Transitioning from a stable defense to a bold attack, aiming for consecutive victories at Ajinomoto Stadium

　Sec. 9 will welcome Kashima Antlers at home. In the previous match against Kobe, it ended in a scoreless draw, but the stable defense was maintained. It was a game where we could have won if we scored a goal, so in this match, we must definitely score a goal and aim for a consecutive victory at home Ajinomoto Stadium, following the Sec. 7 match against Yokohama FC.

　Kashima is currently in 12th place with 2 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses. Although they couldn't win at the beginning of the season, they have been able to create opportunities in games with the return of MF Jang Hyun Soo. On the other hand, FW Yanagisawa got injured just as he was getting into form. However, in the previous match against Urawa, although they lost, Kashima had more chances. Manager Hara said, "Every team is evenly matched, and if we lose concentration for a moment, we will lose, but if we can take our chances, we can win," showing his determination.

　When it comes to Kashima, the image of passing the ball is strong, but this season they are also creating chances from quick counterattacks. At the same time, they have conceded a total of "8" goals, which is few. Like Tokyo, they have confidence in being able to defend even if they have the ball to a certain extent, so the midfield battle will be one of the highlights. In the Kobe match, the gap between the two forwards and the midfield was too wide, and they couldn't launch a strong attack. The players all reflected on the fact that they were "too cautious" and said that they need to be more creative. They plan to transition from good defense to aggressive attacks. They want to break down Kashima's solid defense by using the width of the pitch in their attacks and by surpassing the forward players from the midfield and full-back positions.

　Tokyo will face the match with the same starting lineup as the previous match, while Kashima will start with FW Tashiro for the first time this season. In the Ajinomoto Stadium on a sunny day in May, with it being Golden Week, we had 34,360 visitors and the match started with Kashima's kickoff at 16:05.

Both teams launched counterattacks, resulting in a back-and-forth match.

　Both teams pressed each other from the beginning and tried to launch quick attacks after winning the ball. Tokyo set Asari as the lone defensive midfielder and launched strong attacks from Fukunishi's forward runs. In the 3rd minute, Lucas boldly cut into the box from the left side. His final pass was blocked by the opponent's defender, but he persistently picked up the loose ball and took a shot from a difficult angle. However, it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 9th minute, Kashima's forward Marcinhos broke through to the right side, and Fujiyama tried to defend but was turned around, resulting in a shot from a very close distance inside the right area. However, it was saved by Shibata, resulting in a corner kick.

　In the 12th minute, Tokunaga -> Ishikawa became a wedge, and Tokunaga overlapped. The right cross passed to Lucas in the far post, who passed it directly to Wanchope in front of the goal. They created a good attacking shape, but the final pass was blocked by the Kashima DF. Tokyo showed a good attacking shape several times, but Kashima also created chances from long balls, resulting in a back-and-forth game. In the 21st minute, Kurizawa made a big side change from left to right. Ishikawa received the cross and won a right corner kick. In the 23rd minute, this time Kanazawa made a side change -> Ishikawa's cross resulted in a right corner kick. Lucas and then Tokunaga competed for Ishikawa's kick, but the ball floated and went out of bounds.

　In the 28th minute, Lucas connected with Wanchope from Tokunaga's right throw-in and dribbled to the center. He passed to Ishikawa who was running alongside him on the inside, and Ishikawa bravely aimed for the goal but unfortunately missed to the left. In the 30th minute, Kashima's left midfielder Danilo dribbled to the center and passed to Nogawa on the right side. Nogawa, seeing no pressure, took a precise shot. The ball hit the crossbar! The rebound went to forward Marcinhos in the left area, but his shot from an awkward position missed widely, avoiding a dangerous situation.

　During the counterattacks by both teams, in the 36th minute, Wanchope broke free from his own half with a long feed from Lucas and took a shot from the right area. In the 41st minute, Tokunaga moved up and connected a pass to the middle under pressure. Lucas, who received the ball freely, took a powerful shot from just outside the right area, but narrowly missed the target... From effective side changes by Kurisawa and Kanazawa, Ishikawa frequently crossed and won corner kicks, but they were unable to score from set plays. The first half ended with a 0-0 score.

Wanchope scored the opening goal with a header, but suffered a painful comeback defeat at home...

　In the first half, effective chances were created by using the pitch wide and launching quick counterattacks in the opponent's territory. In the second half, with expectations for a goal, the opening goal was scored in the 57th minute. Lucas deployed on the right side, received a return pass from Ishikawa, and dashed into the right area. He skillfully evaded Kurizawa with a one-two pass and sent a lofted cross to the far side. Wanchope struck the ball with his head and scored! It seemed like Wanchope would ride the momentum with his first goal in the league.

　However, in the following 59th minute, a vertical pass was sent to Kashima's FW Tashiro, and Tokyo DF cut it off and gave a left CK. CK kicked by MF Nozawa was initially punched away by Shibata, but Tokunaga and Fukunishi couldn't clear it consecutively, and the ball kicked by Lucas hit Kashima DF Aoki and spilled. Kashima MF Nakago, who ran in here, pierced the net with a powerful shot and scored a goal. They were caught up to the same score immediately after taking the lead.

