TOKYOism

"Tactics are born from excellent positioning."

What is positional play?

Before the match against Sagan Tosu on May 8th, a very difficult challenge came up. To depict this "positional vs positional" battle, we gathered the voices of the midfield players and attempted to unravel the current state and future of this new style.

First of all, let's clarify what "positional play" is. This is a concept that originated in the world of chess. It is a way of thinking about how to control which area of the board and ultimately checkmate, rather than just capturing or being captured by the piece in front of you. Hmm, it seems quite difficult.

But if you think about it this way, it's much easier. Just think of it as that strategy I came up with when I was a kid, desperately trying to beat the neighborhood chess champion. It's the one where you let them capture your pawns in the opening, lull them into a false sense of security, and then snatch their queen. To understand that, there's a special movie.

It is the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer" based on the true story of chess player Josh Waitzkin's childhood. The film depicts the growth story of a boy who learns the attack and defense, the fun and difficulty of chess from two different coaches. Larry Fishburne, known for his role as Morpheus in "The Matrix," is incredibly cool, and the depth of love portrayed by Joan Allen, who plays the mother, is touching. If your child is passionate about something, I think this is a movie that parents should definitely watch. There is a quote from the Brooklyn-born famous player mentioned in the title of this movie, although there is still much more to talk about.

"Tactics are born from excellent positioning."

This famous quote from Bobby Fischer is known as a phrase that represents the concept of positional play. It involves manipulating the pieces on the board, taking into account the characteristics of each piece and securing three advantages: numerical, qualitative, and positional. By thinking several moves ahead, a strategic plan is developed to achieve checkmate. If we apply this to soccer, it means utilizing the players' strengths and the three advantages to change positions and create tactics to aim for the goal. Therefore, the way a team that aims for positional play fights and the design of the team can vary greatly depending on the characteristics of the players.

So, what is positional play for a capital club aiming with coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA? Looking back on the progress from the start date, it is necessary to mention that various experimental player selections were made in the practice matches before the opening. Among them, there was a player who was tried as a "false number 9" and Watanabe Ryo was converted to a side back, which is one example. It can be said that the current main players have settled after such tests.

From here, we will delve into the discussion of specific play models using the words of midfielders Takuya AOKI, Shuto ABE, and Kuryu MATSUKI. Aoki testifies to the actual image of the style that Coach Albert aims for.

"The things the coach has been asking for since the camp and what I heard were very simple, so it didn't feel difficult."

What you need to understand is that what Coach Albert is conveying to the players is not difficult at all, but rather very simple. The attack is based on the triangle relationship, but the diamond formation (a combination of four players forming a diamond shape with the ball at the top of the triangle) is also important. From there, they repeat the post-play of hitting and dropping the ball, always delivering the ball to forward players and advancing the entire team. The ideal strategy is to move the ball from the side and push the opponent into their own territory. Matsuki says, "The most important thing is what the coach often says, which is to easily drop the ball with one touch if you are in a situation where you can't see ahead. Many things are very simple, so we play soccer while thinking about each one."

On the other hand, there are still many scenes where the tempo of the game is not accompanied and cannot escape from the enemy's pursuers during the game. Therefore, they are using long-distance passes to avoid the opponent's press. Aoki says, "When it becomes inevitable to pass to the outside, there is a position where they get caught in the opponent's press. So, when that happens, I want the two center backs behind to be in a position where they can pick up the second ball when a long ball is played to the two inside halves. I think it would be great if they could change their standing position more smoothly when going to pick up the ball after kicking it and when connecting from behind."

And here, Abe explains, "When the ball is in our own half, I am conscious of participating in the build-up. But once the ball crosses the halfway line, I am told to be aware of making runs from the second row without dropping too deep. I am conscious of positioning myself to take advantage of the space behind and also receive lay-offs when I move forward." This is the basic structure and current situation of the build-up.

The defensive strategy will vary depending on the opponent, but the ideal is to immediately regain possession. The team's ability to switch between offense and defense and their strength in challenges remain unchanged. That's why Abe says, "Basically, we want to continue applying high pressure and using short counters. When we are in our own half, we want to avoid setting up a block like Hasegawa did. The coach doesn't like that, so we want to maintain a situation where someone is constantly attacking the ball. In that case, I am conscious of either myself or Kuse coming out."

On the other hand, there is also a defensive strategy where both wings cut inside and try to lure the opponent towards the center to intercept. In that case, the three midfielders have many tasks.

"If we are going to cut outside, the winger will leave the opponent's fullback and go for the press. Therefore, we have to cover the area of the opponent's fullback ourselves. Also, Tokyo's front line has fast players who press, so the opponent gets flustered. So, it depends on how much we can recover the ball that is played inside. We predict the opponent's perspective and where they will pass. The first priority is to intercept and then move forward with me and Shuuto and recover with Takuya. However, we defend in a way that minimizes Takuya's distance of movement." (Matsumaki).

Every position requires strength and stamina in both offense and defense. It can be said that the optimal solution found by Coach Albert from the start until now is strongly reflected in the selection of the members. That is why it should be understood that Abe and Matsuki, who have been working symbolically up to this point, are the first choice for the inside half position.

Smoke started coming out of my head, so this is the end of Part 1.

In the second part, we will delve deeper into checkmate, which is how to capture goals, and future considerations through the comments of three players. This may be a spoiler, but I believe Fischer's famous quote "Tactics arise from superior positioning" and Josh's growth in the movie will be the key.

Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)

Click here for the second part!