A match to regain confidence and overcome adversity

　On the 21st (Saturday), the league's Sec. 20 will be held. Returning home, we will face Sanfrecce Hiroshima. In the previous match against C Osaka, Morishige was sent off. Unable to overcome the numerical disadvantage, we lost 4 goals and suffered a complete defeat. The team has not won in the last 5 matches and is in a difficult situation. Nevertheless, the players are looking forward, as if to confirm their strong will. Coach Jofuku also said, "In the match against C Osaka, there was a difference in aggression. That is a difference in confidence. Without wins, the mentality tends to weaken, but I want to instill confidence in the players and have them stand on the pitch." This match is crucial to seize any opportunity to rise and gain confidence, but due to Morishige's two-match suspension, Mukuhara will be used as a center-back this time. Konno will play as a defensive midfielder, Tokunaga will serve as the left-back, and Hirayama and Oikuro will be in the front line. On the other hand, Hiroshima is in 10th place. They are missing MF Mikic and MF Yamagishi due to injuries and are currently on a three-match losing streak, but Hiroshima is also expected to aggressively attack in an effort to escape this difficult situation. They will move the ball using the width of the pitch from the defensive line and switch play from the sides, but among them, FW Sato's movements and runs behind the defense are sharp. In response, it will be important to maintain a compact formation and work together to defend. Giving up the first goal would make it difficult, so we want to score first at all costs. While being careful about how we start the match, we want to be quick in our transitions and attack with confidence. As evening approached, the consecutive heat waves eased slightly, but the humidity remained at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started at 18:34 with Hiroshima's kickoff.

広島にリズムを掴まれたが、よくしのぎ、スコアレスで前半を終了

　In the early stages, both teams exchanged attacks. In the 2nd minute, from a right throw-in by Nakamura in the opponent's half, Ishikawa cut inside and aimed for the goal, but his effort lacked power and was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 8th minute, from a vertical pass by Hiroshima's DF Makino, MF Takahagi, who had drifted to the left side, passed into the area. In time with this, MF Morisaki Hiro made a timely run and took a shot. However, it went wide of the goal, avoiding a crisis. In the 9th minute, Hiroshima's right MF Moriwaki advanced high up the pitch and crossed. FW Sato headed the ball in the center but it went off target. In the 11th minute, Konno won a tussle in midfield, and Daikoku spread the play to the right. Ishikawa broke free with speed and sent in a cross, but it could not be connected in the center. In the 17th minute, Ishikawa seized a loose ball from Matsushita's right corner kick just outside the area and aimed for the goal, but it hit an opponent and resulted in another corner kick. They could not take a shot from a total of three corner kicks. In the 18th minute, Tokunaga's switch to the side was dropped by Hirayama in the right area, and Daikoku jumped in at the near post, but the goalkeeper cut it off, resulting in a corner kick. After that, they tried to create chances starting from Ishikawa on the right side, but Hiroshima, with their superior movement and quick transitions, gradually began to seize the rhythm. Nevertheless, they maintained their concentration in defense and effectively suppressed Hiroshima's second-line breakthroughs. In the 35th minute, Hiroshima's right MF Moriwaki dribbled up the side, evaded Tokunaga who was facing him, and brought the ball inside to take a shot, but it was saved well by Gonda, resulting in a corner kick. In the 40th minute, FW Sato from Hiroshima received a pass and, with clever hold-up play, DF Makino surged into the left area. He sent a last pass to the center. It was a decisive moment, but they were saved by a mistake and avoided a crisis. However, from midway through the first half, even when they held the ball, they could not create a shape to carry it into dangerous areas and switch the play. The first half ended scoreless.

Unable to create an attacking shape, lost two points, and suffered a complete defeat...

