Preseason match against Kawasaki right before the league opening

One week before the start of the J-League, a preseason match will be held against Kawasaki Frontale. It will be the first game at Ajinomoto Stadium this season. It will be interesting to see how much of the training content can be displayed in the game. Coach Hara said, "I want to use today's match to prepare well for the opening. I want to try out various players depending on the situation."

　Tokyo's starting lineup consists of DF Kaji, Jean, Fujiyama, and Kanazawa on the right. In the midfield, Imakano is the defensive midfielder, Ishikawa is on the right, Danilo and Kurisawa are in the center, and Toda is on the left. They will face the match with a 4-5-1 formation with Lucas as the top player. First of all, attention is on the new addition, Danilo. How well he fits into the team and how he can lead Tokyo's attack with his high technique. I also have high expectations for his combination with Kurisawa. There were concerns as there were many injured players in the defense line, but Jean is starting in a lively manner. Shigeki is also on the bench.

Kawasaki returns to J1 for the first time in 5 years. This season, they will enter the top league with a calculated strength without making significant changes to the roster. In J2 last season, they scored a total of 104 goals in 44 matches, showing their threatening attacking power. In particular, FW JUNINHO (37 goals last season), Ganaha (22 goals), and MF Marcus (18 goals) have a combined scoring power of 77 goals, so they need to be highly cautious. The wind is cold, but the Ajinomoto Stadium is clear and sunny, and the match started with Kawasaki's kickoff.

Approaching the Kawasaki goal with a fast attack from the start...

　Tokyo, which presses firmly and launches fast attacks. In the 2nd minute, Danilo dribbles up the center, evades Ishikawa with a one-two pass, and Lucas in the penalty area gets into a shooting position. He picks up the blocked ball, connects it, and this time Danilo reacts to Toda's lofted pass, penetrating deep into the penalty area. In the 7th minute, Danilo keeps the ball from a counterattack. He crosses it to the right side, and Ishikawa shoots from the right area. In the 8th minute, Kanazawa attacks from the left side. They smoothly run through the area and Kurisawa makes a final pass to run into the goal. Kurisawa's shot is saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 12th minute, Lucas passes to Ishikawa directly from a throw-in, and Kurisawa wins a corner kick with a well-aimed shot. In the 18th minute, starting from Kurisawa, Danilo and Ishikawa connect and launch a fast attack, with Ishikawa sprinting with the ball into the penalty area to aim for a goal.

　Tokyo created many chances from the beginning, but not being able to score during this period will have a big impact later on. Kawasaki, who gradually got used to the speed of J1, started to find their rhythm by launching counterattacks from a solid defense. Then, in the 22nd minute, MF Nakamura, who intercepted a feed from Tokyo's defense line on the right side, passed the ball to FW Juninho. After a momentary control, Juninho sent a through pass to the front line. Nakamura, who had moved to the left area, received the return and took a shot. Although initially blocked by Tokyo's defenders, the ball spilled in front of the goal, and Juninho, who was following up, scored. They conceded the first goal.

　After that, both teams compactly pressed each other, resulting in a back-and-forth match. In the 26th minute, Kawasaki attacked the goal, but FW Ganaha's shot from inside the box was saved by Doi. In the 32nd minute, Tokyo, with Kurisawa's quick restart, Toda broke through the front line and won a corner kick. In the 35th minute, Kawasaki had a direct free kick. Marcus' kick aimed at the goal was saved again by Doi. In the 43rd minute, this time Tokyo had a direct free kick from outside the left area. Danilo aimed for the goal with a curved shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. In the 44th minute, Kurisawa took a middle shot. Then, Kaji, who received the ball in the midfield, took a direct shot, but the well-controlled ball narrowly missed the left side of the goal. The first half ended with Tokyo trailing by one goal.

Switching focus to the opening game with the challenge in mind

　Tokyo wants to score a goal, but as time goes on, space opens up in the midfield and allows Kawasaki to launch sharp counterattacks. In the midst of that, Lucas took a powerful shot while competing with the defender in front of the goal in the 50th minute. In the 54th minute, Akashi broke through the right side after a side change from Danilo. Danilo crossed the ball to the far post, and Lucas scored with a header. Tokyo showed their characteristic attacking style in a wide-open match.