　In the 70th minute, Wanchope and Ishikawa were replaced by Baba and Noriyuki Suzuki in an attempt to take the lead. However, there were scenes where the press did not work in the midfield and Kashima was able to connect passes, allowing them to gain momentum. In the 80th minute, Kajiyama was substituted in an attempt to change the flow of the game. But in the 82nd minute, Marcinhos, the forward of Kashima, broke free from the right sideline after a throw-in and was able to keep possession. Asari and Noriyuki Suzuki tried to surround him and regain possession, but he slipped through and delivered a fast cross in front of the goal. Substitute midfielder Masuda perfectly headed it in, resulting in a goal against us... We lost the second goal by being caught off guard during the restart.

　Towards the end of the game, Konno and Asari also pushed forward and attacked by sticking to the front of the Kashima goal. In the 89th minute, a left corner kick was obtained from Noriyuki Suzuki's cross, and Asari shot the ball that was cleared by Baba's kick, but it was blocked by the Kashima defender. Then, they obtained a free kick in the opponent's central area, and Noriyuki Suzuki aimed for it, but it hit a teammate and went out of bounds. In the end, they couldn't break through the Kashima wall, which strengthened their defense by substituting in defender Oiwa, and suffered a painful comeback loss at home.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"In terms of content, it was an evenly matched game and there was no clear advantage for either side. I think the result could have gone either way. However, our team's primary focus is on not conceding goals, so it's understandable that we have fewer chances. It's a common trend that teams with fewer goals conceded also score fewer goals. (Regarding the assist for the goal) I received a great ball from Kurisawa and immediately crossed it. The opportunity was promising. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a goal, so it's quite disappointing. The partnership with Wanchope is not perfect yet, but it's gradually improving. I want to further enhance our coordination and contribute to the team's victory."《Wanchope》"I was able to score, but it's unfortunate that the team couldn't secure a win. My condition was very good, but... In order for the team to succeed, I believe we need to be more aggressive and apply more pressure, creating a situation where the opponents can't play freely. (Regarding my first goal in the league) It's not something extraordinary. The team's victory is more important than scoring a goal."

　[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "I felt that we were coming in a good flow, creating chances from the side change in the middle of the first half. There were some dangerous situations, such as being pulled back too much and conceding a middle shot, but Ishikawa had a scene where he could receive the ball facing forward in a good position, so at halftime, I told Lucas and Wanchope to go firmly into the goal area at that time." In the second half, I thought we had a good flow after taking the lead, but immediately after that, we conceded a goal from a loose ball in a corner kick. If we could hold on for a few more minutes there, Kashima should have started to feel anxious. We conceded a goal during that period and ended up being in a rush. After scoring a goal, we also had moments where we dragged on. I was happy with Wanchope's goal, but due to fatigue from consecutive matches, he stayed up front and had the ball taken away, so I brought in Baba. Also, the opponent's left side was often open, so I put in Suzuki Nori to take a gamble. However, we conceded the second goal before the substitute players could get into the game. However, although we conceded two goals, Asari and the players in the final line have really been focused on defending in the past few games. Also, we are able to make good side changes, so we need to create finishing opportunities. I don't think today's game was bad at all. We lost, but we were able to achieve the desired shape to some extent. We only have two days off, so we need to quickly switch our mindset and prepare for the next Kawasaki game."

[Summary of Kashima Oliveira's press conference] "(In the previous match against Urawa, you mentioned a loss that would lead to the next match. What connected today?) It may not be tactical or technical, but in terms of mentality, we gained confidence from what we were able to do against Urawa. Even though we were conceded first, the players had the composure and confidence to believe that we could turn the game around. (I feel that MF Nozawa's positioning was too low.?) To be honest, I want to use him further up the field, but our team lacks in the build-up phase, so he drops deeper to contribute. We trust him to utilize his cleverness and vision to create rhythm. However, just because he is in a lower position doesn't mean he can't showcase his abilities. It takes time to regain his form after returning from surgery. As we continue playing matches, I believe his true abilities will come out. (What was the intention behind starting FW Tashiro and substituting FW Sasaki?) Tashiro is a player who could start without any issues, but like MF Nozawa, he had a delayed start due to injury. We considered the aspect of rehabilitation from there. We thought he wouldn't last the full 90 minutes today. We saw the mistakes starting to occur due to fatigue, so we made the calculated decision to bring in Sasaki. (What was the intention behind bringing in MF Masuda?) The opponent brought in midfield players, and our midfield's energy level had dropped, so we wanted to bring in Masuda to stabilize. He is also a player who should carry this team, but he still lacks experience. He has a high work rate and can contribute to the attack, but if he can calm down a bit more, he can create a different outcome. I think he will be able to do it as he gains more experience little by little. Today, he scored a goal, so he showed a performance that we can be satisfied with."