashi sent a through pass targeting behind the opponent's defense, and Edu broke through, but the timing was slightly off, resulting in an offside. The transition between offense and defense was intense, and in the 11th minute, Watanabe and a Kawasaki DF clashed heads while competing in the front line, causing DF Ikawa to cut his head and temporarily leave the pitch. Taking advantage of Kawasaki being temporarily reduced to 10 players, in the 14th minute, Mita delivered a left cross. Watanabe seized a loose ball in the penalty area and took a close-range shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's body save.

In the 18th minute, Watanabe sent a through pass to Edu, who had broken free, but it was just offside. Conversely, in the 19th minute, Kawasaki MF Nakamura's pinpoint pass found FW Yu OKUBO, who shook the net, but that was also offside. Both teams engaged in intense pressing, but as time passed, they gradually allowed Kawasaki to dominate possession. However, Tokyo did not drop their line and countered with a compact formation, avoiding any gaps.

However, in the 31st minute, a back pass from Yonemoto on the right side of their own half was intercepted by Kawasaki FW Yu OKUBO, who advanced with a dribble. With perfect timing, he connected with left FW Kobayashi. The shot taken by FW Kobayashi from the left area rolled into the net at the far side with a narrow angle... They allowed the opening goal due to a mistake. After this, Tokyo changed their formation against Kawasaki's 4-4-2 setup. They aimed to counterattack with Takahashi and Yonemoto as double defensive midfielders, Mita on the right, and Higashi on the left.

However, in the first half's additional time, during a left corner kick opportunity for Tokyo, Ota connected with Higashi for a short pass, and when Ota tried to cut back against the opponent, he was pressed by Kawasaki FW Yu OKUBO, leading to a counterattack. Kawasaki MF Renato passed to central MF Kobayashi, and then left side back DF Taniguchi surged forward one after another. DF Taniguchi evaded Tokyo DF in the left area and delivered a cross. From here, FW Yu OKUBO scored with a powerful diving header... conceding the second goal and ending the first half.

Unable to regroup in the second half, lost completely without scoring

In the second half, Tokyo brought in Hirayama and Kono. Hirayama took one of the two forward positions, while Kono moved into the attacking midfield role, trying to score a goal again with a 4-3-1-2 formation. In the 49th minute, they launched a strong attack in front of the Kawasaki goal, connecting with Watanabe in the right area, but couldn't turn completely. In the 58th minute, Kono entered the right area. He cut back past the opposing defender to shoot, but it hit the defender and floated to the goalkeeper. Unable to capitalize on the attack, in the 59th minute, Ota on the midfield sideline couldn't connect with Takahashi, allowing Kawasaki's midfielder Renato to make a quick through pass to forward Kobayashi. Morishige couldn't reach it despite stretching his legs. FW Okubo from Kawasaki broke free and... they conceded the third goal.

In the 68th minute, from a free kick on the left side, Takahashi delivered a right cross. Hirayama in the center made a header but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 70th minute, from a left corner kick, Morishige attempted a header but it went over the bar. After that, Tokyo struggled with precision against Kawasaki's quick attacks, facing continuous situations where their side attacks were repelled. In the 75th minute, they brought in Hanyu to regain balance, but in the 80th minute, they conceded a left corner kick to Kawasaki. This left corner kick flowed to the far side, and when Mita tried to take it out on the left side of their own half, he collided with Kawasaki defender Jesse. The ball was taken away, leading to a right cross, and Kawasaki forward Kobayashi made a powerful header...

After conceding 4 goals, Kaga was fouled by an opponent and injured his neck, unable to return to the pitch. Higashi attempted to cover the defensive line and still tried to mount a counterattack, but could not stop Kawasaki's speed and momentum in both offense and defense. They were caught out by mistakes, conceding more goals, and ended in a disappointing defeat.

【Player Comments】
《Tokunaga》
"The reason for our defeat lies both in the high quality of Kawasaki and within ourselves. We couldn't unify our pressing approach, which left the midfield open and allowed them to circulate the ball. The goals conceded were due to mistakes, but the opponent's quality in passing and positioning in the midfield was also superior. I believe we need to acknowledge that. Still, we must ensure we can defend properly where we need to. We need to improve our defense."

《Hanyu》
"Even if it becomes 0 to 3 or 0 to 4, there are things that we must show as professionals. There are people who pay to come and watch us, and we exist because of them. First, I wanted to demonstrate our attitude as professionals. Once again, I want everyone to reflect on what they should be doing, to show hard work before tactics or movement, and to express the fighting spirit of not losing to the opponent in front of us."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"At the start, we fought aggressively and created 3 to 4 chances. However, we gifted a goal to the opponent. After that, we continued to fight as a team, but once we allowed the second goal, the match became something different. It became a difficult situation. In the second half, we ran hard and did our best, but when we give away goals to a team with high quality in the front line like Kawasaki, it becomes really tough. I feel deeply sorry for the fans and supporters. However, I believe that the players can only grow from experiences like this, and in terms of their attachment to the club, it will become even stronger. I believe the players will definitely show a strong spirit from here on."

【Kawasaki - Coach Kazama's Press Conference Summary】
"Before the match, I told the players to focus on their own play, and they did very well. We discussed how to break down the opponent while observing their movements, and in previous matches, we had been caught off guard by a few rare chances, so we talked about firmly bouncing back from those situations, and they fought very well. Each player was clear about what they needed to do at that moment. Although there were some mispasses in attack that didn't align with our intentions, I believe there were hardly any loose mistakes otherwise. I hope they continue to think of this as the norm going forward."