Restart of the 2nd Stage

After about two and a half months since the fierce battle with Kashima Antlers that took place on a midsummer night, the J1 League 2nd Stage resumed after the break for the Sydney Olympics and the Asian Cup.

FC Tokyo has been actively working on strengthening during this break period. From September 11th to 14th, they held a training camp in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, mainly focusing on physical improvement. Following that, from September 18th to 24th, they went on a training trip to South Korea and regained a sense of practicality through practice matches with K-League teams. On October 8th, they played a preseason match against Kawasaki Frontale in Nagano Prefecture. Then, from October 16th to 19th, they held a training camp at J-VILLAGE Stadium in Fukushima Prefecture for final conditioning.

After that, Yokohama F.Marinos (2 matches), Kashiwa Reysol, and other top J1 teams played practice matches, and devoted all their efforts to prepare for the remaining 5 matches of the 2nd stage in perfect condition.

And the first game after the restart arrived. The opponent is Júbilo Iwata, a powerful club representing Japan. In the previous home game held at the National Stadium, we achieved a dramatic comeback victory of 3-2 thanks to TUTO's explosion, but the content was completely dominated by Júbilo. In addition, this time Júbilo has transformed into a super team with significantly improved team strength, with the addition of the genius lefty and MVP of the Asian Cup, Naoya, who has grown into Japan's ace striker, as well as Takahara, who has established himself as a key defender for the national team, and Hattori, who has also become a regular in the national team's defense, which is incomparable to the previous time.

On the other hand, Tokyo has been actively working on strengthening, but they have not achieved results in their practice matches so far, and they also have concerns such as the absence of King Amaral due to poor conditioning. However, this season they have had a good start in both previous openings under similar circumstances, so there is a possibility that they can create a "whirlwind" again in the third opening. The highly anticipated match, mixed with expectations and concerns, kicked off at 7:00 PM at the away Júbilo Iwata Stadium.

Defensive stance against astonishing attacking power

Tokyo was the first to take a shot. 30 seconds into the start, the ball was passed to Kanno from the right side, and he took a shot while turning around. The ball was in front of the goalkeeper, but Tokyo's proactive attitude was evident.

Afterwards, DF Fujiyama repeatedly stole the ball from Iwata FW Takahara with sharp footwork and distributed passes to Kobayashi on the left side of the front line. Kobayashi, who is expected to show the results of his study abroad in Brazil, actively attempted his favorite dribble breakthroughs and put pressure on the opponent's DF. On the right side, Naito and Masuda, who have been partners since their time at Antlers, create chances from their hotline. For the first 10 minutes from the start of the first half, Tokyo showed a development that was at least on par with Iwata's aggressiveness.

However, there was no way Júbilo would stay silent. In the 10th minute, Júbilo created a scramble in front of the goal from a right corner kick by Nabe, and a rain of shots poured down mercilessly. GK Doi managed to save the situation, but in the following 11th minute, Nabe received the ball right in front of Tokyo's penalty area and casually dropped it with a heel pass. Takahara, who had made a run into the area, unleashed a powerful shot. Again, Doi saved it in front of him, but gradually Júbilo began to show their fangs.

Júbilo applies strong pressure in the midfield to steal the ball, and then always passes it to the defensive midfielder, Namiha, first. From there, they either directly pass the ball to the forward with a versatile pass, or pass it to the other playmaker, Fujita. Fujita constantly moves the ball with dedicated movements and passes it to Fukunishi, who moves widely from the right side or from the defensive midfielder position to the front line, or to Hattori, who comes out at the perfect timing to the left side space, and then they break through with a side attack. Each individual's technique is very high, and the imaginative attack centered around Namiha has multiple patterns, leaving Tokyo on the defensive. From Júbilo's right side, Nishi comes out very aggressively, and from the left side, Hattori comes out very aggressively, causing Kobayashi and Masuda, who are the wings of Tokyo's attack, to both fall back to defense. Even if they steal the ball, their attacking position is low and they fall into a vicious cycle where they cannot make counterattacks with momentum.

Naito's ejection disrupts game plan

There was no lack of strategy in Tokyo. After the game, Coach Okuma looked back and said, "If we could have held the first half to 0, we could have taken a more aggressive approach in the second half, pushing the whole team forward and winning the ball in higher positions... However, we had to reconsider the game plan itself due to that unexpected incident..." As Coach Okuma said, we were well aware that the opponent would dominate the ball, and we believed that we could manage if we held the first half to 0. In fact, DF Fujiyama was doing a great job, showing sharp attacking participation through his lone efforts, and MF Koike was also functioning well as a good link in the attack. As mentioned earlier, the attacking line on both sides was too cautious and fearful of the opposing team, which hindered the momentum of our attacks. However, Coach Okuma believed that there was a chance to win by pushing forward in the second half according to his game plan. But even that game plan was disrupted by an unexpected incident in the 33rd minute of the first half, when right fullback Naito had to leave the field due to pain in his left hamstring. Naito was a central figure in the tactics we had been working on during this break, which focused on winning the ball in higher positions and launching attacks with momentum. His absence from the pitch meant that we had to rethink the entire plan.

Kominato, who replaced Naito, is a center back by profession, and he was able to strengthen the defense in one-on-one situations. However, a reassessment of the strategy of "going for goals to win" became necessary.

Endure and withstand with everyone's high concentration, and hope for TUTO's one shot

Despite the unexpected expulsion of Naito, Tokyo managed to keep the first half score at 0. In the second half, they aimed to unify their consciousness by encouraging each other from behind and pushing forward as a team, and took to the pitch.

