The fighting spirit is the base of Tokyo. Return to the origin and achieve victory!

　Sec. 23 will be held at Japan National Stadium against Shimizu S-Pulse. Reflecting on the previous match against Kashiwa, Coach Hara harshly said, "We were losing in terms of speed of movement and one-on-one battles. If we can't fight in every single play, it's not soccer. Without that foundation, even if we say 'we want to win,' we won't get results." From that reflection, this week we will go back to the basics of Tokyo soccer, conduct intense and focused training, and as a result, "intense collisions and a fighting spirit were born from the players within the team." The focus now is how we can demonstrate this in the match.

　However, there are concerns about the fatigue of Higa, Motoniwa, and Kaji due to the match of the Japan national team held on the 7th (Wed). In addition, Ishikawa injured his left foot the day before yesterday and did not join the team today to take precautions. On the other hand, Toda returned to actual play, and in practice, various formations were tried, including Toda and Nori Suzuki entering the midfield in various variations, and putting Fujiyama, who is in good condition, in the center or on both sides as full-backs. Due to Sasa's injury, Lucas will play as the lone striker, Nori Suzuki as the right midfielder, Toda as the left midfielder, and Fujiyama as the left full-back in a 4-5-1 formation. In response, Coach Hara declared that he is considering it more as a 3-1 formation rather than a lone striker and will play aggressively.

　Shimizu is currently in 13th place with 25 points. The goal difference with Tokyo is 2, but in the previous match against Kawasaki, which Shimizu missed DF Moriooka due to suspension, they constantly allowed the lead but managed to score a winning goal in the 88th minute and achieved a comeback victory of 3-2 after 7 games. In this match, in addition to Moriooka, FW Cho Je Jin will also be suspended, but they will continue to play with a solid defense and rely on the right MF Sato and left MF Hyodo as the starting point, connecting with FW Marcinhos. They have conceded 2 or more goals in the last 3 matches, but they have always scored goals from the fluid movement in the midfield, including Ito and Sugiyama in the defensive midfield. For Tokyo, it is important to tightly control the origin of the opponent's passes and prevent them from establishing a rhythm. They want to win by aggressively pressing and winning the battle on the sides. Both teams are in a lower position and this is a crucial match for their resurgence, but they cannot afford to lose. They need to go back to the basics of Tokyo's soccer and aim for victory.

Back To Basics

The 23rd contest of the season saw F.C. TOKYO take on Shimizu S-Pulse at the Tokyo National Stadium in central Tokyo. Manager Hara's verdict on the loss to Reysol was harsh, "We weren't fast enough or determined enough in the challenge. If we don't fight for every ball we can never play football. Simply saying 'We want to win' is meaningless without that base." The squad went back to basics in rigorous training sessions during the week. Whether the team could bring the heightened intensity into the game was the question.
Doi, Moniwa, and Kaji had all been away with the Japanese national team during the week and worries over their condition remained. Ishikawa was injured in training and missed the match, another setback for the team. Toda had returned from injury though, and TOKYO tried a variety of formations in training involving he and Suzuki in midfield, and the in-form Fujiyama in defense. Sasa had a slight knock and started on the bench as TOKYO lined up in a 4-5-1 formation; Lucas as lone striker, Suzuki on the right, Toda on the left, and Fujiyama at left back. "It's more of a three-striker formation than a one-striker formation," manager Hara commented on his attacking intentions.
Opponents S-Pulse lay in 13th place with 25 points at kick-off. They had ended a 7-game winless run with a battling 3-2 victory over Frontale in the previous outing but were without the suspended Morioka and Cho Jae Jin. Saito on the left and Sato on the right would bear the weight of attacking duties, with Marquinhos the target man in the center. The defense had leaked goals recently and midfield uncertainty persisted; it was imperative that TOKYO break up passing movements and prevent the visitors from finding their rhythm. This was an important game for F.C. TOKYO; the team needed a solid performance and three points to pull away from the impending relegation dogfight.

