Hasegawa Kenta, the former coach, returns to Ajinomoto Stadium. As a formidable enemy leader leading Nagoya -.
"Complicated? Difficult to do?"
No, no, it's really rude to think about such a trivial matter. We have spent four years together since 2018.
"Give your all in every game"
It was supposed to be the football manners that I learned from Kenta. Without creating escape routes, always challenge head-on battles. The victory achieved is the result of the players' efforts, and the defeat is the responsibility of the coach. That's what a sincere gambler has been saying.
That's why I will come to Tokyo to defeat them with all my might as the coach of Nagoya, with that passionate soccer. This is what I said when I first became the coach of FC Tokyo.
"Many people know what kind of soccer it will be if I become the coach. The soccer we aim for itself will not change."
As a coach, I have walked that straight path single-mindedly. In order to keep winning, I have tasted the taste of defeat many times. I am still devoting myself to the ball game called soccer, which I have spent most of my life on. From a young age, I have walked the star road of the Japanese soccer world, and I have shone as a player and as a coach, becoming the best in Japan. Even if the club I lead changes, there will be no change in the intense local battles and the soccer style that utilizes vertical propulsion.
After taking over as the coach of Nagoya, he said the following words.
"I want to play passionate soccer after all. I hope that everyone will get excited and enjoy watching that kind of soccer. I feel that I am expected to win the championship and I want to fight to aim for the league champion and cup champion."
The commander said that his "best memory" at FC Tokyo was the Ajinomoto Stadium on that day, when it was filled with blue and red in the stands.
"In the 2019 season, more than 30,000 fans and supporters came to Ajinomoto Stadium on average. Being able to lead in front of such a large crowd is a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime. The games that filled Ajinomoto Stadium to capacity really lifted my spirits and gave me a sense of excitement like never before. That sight was an indescribable experience. We fought for the championship until the end, and the players started to believe that they could win the league title themselves. I also believe that the fans and supporters had faith in us."
Having survived in this world for many years, where even the eyes of a living horse are plucked out. A stage of longing that remains in the mind of such a commander. The lifestyle has completely changed due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and for a while, the weekends with soccer were lost. In order to regain that scene, the players and the coach are fighting desperately.
Facing Nagoya led by Manager Kenta Hasegawa, we will confront them fairly and squarely. Hopefully, in a packed stadium like that day.
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
