＜Match Review＞
In the previous match, Tokyo started the Golden Week with a good start by defeating Albirex Niigata 2-1 at home Ajinomoto Stadium. The remaining matches will be away games, which will involve long-distance travel to Kyushu and Hokkaido, making it a challenging schedule.
This round, we will be playing against Avispa Fukuoka on the same day as last season.
There were changes in the member selection in the midfield and the backline in Tokyo. Yuto NAGATOMO was selected as the right fullback, Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who had been absent for two games, was chosen as the left fullback, and Seiji KIMURA, who made his first appearance in the league this season, was included in one of the center back positions.
1st HALF - Watanabe's shot hits the post in a deadlock
Early on, Tokyo, who strengthened their awareness of moving forward, had many opportunities to enter the opponent's territory, but they were unable to find a way to finish. They quickly responded to Fukuoka's fast attacks by retreating, and although the ball was carried to a deep position, they quickly slid and closed in on the ball side, not allowing an easy shot in decisive situations.
In the build-up phase, there were scenes where mistakes occurred when pushing up from the back and moving the ball in the opponent's half, and the flow was stopped by the opponent's counter before getting into rhythm. The number of ball losses in the midfield gradually decreased, but they were unable to create space in front of Fukuoka's defensive block and had to continue receiving the ball at their feet and resetting.
In the midst of not being able to create attacking opportunities, the first chance came in the 19th minute of the first half. Teruhito NAKAGAWA kept the ball in a deep position on the right side and entrusted it to Ryoma WATANABE, who had come to support. Watanabe, who had cut inside, found a shooting lane and aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal with a ground shot. The shot seemed to be on target, but it hit the left post and bounced back into the field, unfortunately not becoming a goal.
On the other hand, in the 22nd minute of the first half, a situation called "almost" was created from a corner kick. When the corner kick from the right side flowed to the far side, it was combined with one touch. There was no momentum in the shot, but the ball that headed towards the goal in a state of no player reacting in front of the goal slightly deviated to the right of the goal.
As the first half approached the end, the flow of the game shifted towards Fukuoka. They put the ball into the gap between Tokyo's defenders and attempted to break through the center, aiming for the gaps in the marking. On the other hand, Tokyo's players Yasuki KIMOTO and Kimura closed the center tightly, preventing Fukuoka from freely shooting despite being able to break through towards the goal.
There were shooting scenes that hit the post, but while trying various ideas to break down the opponent who pulled back, we maintained intensity in both offense and defense and reached halftime.
2nd HALF - Unable to close the gap of 1 point
As the second half begins, there are more scenes where we are pushed back. In the 3rd minute of the second half, a free kick is awarded near the right side of the penalty area, and Konno's direct shot hits the right post.
In the 10th and 12th minutes of the second half, there were shooting opportunities created in front of the goal, but both times Jakub SLOWIK quickly closed the distance and blocked the shots without any problems.
In the midst of not being able to grasp the rhythm of the attack, Tokyo made substitution cards in the 18th and 25th minutes of the second half, sending in four fresh players. Gradually gaining momentum, they also created situations where they pushed forward from the sides, but were unable to bring it to a finish.
On the contrary, in the 27th minute of the second half, when a starting point was created inside the penalty area, we were unable to completely steal the ball and allowed Yamagishi to score and take the lead.
Tokyo was unable to break through the opponent's strong defense and fast counterattacks, even though they held onto the ball. They couldn't close the gap and the game ended with a one-point difference.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING XI
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Yuuto NAGATOMO/Kyosei KIMOTO/Seiji KIMURA (32nd minute of the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)/Yuhei TOKUMOTO (25th minute of the second half: Kashif BANGNAGANDE)
MF Keigo HIGASHI/Shuto ABE (25th minute of the second half: Masato MORISHIGE)/Kusei MATSUKI (25th minute of the second half: Adailton)
FW Ryoma WATANABE/Diego OLIVEIRA/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (18th minute of the second half: Kei KOIZUMI)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
FW PEROTTI
GOAL
ー
＜Avispa Fukuoka＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Takumi NAGAISHI
DF Yota MAEJIMA / Douglas GROLLI / Tatsuki NARA / Itsuki ODA
MF Kazuya KONNO / Masato SHIGEMI / Yuya YAMAGISHI (29th minute of the second half: Kennedyegbus MIKUNI) / Hiroyuki MAE / Lukian (43rd minute of the second half: Takeshi KANAMORI)
FW Reiju TSURUNO (23rd minute of the second half: Ryoga SATO)
SUBS
GK Masaaki MURAKAMI
DF Tatsuya TANAKA
MF Sotan TANABE
FW Wellington
GOAL
27 minutes into the second half: Yuya YAMAGISHI
[Coach Albert's Press Conference Comments]
Q: please review the game.