　After the start of the second half, Ohtake was brought in to replace Matsushita, aiming for a goal. In the 56th minute, Ishikawa received a right throw-in, turned towards the center, and took a shot. However, this was the only shot in the second half... Just after that, in the 57th minute, a quick attack was initiated from Hiroshima's DF Stoyanov. A pass was sent from right MF Moriwaki to the center, which Kim Yong-gun failed to clear, allowing central MF Takahagi to spread the play to the left. Left MF Hattori struck from the area, and the shot found the net on the opposite side... Once again, we conceded the opening goal. In the 58th minute, Shigematsu was brought in to replace Hirayama, but we couldn't change the bad flow. In the 65th minute, from Hiroshima's switch of play, left MF Hattori sent a ball to the center, which Mukuhara attempted to clear, but it hit his foot and spilled in front of FW Sato, who scored with certainty, putting us two goals behind... Still, in the 66th minute, Ricardinho was brought in to replace Daigoku, and we aimed to counterattack, but the leading Hiroshima solidified their defense. In the 70th minute, Ohtake made a move into the area from a pass from Konno to Ishikawa, but was blocked by Hiroshima's DF. After that, Shigematsu and Ohtake tried to make bold moves, but they were all blocked by Hiroshima's DF in the area, failing to finish. In the 88th minute, Ohtake and Shigematsu made a move in the area, earning a left corner kick. Ohtake connected with Ricardinho for a short pass, but the pass to Shigematsu did not go through. In the 90th minute, Ohtake passed to Shigematsu in the right area, who was in a shooting position, but was quickly closed down by Hiroshima's DF and blocked. Throughout the 90 minutes, we couldn't find our rhythm or create attacking shapes. In that process, we conceded two goals and ended in a complete defeat. 【Player Comments】《Konno》 "While trying to suppress Hiroshima's strengths and play our own football, we couldn't bring it to our pace, and the time of patience became longer. I wanted to fight aggressively, but we were passed around, and our press didn't work well. We had considered playing from the sides as a team, but I think we couldn't execute effective plays. We couldn't take the opponent's ball. If we can't take it, our attack won't start. The balance is not good. The opportunity to rise is something we have to seize ourselves. It's a tough situation, but I want to overcome it." 《Mukuhara》 "In the first half, we started from defense, and I think it wasn't bad. In the second half, we went for goals, but we couldn't create the flow and ended up conceding. When we concede first, unpleasant images come to mind. We had the desire to win, but it went in a bad direction. Right now, it's not fun and it's tough, but that's why we have to work hard." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "The players showed a fighting spirit and fought until the end as long as their stamina lasted. It's disappointing that the results didn't follow, but we also saw issues and the gap with the opponent in terms of content. For example, the quality of our attack. Including the quality of our judgment and technique, I felt we were a bit lacking. This led to an increase in the energy used for defense after losing the ball, entering a negative cycle. Despite being tired from consecutive matches, we couldn't use the remaining energy in a good state. However, I have strong reflections on myself for the effort the players put in. We received boos after the match, but I want to take it all on myself. The players fight on the field, on the stadium pitch. I want them to focus on the next match. Right now, as a team, we are in a situation where we desperately need points, so I want the players to regain their confidence. I want them to stand on the pitch with a mental state and clarity that allows them to bring out each other's maximum performance. Of course, we must not concede goals, and we cannot take three points without scoring. I believe it's important to stand on the pitch with confidence first." 【Hiroshima Coach Petrovic's Press Conference Summary】 "Tokyo is a wonderful team. We were able to control the game in both offense and defense and achieve victory. However, while it may seem like a wonderful victory from the outside, it was close until the very end. We had a similar game against Omiya in the previous match, where we took the lead but were equalized and then turned around by an unfortunate goal. We created many chances but lost without scoring. In contrast, today we were able to score. Originally, if we are a team that can create many chances, we should win by leading with three or four goals. The fact that we couldn't do that means there is still room for growth. (Recently, we had been conceding from the right side, but today we were able to defend.) Today, we were crossed from the right side about ten times, but there is no team in the world that can defend without allowing crosses. Personally, I think it's easier to defend when the opponent crosses from near the corner area. The most dangerous and unpleasant thing is the runs of today's FW Sato, MF Takahagi, and MF Morisaki that lead directly to goals, and the passes that come out there. The sides are secondary. If we concede from a cross, it becomes a matter of not being broken down from the sides, but whether we were broken down from the sides or not is not a directly interesting topic in football. Even when looking at strong clubs in the world, they firmly suppress the areas where they are vulnerable in the center. They place players who can clear the ball in the center-back position and defend properly. After all, football is about going towards the goal, so the center becomes the most dangerous area.