In the previous match, we drew with Nagoya Grampus, and in the league matches, we have had three consecutive scoreless draws. However, Coach Albert stated, "FC Tokyo is playing to win. Both Tokyo and I are not cowards," emphasizing that it was not a result of defensive play.
Even if you possess the ball and control the game, you need goals to win. To truly establish positional play that we will work on from this season, we need players who can consistently score goals from situations where we intentionally move the ball and break through the defense.
The opponent for this match is Gamba Osaka, which has been led by coach Tomohiro Katanosaka since this season. The commander, who has been entrusted with the rebuilding of the prestigious team that struggled to finish 13th last season, is determined to "bring back a strong Gamba" and continues to experiment. Both teams will be tested on whether they can express the soccer they are working on with confidence.
13 years ago in the 2009 season, wearing the blue and red uniform, Naohiro Ishikawa, the club communicator, demonstrated his performance by scoring 15 goals throughout the year, starting with his first goal at the sacred ground, the National Stadium. In this match, we hope to witness the birth of a new hero for Tokyo from the same National Stadium.