There were two Tokyos in the first and second halves. Regarding the first half, we weren't able to make any particularly outstanding plays, but we were able to express our play and create multiple chances. However, the second half had a different content from the first half, and we weren't able to express our soccer. At the same time, we continued to lose in the ball-winning situations and struggled in defense. Therefore, we switched to a 3-back formation to fix our defense. However, we weren't able to fix it well and it led to conceding a goal. After conceding the first goal, we naturally played aiming for an equalizer or a comeback, but Avispa Fukuoka's defense after taking the lead is very solid and they excel at controlling a 1-0 game result. We have been battling against them for four seasons and we recognize that as their weapon. We couldn't break their solid defense and ended up losing.
I knew that they were good at defending a 1-0 lead if they scored the first goal. Therefore, we had planned to score the first goal, but unfortunately, they scored the first goal against our intentions. We couldn't defend the central zone that we shouldn't have been beaten in, and that became an area that they exploited. This is also something that needs improvement.
Q, I think you changed your position a lot, what point were you not satisfied with?
A, regarding the first half, I thought that placing Ryoma WATANABE in a more central position when building up from a low position would allow us to smoothly advance the ball, so I made the change. I think that change worked well. And in the middle of the second half, there were many scenes where we were dominated by the opponent in the center. At the same time, we were struggling with being attacked in the left center-back position, so in order to prevent conceding a goal, I tried to make adjustments there along with multiple substitutions.
Q: Did you feel the pressure from the opponent in the second half? Please tell us the reasons.
Regarding the content of the second half, I think the biggest reason was that we were unable to play the way we wanted to. Of course, in a home game, if it's a tie in the second half, it's natural to aim for a victory by scoring. Losing game control easily against such a team is evidence that our play is not working. If we aim to be champions, we need to make adjustments to the parts where we lost game control in the second half. If we aim to be champions, every game will be difficult like today's. I think it is the duty of a champion to win those games. In order for Tokyo to become that, I think we need to firmly improve the points for improvement that came out today.
Q, I think the movement of the third person was lacking and the start was a bit slow in the scene before going for a shot.
A, that is still a part that we are working on as a challenge. Regarding that part, we are training and aiming for improvement. Sometimes it goes well, but it didn't go well today. I think we need to do that part properly. I think it is certain that we were not able to play effectively in the part of building up the attack. I also understand that there is plenty of room for improvement. That's why we need to take our time and grow steadily day by day. The game won't wait for us, and we have to accumulate points. That's why we need a mentality that is committed to victory. However, I think that part was missing in the second half today.
[Player Interview]
＜Player Kuryu MATSUKI＞
Q, it seemed like there were trial and error attempts from the first half.
A, when we had possession of the ball, the opponent dropped back to defend, so we communicated about how to break them down. It's good to create time on the same side, but there was only Diego OLIVEIRA player in the middle, so I think it would have been better to simply cross the ball and try to win the second ball from there.
Q, I think you were quite conscious of switching between offense and defense in order to avoid the opponent's counterattacks.
A, Avispa Fukuoka also tried to defend and aim for counterattacks, so I felt it was very difficult. I think we need to become a team that can beat such teams.
Q, do you mean that you want the team to eventually become a team that can break down the team that comes to defend?
A, yes. Because that's the kind of football we're looking for, we want to make sure we can build up from a low position.
Q, I think it was a game where we wanted to secure at least 1 point. How was it?