Unable to convert chances into goals

　At 18:33, with the lingering humidity, the kickoff of Shimizu started. However, from the beginning, Shimizu allowed chances, and in the 1st minute, Marcinhos, the forward, headed the ball from a right free kick in front of the goal. It was a perfect timing, but it hit the crossbar. Tokyo was pushed back into their own half, and in the 5th and 7th minutes, they were threatened with goals from set plays. However, Tokyo also created chances by sending the ball to Lucas and Toda in the front line. In the 8th minute, Toda headed Suzuki's cross from the right. Lucas picked up the loose ball and took a shot, but it was blocked.

　At 10 minutes, Shimizu quickly restarted the game and sent FW Marcinho running up front with a long kick. Shigetani sprinted back at full speed and escaped with a corner kick. At 12 minutes, Shimizu created a chance from the right side and midfielder Ito advanced deep into the area with a negative cross. The Tokyo defense barely cleared it. Tokyo tried to attack with quick vertical passes, but the ball couldn't be controlled up front, and Shimizu dominated in the midfield. However, chances came alternately.

　In the 14th minute, the opponent's DF cleared the long ball. Kajiyama connected with a header from the melee, and Lucas, who received the ball near the area, turned around and took a shot. He had a big chance, but it was blocked by the opponent's GK's nice save. Kurihara took the resulting CK and kicked it, but the opponent's GK punched it. Jean picked it up and tried to push it in with a header, but the opponent's DF cleared it again just before it could go in. Then, Toda headed the ball from the right CK, but it went wide to the left. In the 23rd minute, Toda shot from Kurihara's pass from the right, as he jumped out in front of the goal. He aimed for a looping shot, but the ball hit the bar! Lucas picked up the rebound but couldn't make a good contact with his shot.

　Toda created many chances starting from his breakthrough, but was sometimes intercepted and countered while attacking. In the 30th minute, the ball was taken away in their own half and connected to a long cross from the right by Shimizu. Marcinhos moved up to the left area and passed it back. The shot from the running midfielder, Hyodo, was caught by Doi. In the 36th minute, Marcinhos took a decisive shot from the right area but missed to the left. In the 41st minute, Marcinhos' marking in the right area became loose, but the shot hit the crossbar. In the 42nd minute, Marcinhos jumped into the fast left cross from Shimizu's Hyodo. They showed no weaknesses in defense, but both teams lacked finishing ability and ended the first half with a 0-0 score.

Chances Created In Open Encounter

S-Pulse kicked off at shortly after 6:30 on a balmy evening and came within a whisker of taking the lead in the very first minute as Marquinhos directed a firm header just over the ball from a well-struck free kick. The visitors displayed a serious threat from further free kicks in the 5th and 7th minutes. TOKYO showed their attacking prowess in the 8th minute as Toda met Suzuki's cross with a header and Lucas seized onto the loose ball but the visitor's defense blocked his effort.
Moniwa and Marquinhos raced shoulder to shoulder after a long punt upfield in the 10th minute; the TOKYO defender won the battle and poked the ball out for a corner. S-Pulse again penetrated deep into the home area in the 12th minute through Ito but his pull back from the byline was cleared by some watchful defending. TOKYO were hitting long balls towards the forward line but failed to keep possession and the visitors began to play the ball around in midfield. Both sides continued to create chances.
In the 14th minute Kajiyama nodded a clearance down to Lucas on the edge of the S-Pulse area; Lucas twisted away from a defender and shot but Nishibe, the S-Pulse keeper, produced a superbly athletic save to deny TOKYO the opening goal. Jean looped a header goalward after Nishibe punched the resulting corner away but a defender on the line stretched to head the ball clear. Toda headed the second corner fractionally wide. Kurisawa played an early cross in to Toda in the 23rd minute; Toda's attempted shot struck a defender, arced over Nishibe and came back off the bar. Lucas failed to connect cleanly with the rebound.
Toda's well-timed runs created chances for TOKYO but loose play gave the ball away and allowed S-Pulse to counter attack. In the 30th minute the visitors won the ball in midfield on the right and played a deep cross to Marquinhos on the left of the TOKYO area. Marquinhos cushioned a pass into the path of Hyodo and Doi produced a good save to hold his low drive. Marquinhos fired wide from an excellent position in the 36th minute and should have hit the target in the 41st but blazed over the bar. He lunged at and missed another cross from Hyodo in the 42nd minute. Poor finishing rather than expert defending kept the halftime score at 0-0.

