The 5th match of a tight schedule playing 7 matches in 2 to 3 days. Tokyo, who played in the Levain Cup on the 13th, will now face an away game against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the 9th round of the J1 League.
Despite only having two days of rest since the previous match, Tokyo played the Shonan Bellmare match on the 13th with a lineup centered around young players. Many of the players from the league match against Urawa Reds on the 10th, which was a week ago, have had a one-week interval to prepare for this Sapporo match. Although it is a match in a congested schedule, they should be able to approach it in a relatively fresh physical condition.
The opponent Sapporo has a record of 1 win, 6 draws, and 1 loss in the league this season. Looking only at the results, there is an impression that they have not been able to win, but they achieved that one win in the recent away game against Nagoya Grampus. They will continue that momentum and have high motivation towards their first home victory of the season. Coach Albert also cautions that it will be a very intense match both in terms of play intensity and tactics.
In terms of team completion, under coach Petrovic, this is the 5th season, and Sapporo's tactical maturity is among the best in the league. Although key player Chanathip has transferred to Kawasaki Frontale, they have reinforced the team with Gabriel Xavier, who performed well in Nagoya, among others, in the team's composition this offseason. Most of the key players from last season remain, and it is expected that Sapporo's soccer, which has high coordination and ball possession, will be fully demonstrated.
On the other hand, Tokyo, which has only been under the supervision of Coach Albert for three months, is still in the early stages of its growth phase, as emphasized by the commander himself. In the 90 minutes, there are times when they can express their style, possess the ball, and control the game, but there are also times when the pressing from the front line does not work and they have to endure being pushed back.
However, the degree of growth has been accelerating with each game, and the coach emphasizes the team's hunger for victory before every match. As a result, they have achieved 4 wins so far while growing. In this Sapporo match as well, they will aim for 3 points by flexibly making adjustments during the game with the goal of winning, while keeping their own style in mind.
Both teams' styles have been confirmed in training matches during the Okinawa camp. However, Tokyo has been rapidly growing. We want to express our three months of growth on the pitch and bring back a victory that exceeds Sapporo's expectations.