It is frustrating that we couldn't earn 1 or 3 points in a difficult away game, and we have a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in 2 days, so we want to prepare to win there.
<Seiji KIMURA>
Q, it was your first appearance and first start in the league this season, but it ended up being a tough result. Please share your thoughts on the game.
A, at the scouting stage, we knew that Avispa Fukuoka was a team that kicks the ball, so we knew we had to bounce back everything. However, we also had our second balls picked up, so I think we needed to raise our line more and compact the distance with the midfield, connect our clearances accurately, and if we couldn't do that, we needed to clear the ball big. In the scene of conceding a goal, the cover was delayed, and in a situation where someone nearby had to clear the ball in front of the goal, I lost sight of the ball and relied on Yasuki KIMOTO, and I was given time and conceded a goal by being passed. I think that scene is definitely my responsibility. It is also my responsibility that the build-up was not possible throughout the team, so I think we need to raise the level more to win in such difficult matches. In order to become a player who can shine not only when the team is in good condition but also when it is in a bad condition, I thought there are still many areas for improvement.
Q, Regarding the first half, there were times when we were able to push back, but A, we were often unable to carry the ball forward simply because we couldn't collect the second ball, and there were also scenes where we lost the ball due to our own mistakes. We couldn't create much time to possess the ball, so I think the opponent took control of the rhythm.
Q: What do you think is lacking despite the result of two shots during the match?
A, in the first half we were able to carry the ball to the middle zone, but I think we lacked the ability to expand the ball to the opposite side when there were too many players on the same side. This is something we have been working on in practice, so I think it's something we should do in the game as well. Also, I felt that it would be difficult to reach the goal if we don't reduce the scenes where we lose the ball due to our own mistakes. If we could have carried the ball a little further forward, I think we could have given the forward players more room to work with, and I don't think the result of only two shots is solely the responsibility of the forward players.
Q: Did you also work on changing the system to a 3-back during practice when you made the change during the game? Were there any concerns that arose from the system change during the match?
A, I have done it several times in the game, and of course I practice it as well. With 3 backs, there are more people behind, so my positioning range becomes narrower, but I need to move forward a little, so there is a difference from 4 backs. With 3 backs, we basically have to defend tightly, but we conceded a goal after switching to 3 backs, so I feel a heavy responsibility. I think we conceded a goal by being caught in a momentary gap, so I want to work hard to become a center back who can pay attention to the whole team.
Shuto ABE player
Q, the 100th game, became a tough match.
A, looking back on today's game, personally there were many bad plays and noticeable mistakes. My body felt heavy and I couldn't make many good plays. Regarding the 100th game, it was unfortunate that it didn't become a good commemoration.
Q, we had been changing the system since the first half. How was it as a player on the pitch?
A, there was no shape in the attack until the last shot, so I talked with Ryoma WATANABE and Kuryu MATSUKI, and I was conscious of receiving the ball in many situations regardless of the formation. However, we couldn't create a good shape and the first half ended. In the second half, we entered the game with the same flow, so we conceded a goal without success.
Q, Until now, there have been many scenes where Hotaka NAKAMURA's aggressive and dynamic play has shifted the opponent's defenders.
A, all the players looked physically heavy. There were few instances where they were able to catch up, and I think that if they can't run when they should, it won't bring energy to the team and they won't be able to put pressure on the opponent. I felt once again that such plays are important.
Q, I think we continued to play while feeling the pressure from the opponent in the second half.
A, Avispa Fukuoka had many good scenes, but we also made many passing mistakes and there were many scenes where we struggled to defend against the opponent's long balls. Tokyo managed to endure those plays for a long time. However, I think that if we continue to receive pressure for a long time, we will eventually collapse like we did in today's conceding scene. So first, we want to focus on not losing and not making passing mistakes.
Q: We have a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in 2 days. Please share your enthusiasm for the match.
A, today I will return and the day after tomorrow I will move, it is a tight schedule, but I think it will be a total war, so when I can rest, I will rest and take away fatigue, and I want to challenge the game in a fresh state as much as possible.