Defending Toda's first goal after his return, securing 3 points!

　Position change between Toda on the right and Noriyuki Suzuki on the left from the latter half of the first half. In the second half, Noriyuki Suzuki becomes the accent from the left and heads towards the Shimizu goal. In the 47th minute, from Inamoto's attacking move, to the left side. Noriyuki Suzuki, who rushed up, crosses from the left, but Kurizawa jumps in front of the goal without meeting. However, they couldn't fully grasp the initiative and the game developed with advances and retreats.

　Tokyo substituted Noriyuki Suzuki with Sasa in the 53rd minute. They are betting on a two-top formation. In the 55th minute, Sasa made a dash to the left area and took a shot from a beautiful form, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Immediately after that, Sasa, who had now drifted to the left, was fouled and won a free kick from outside the left area. Kurizawa's kick went to Imano, who was waiting at the far post. Imano made a good decision and headed the ball back. Toda, who had circled from right to left around this ball, appeared in the middle again and volleyed it in to take the lead! This was Toda's first goal since his return, in the match against Kobe on July 23, breaking the balance.

　Tokyo, which turned the tide after taking the lead, attacked. In the 63rd minute, Sasa took a shot from a free kick. In the 66th minute, Kaji picked up the loose ball from the opponent goalkeeper's clearance from another free kick and took a middle shot, but it went over the bar. In the 74th minute, the opponent goalkeeper cleared Kurizawa's corner kick. Jean jumped in with a high header from Fujiyama's cross, but unfortunately it hit the goalkeeper's face. Tokyo wanted to keep attacking, but in the 60th minute, Shimizu substituted MF Cheteuk for right MF Sato, and in the 69th minute, substituted MF Sawato for FW Kuboyama. Gradually gaining rhythm, they launched a counterattack starting from the right side with Che. In the 75th minute and beyond, Tokyo's clearances became sloppy and they faced a wave of attacks, but the defense fought hard and managed to hold on. In the 78th minute, Kurizawa substituted ABE to regain control of the side, but Shimizu's pace remained unchanged.

　In the 82nd minute, MF Che broke through the right area from Shizuoka DF's long feed, cut past two or three Tokyo DF players, and entered the center to take a shot. It was a decisive scene, but it was cut off by Fujiyama's tenacious DF! In the 84th minute, MF Che -> DF Ichikawa, who had moved up to the right front line, made a free cross. This created a chance for MF Sawato, who came on as a substitute, to jump in the center. In the 86th minute, they launched a fierce attack with Che as the starting point, but they defended it by putting their bodies on the line. In the 85th minute, Bamba was substituted for Toda, and they maintained their attacking posture until the end. On the other hand, the DF line defended the goal without losing concentration. They protected Toda's goal with a spirited fight and achieved their first victory in six games since the Yokohama FM match on July 13th.