Shortly after the start of the second half, Júbilo Iwata's fierce attack began, but Tokyo's strategy of consciously pushing forward also showed its effect.

5 minutes, Kamiya turned forward from a post play and passed it to Masuda on the right. Masuda easily crossed it to the center, and TUTO took an intense volley shot from an exquisite trap. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a goal as it hit the goalkeeper's face, but it was a play that showed "momentum" and "aggressiveness" that was not seen in the first half. In the following 9 minutes, TUTO passed two opposing players in a narrow area in the center and passed it to Kamiya who entered the post. Kamiya quickly passed the ball with a heel kick to TUTO who ran in sideways, and TUTO rushed towards the goal. Unfortunately, he was stopped by two opposing defenders, but it was a great play by TUTO that proved he could break through the Iwata defenders even if he was alone, giving confidence to the team.

Iwata also gradually began to feel anxious, and in the 11th minute, TUTO showed off again as they shifted to an attacking play by disrupting the balance. When Tokyo DF stole the ball from Iwata, they passed it to TUTO in the front line. TUTO received the pass in their own half and ran alone for about 50 meters. Hattori, a Japanese national team DF, chased after TUTO, but TUTO, who was dribbling, was faster. In the end, the shot hit the opposing DF who entered the tackle, but TUTO was able to create a good opportunity with their favorite counterattack.

The defense of Tokyo was outstanding. Despite being dominated by the ball for about 80% of the time, they withstood Júbilo's attacking play, which mostly consisted of direct passes leading to finishes, with high concentration and intense fight, and did not allow any goals. They also shut down Nakayama and Takahara, the two forwards of the opposing team, with their height advantage, especially with Yamao and Sandro. In the 18th minute, the right side was broken through by Nishi, and Takayama made a near-perfect cross into the box, but Yamao fiercely contested it with a diving header, causing Takayama's headed shot to skim the post and miss the goal. As a result of this play, Takahara was injured and sent off, and Yamao also suffered a cut on his forehead.

The team that worked hard also had luck on their side. Júbilo's shots either flew straight to the goalkeeper or narrowly missed the goal. In the 21st minute, which became the biggest crisis, Oku, who came on as a substitute, took a perfect shot from the front of the goal, but the goalpost saved it.

Regrettable last 5 minutes

In the second half, TUTO had two chances with a rush, but in the 21st minute, the third big chance came. TUTO, who received the ball in their own half in the same situation as the second chance, once again went into a solo run. Approaching the opponent's goal, just before being sandwiched between the chasing opponent DF from behind and the DF standing in front to stop, TUTO passed the ball to the right like a pass, slipped past the left side of the DF coming from the front, leaving the two opponents behind, and quickly caught up with the ball he had passed and took a powerful shot freely. It was a decisive chance that seemed to be the third time lucky, but the shot deflected to the right of the goal. It was very disappointing as there were few chances, but TUTO's genius speed and dribbling reaffirmed that he is undoubtedly at the top class of J League. Watching this play, it was impossible not to expect another dramatic comeback like the one against Iwata on April 5th, no matter how much they were pushed back.

On the other hand, Júbilo's fierce attack was intense. It was clear from the atmosphere in the stadium, where about 10,000 people were watching, that it was absolutely unacceptable for them to lose to Tokyo twice, especially in their home ground. It was not pressure that worked against Júbilo's players, but a profound supporting mood that made them aware of their tradition and pride.

At the 30th minute, from a position about 30 meters in the center, Nishi unleashed a powerful shot, but Doi managed to punch it away. Then, at the 33rd minute, a precise cross from Oku, who broke through the right side, found the head of Nakayama on the far side. The shot narrowly went over the bar, but the danger of conceding a goal continued.

In the 36th minute, the left side was broken through and a scramble ensued from the cross that was lifted up, and in the end, Nishi overheads and shoots, hitting the crossbar of the goal. Once again, saved by luck.

However, luck did not last until the end. In the 40th minute, Hattori, who had been repeatedly participating in the attack and looking for a chance, entrusted the ball to the front line and rushed towards the goal himself. Fukunishi and Oku connected, and in the end, Hattori, who had come out from behind, was unable to keep up with the marking and Hattori, who had escaped freely in front of the goal, received a pass and scored a goal. It was a goal that was brought about by the experience and determination of overcoming a crisis in the previous Asian Cup. And in the following 44th minute at the end of the game, the ball was passed to Fujita, who had drifted to the left side from Oku in front of the goal, and in the end, Nakayama, who was not in good shape today, jumped in and scored a perfect header to the far side with very high precision. In the end, we couldn't endure the last 5 minutes and lost the victory that seemed within reach.

The difference in strength between Iwata, which can be called one of Asia's top clubs, and us was undeniable. But someday we must welcome the day when we defeat them with our strength. The precision of their technique was outstanding in this match, even though they were the enemy team. The most notable aspect of this was the "precision of crosses" that Coach Okuma always emphasizes. The balls they sent in had a clear aim and were kicked right on target. We must not let today's bitter defeat be in vain. And in the near future, we will definitely defeat them with our strength!

[Coach Kiyoshi OKUMA's comment]

"It was regrettable that we couldn't take advantage of the opportunity to attack due to Naito's expulsion. Also, when we conceded a goal, I was thinking, 'I can't endure this anymore,' and had a substitute player ready. It's regrettable that we conceded a goal before making that substitution."

However, I think the team did well with what they were trying to do today, and they were able to do what I said at halftime, "Let's push forward more," in the second half. If we can reduce mistakes in the front line, we should be able to create more good opportunities. From now on, I want to switch our mindset and prepare for the next game.