　In the 55th minute, Shigeki Mori replaced Fujiyama and Miura replaced Toda. Tokyo set up a formation with a double pivot of Miura and Imakano, with Kurisawa on the left. Tokyo regained their rhythm with Miura's well-timed attacking runs, and in the 62nd minute, Lucas received a long pass on the right side of the front line, and Ishikawa crossed the ball. The opponent's central defender cleared the ball, which went through Lucas and reached Kurisawa in front of the goal. Kurisawa assessed the opponent's goalkeeper who had come out and took a shot. However, the shot was blocked by the opponent's defender Minowa, and a big chance was missed.

　In the 69th minute, Yusuke Kondo replaced Danilo. Tokyo switched to a 4-4-2 formation and launched a counterattack, but despite repeatedly crossing from the sides, they were easily blocked by Kawasaki's strong defense and couldn't finish. Tokyo wants to connect their attacks after Kono's bold interception, but they have no attacking options against Kawasaki, who are defending deep. They can control the ball, but they can't create effective attacking opportunities. In the 89th minute, Kaji passed a lofted ball to the right side. Ishikawa caught up and crossed it directly in front of the goal, but Yusuke Kondo's diving effort couldn't find the net. Kawasaki's solid defense and counterattacking strategy worked perfectly, and the match ended with a 0-1 score. They suffered a defeat, but neither Coach Hara nor the players are feeling pessimistic. They see the challenges that arose at this stage as an opportunity to improve and prepare well for the opening match.

【Player Comments】《Imano》"In the second half, we couldn't find a way to score even after taking the ball from them. It's difficult when the opponent defends deep. It's disappointing that they were able to exploit the spaces well in their attacks. As a team, we need to improve in all aspects."《Danilo》"Unfortunately, we want to forget about today's result. We want to win the opening match and make everyone happy. It's an important game, so we want to focus and show good play."《Ishikawa》"(With only three lines of defense, midfield, and forward), we ended up lining up in the forward position and got caught in a counterattack. The opponent has height, so we were conscious of fast crosses... We need to compete more on the outside and try different things like running diagonally or towards the center. We want to reflect on the video and build towards the opening match."

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "Kawasaki was drawn back at an early stage with a counter-attack in mind, and we couldn't break through. The way we lost possession was particularly bad. We were taken away at the moments when Lucas and Danilo were developing or keeping the ball... From there, we were hit with counter-attacks, and when Juninho and Marcinho faced us, all of Kawasaki's players came out. We need to break through that. That's why we're trying a one-man midfield with Imakawa... Today, it was crucial how well Danilo could perform. However, he still relies too much on his own instincts, and there were several instances where he was taken away and it turned into a counter-attack. He needs to get more accustomed to Japanese soccer and the J-League. But he has good qualities. While fitting him in well, we need to utilize players like Ishikawa, Toda, and Suzuki Nori, who have speed, and how to break through the sides is the challenge. We don't have a strong heading player in the center, so we can't win just by throwing the ball in like we did today against a bigger opponent. We need to be more decisive and score goals with a better rhythm, rather than just being connected. We want to create scenes where we move the ball quickly and compete on the sides. The harvest is that players like Shigenobu, who had a slow start, have improved their individual conditions. As injured players gradually recover, we want to make a good start from the beginning of the season by using various players like Suzuki Nori. We lost today, but we can see potential and also the challenges. We want to prepare well for the start of the season."

　[Kawasaki-Kanzuka coach's summary of the press conference] "It has been 5 years since we fought in J1, so we were able to have a good preseason match on a good pitch before the opening. The point was how well we could play our own soccer against Tokyo, the Nabisco champion. We approached it boldly, but in the first 15 minutes, we lost the ball badly and were quickly taken to the goal, which confused us with their speed. I think the players got used to it and found their rhythm from there. It was good that we were able to keep a clean sheet in defense. However, Tokyo had long balls and connected from the ground and from the sides, their attack was diverse. It was a game that was informative in terms of individual potential + organization."