　【Player Comments】《Toda》"(The scoring scene was) something I believed Jean would definitely deliver back to me. I'm relieved that I was able to score. It was a play we practiced. I thought that playing in today's match was a way to express my gratitude to the many people who supported me while I was injured. However, playing in the match was more difficult than enjoyable. My game sense hasn't fully returned and this was my first official match playing with Sasa. There were times when our timing was off and I made some passing mistakes, so I played while reflecting on those mistakes. I was desperate to show my own play, so I'm glad it led to a good result. There were many things we need to improve on, but we want to continue aiming higher and not be satisfied with just this win, so we can earn 3 points in the future."《Fujiyama》"I was really tired after playing in an official match for the first time in a while. My focus was on covering and then trying to steal the ball on the side. I did my best as a side back, but I wanted the players in front of me and on the side, like Shigenobu and Jean, to be aware that "we have cover so it's okay". Everyone put their bodies on the line. It was different from the Kashiwa match and I think we defended well. We were able to create a 2-on-1 situation with Chetcuti, so that's something we need to work on."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In the previous match against Kashiwa, we lacked concentration and conceded 4 goals. This week, we discussed with the players that we cannot win against any team unless we play with more focused and dedicated effort, and we were able to have intense training sessions. However, once the game started, we became stiff and had difficulty moving the ball effectively. But we were able to concentrate well on defense. The performance in the previous match was poor, but since Toda has returned from his fracture, we tried to bring him in to stimulate the team's stagnant movements. The national team players could only join the training from Thursday, and they were also tired, especially Kaji who had swollen legs. Ishikawa also had an accident the day before yesterday, and although he wanted to play until the last minute, he ultimately decided to give up after consulting with the doctor. Taking these factors into consideration, we thought about whether to use Suzuki Norio in the front... and ultimately decided to use Fujiyama as the side back. Fujiyama has regained his condition and was motivated. I think he, as a veteran, controlled Shigeno and Jean and calmed down our defense. We couldn't win easily, but the supporters cheered for us. We shouldn't be satisfied with this victory, so based on today's match, we want to play even better football." (After taking the lead, you brought in attacking players?) We only had Miura as a defensive player on the bench. If we tried to defend and retreat, we would have been defeated, so we thought about attacking. Since Toda also had cramps in his legs, I thought about replacing him with Miura, but I believed that we should continue with an attacking attitude by bringing in Baba. That mindset is what our team needs right now."

　[Summary of Shimizu Hasegawa's press conference] "We couldn't win consecutive games, and there were several close opportunities from the start of the first half today, but we couldn't convert them into goals. We were cautious of set plays and talked about second balls at halftime, but we were caught off guard and conceded a goal from a rebounded ball. Overall, I think we defended well with good balance, but we couldn't respond quickly enough to the momentary lapse and ended up with zero points, which is a very disappointing result. The players were supposed to approach the game with determination, considering that we were playing at the National Stadium and that we hadn't been able to defeat lower-ranked opponents so far, but we couldn't finish in a good way. However, in terms of performance, it was very good. We will prepare thoroughly for the next match against Niigata and aim to achieve consecutive wins at home. (What specifically was good about the performance?) FW Cho Jae-jin was suspended, but we had fewer long balls and were able to connect in the midfield and expand to the sides. There were good crosses, and MF Chetcuti also broke through the sides, but the final touch was lacking. Compared to FC Tokyo, we had fewer long balls and played well against Kawasaki and Tokyo. Even though it was an away game, we weren't focused on counterattacks. I think we were able to connect passes better than the opponent, and Tokyo played more long balls to Lucas. In terms of the flow of the game, the opponent took the lead and defended, but from the first half, Shimizu played higher-quality soccer. However, losing in a competition doesn't lead to anything. At halftime, we talked about continuing the good soccer that was created through the involvement of Ito and Sugiyama in the double pivot. Since we were breaking through the sides, we emphasized the quality of crosses and the need for players in the box to finish properly. Morioka's absence was not the reason for the loss. Chetcuti has been training with dedication this week and his condition has improved, so I was planning to use him at some point. He broke through the sides repeatedly, meeting expectations. It was a play that will lead to the future."

Toda Puts TOKYO Ahead

Suzuki and Toda changed sides for the second half as TOKYO began in a more aggressive mood. Suzuki powered down the left in the 47th minute and struck a powerful cross that evaded the onrushing Kurisawa by inches. The game ebbed and flowed but TOKYO held the initiative.
Sasa replaced Suzuki in the 53rd minute as TOKYO switched to a twin striker formation. Sasa burst into the area on the left in the 55th minute, cut inside and shaped to curl the ball inside the far post; Nishibe made another good save. Sasa was again in the thick of the action soon after, winning a free kick a yard equidistant from the byline and the penalty area on the left. Kurisawa stroked the ball over the crowd in the goalmouth to Konno on the right; Konno skillfully guided a header back over the crowd and Toda gleefully volleyed home inside the left post to give TOKYO the lead. On his first appearance since July 23rd, Toda had scored a priceless goal.
Buoyed by taking the lead, TOKYO tore into S-Pulse. Sasa hammered a free kick wide in the 63rd minute and Kaji flashed a shot over the bar in the 66th. Fujiyama curled a tempting cross back into the danger area after Nishibe had cleared a corner in the 74th minute. Jean outjumped the S-Pulse defense but directed his header straight at the keeper. S-Pulse had responded by replacing Sato with Choi Tae Uk and striker Kuboyama with midfielder Sawanobori. The changes proved effective with Choi making headway down the right as S-Pulse slowly refound their rhythm. The TOKYO backline struggled with Choi's pace and the introduction of Abe for Kurisawa failed to stem the tide; it was backs to the wall as S-Pulse roared forward in search of an equalizer.
In the 82nd minute Choi beat three TOKYO players and fired in a low shot that seemed destined for the net until Fujiyama's sterling block averted the danger. Choi buzzed around the TOKYO area probing for an opening but the home defenders flung themselves manfully to plug the gaps. Baba replaced Toda in the 85th minute in an attempt to relieve the pressure on the defense. TOKYO successfully ran down the clock and held out for a vital win: the first in six games since July 13th.


Players' comments
Toda
"It was something we had worked on in training and I had faith that Konno would get the ball back into the center. I'm very relieved to score. I'd really like to thank everyone who supported me while I was injured. That was a tough game today, though. I haven't got my game sense back completely and it's the first time I played with Sasa. I haven't got my timing right and I played a few poor passes so I've got plenty to work on. I'm going to work as hard as I can to get my game back to its usual level and contribute to the team".

Fujiyama
"That was my first game for a while and I'm really tired. I was concentrating foremost on covering and then winning the ball down the wing. I wanted the players in front of me and alongside to feel confident that the cover was there all the time. We stuck to our tasks very well today. It was two against one when Choi Tae Uk came on and that's something I have to work on".


TOKYO manager Hara
"After we lost concentration and conceded four against Reysol last week we worked very hard in training but still looked stiff and didn't move the ball around at all well early on. But the defence concentrated well today. The team has become rather sluggish and we thought Toda's return would liven things up. The national team members came back on Thursday so we didn't have much time together and they had some tiredness of course, but Kaji in particular worked very hard today. Ishikawa was desperate to play but the doctor advised against it. We were unsure where to play Suzuki and eventually selected Fujiyama as left back. He's in good condition at the moment and was really up for the game today. He's very experienced and his presence allowed Moniwa and Jean to defend more comfortably. We haven't been able to win recently but the fans have supported us through this lean spell. We have to use this win as a springboard to better performances and more victories. Miura was the only defensive player we had on the bench so we had to send on attack minded players as substitutes; we didn't want to become defensive and start playing too deeply. Toda picked up a knock and we thought about replacing him with Miura but that would have given the wrong message so we sent on Baba instead to maintain an attacking stance. That's what we should be doing as a team".

S-Pulse manager Hasegawa
"We just don't seem to be able to string wins together at the moment. We had some good chances in the first half but couldn't put them away. I spoke to the team about set plays at half time but we were a fraction slow reacting to the ball played back from the free kick and were punished for it. Our balance was good and we defended well but one momentary lapse cost us the game today. It's disappointing as we played well overall. We have a week to prepare for the game against Albirex and we'll be aiming for consecutive home wins. Cho Jae Jin was suspended and we didn't play the long ball, instead we built attacks from midfield and used the flanks. We put in some good crosses and Choi Tae Uk performed well on the right wing. We didn't make the most of our opportunities, though. We played fewer long balls than TOKYO who hit a lot up to Lucas. We weren't playing a counter attacking game; we tried to pass our way forward. We definitely played the better football today, but you don't get anything if you lose. Ito and Sugiyama both had good games and that allowed us to play our football. Choi Tae Uk worked hard in training this week and it showed in his performance. We're looking for more from him in the future".