Aiming for victory with a strong determination amidst a state of complete devastation!

In Sec. 23 of the league, we will face Júbilo Iwata away. In the previous match against Urawa, we suffered a loss due to a penalty, making it eight matches without a win in the league. During this period, Takahashi, Suzuki, and Hanyu have consecutively been injured and left the squad, leaving the team in a state of disarray. Nevertheless, Coach Jofuku stated, "Nothing will come from lamenting, and waiting will not bring us anything," and continued, "We want to turn as much as we can into a positive with our own strength." Iwata is currently in 12th place with 27 points. In the league, they have won 3 and lost 1 of their last four matches, but including the Nabisco Cup and the Emperor's Cup, they are on a four-match winning streak at Yamaha Stadium, showcasing their strength at home. In this match, MF Nasu is suspended, so MF Ueda and Yamamoto will pair up in the holding midfield. Defensively, we need to be sufficiently cautious of FW Maeda's sharp movements and reactions to crosses. It will be necessary to coordinate and put our bodies on the line at the last moment, while also figuring out how to contain long balls directed at FW Maeda. Tokyo will see Kim Yong-gun return to the starting lineup after suspension. Tokunaga will play as the right side back, Morishige will be positioned as a holding midfielder, and Kajiwara and Matsushita will serve as the two shadows in a 4-1-2-3 formation. Coach Jofuku mentioned, "The system is not omnipotent, and of course, the new formation has both advantages and disadvantages due to unfamiliarity. I want to bring a total positive while comparing those aspects." Additionally, So Yondok, who has returned from injury, will be on the bench and is expected to be a new attacking option. The players unanimously stated, "We will do anything that will benefit the team," and are united in looking forward. The focus will be on how to evade Iwata's intense press and create chances. Also, how to regain possession against the opponent's side attacks and transition to counterattacks will be crucial. We want to suppress Iwata's side-based attacks and FW Maeda, and seize victory. The match kicked off at 14:03 with Iwata's kickoff at Yamaha Stadium.

Trailing by 2 points, it's a difficult situation...

　The match progressed at a high pace from the start. In the 6th minute, Ricardinho cut back on the left side and delivered a cross. Matsushita, who advanced to the center of the area, headed the ball but was offside. In the 9th minute, Matsushita spread the ball to the right. From there, Kajiyama brought it inside to aim for a goal, but it was blocked, leading to a counterattack initiated by Iwata FW Maeda. Unable to stop this, FW Jiu Shinho was able to send a left cross, but Gonda caught it. Both teams fought for possession, resulting in a fierce exchange of offense and defense. In the 18th minute, while the back and forth continued, Iwata MF Funaya was targeted behind Tokyo's DF and received a cross just on the edge of offside, breaking into the left front line. Tokyo couldn't keep up with the marking of FW Jiu Shinho at the far post, who scored with his right foot, resulting in a conceded goal. Tokyo also launched a counterattack. In the 20th minute, Morishige passed to the right side where Ishikawa quickly sent a back cross. Kajiyama, who ran into the center, headed the ball but it went over the goal. In the 23rd minute, a ball from Konno to the forward Ooguro was blocked by Iwata DF, but Ishikawa, who flowed to the left, picked up the clearance and moved forward to aim for a goal. However, he was blocked by the quick reaction of Iwata DF... In the 28th minute, Ishikawa sent a fast cross from the left side, earning a corner kick. From this left corner taken by Matsushita, Ricardinho shot in a crowded situation in front of the goal, but it hit the DF. A shot from Kajiyama, following the spilled ball, was also blocked, and the GK caught it... Just as they seemed to gain momentum, in the 34th minute, Iwata FW Maeda evaded DF Komano with a one-two and approached the goal. With a skillful move, he evaded Tokyo's DF and scored, allowing a two-goal lead. In a difficult situation, in the 41st minute, Ootake was brought in to replace the injured Kim Yong-gun. They changed to a 4-4-2 formation, aiming for a counterattack. However, the first half ended as it was.

石川が今季初ゴールを挙げるも、一歩届かず

　In the second half, Tokyo managed to evade the pressure from Iwata and connected their passes, gradually finding their pace. In the 58th minute, Morishige made a big switch to the left side where Matsushita delivered a line drive cross. Daigoku attempted to connect with it, but was unable to shoot effectively due to tight marking from the opposing DF. After that, a pass mistake in midfield led to a sharp counter from Iwata, creating a dangerous situation, but with Gonda at the center, they responded tenaciously and did not allow an additional goal. In the 60th minute, Daigoku and Kajiyama chased the ball in midfield, and Ishikawa seized a loose ball from the opposing DF on the right side, bringing it inside and boldly aiming for a middle shot, which shook the net for a goal! Nao scored his first goal of the season, closing the gap to one point and raising the mood for a comeback. In the 70th minute, Hirayama was brought in to replace Daigoku. Immediately after, during a right corner kick, Morishige took a shot from a loose ball after a contest with Hirayama, but it was blocked by the post. In the 74th minute, Maeda, who made his league debut after transferring, was brought in to replace Ricardinho to strengthen the attack. After that, Iwata also kept two forwards and retreated to their own half, aiming for a counter from a solid defense. In the closing stages, Konno was moved up to the defensive midfield and approached the Iwata goal, but gradually the overall movement began to decline, and they were unable to create decisive chances from long balls sent to the front line, starting from Hirayama. Ultimately, they faced a 1-2 defeat, suffering their second consecutive loss in the league. 【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》 "Everyone is working hard and fighting with strong feelings. However, we have not been able to turn that power into something greater as a team. That is frustrating... (Did you change the formation from 4-4-2 to 4-1-2-3 today?) We, the players, all trust the coach and play together as one for the plan he envisions. It may seem from the outside that the system is to blame, but that is not the reason for the defeat. If we can achieve results, then that formation will be said to be good. (About the goal) It was a long distance, but I could see the goal, so I aimed for it. I think there were more options to break through in my own style, but I thought that if I could score one goal, it would give us momentum and we could aim for a comeback, so I shot decisively. I believe it was a goal achieved through determination. However, it is disappointing that after practicing and shooting every day, today was my first goal. I cannot let it end here, and I want to express the results of my practice more on the pitch and win. Today, I received such loud cheers from the supporters, and I want to respond to that somehow. Of course, I have a strong desire to win and to score goals, but perhaps we also need a mindset to support each other and enjoy soccer. In any case, I want to continue without getting discouraged and fight alongside the supporters." 《Konno》 "One of the reasons for the defeat was that we could not maintain compactness overall. The distance between each player was far, and I think the balance was poor. At first, we could not mark Iwata's sides well, and perhaps our strong desire to score was too much. We were played well by Iwata. We tried to use the three forwards wide, but Iwata's defensive organization was also of high quality. They defended well by cutting off individual passing lanes and repositioning everyone when the ball was switched to the opposite side, and we could not effectively use the front. However, even when we are defended like that, we must overcome it. We need to be creative, such as passing over one player or making big switches. That is still a point where the team needs to improve. (Did the double defensive midfield stabilize things?) With two defensive midfielders, the tasks become clear, but that is the result of challenging with a one defensive midfielder formation. It is not about which system is better; I want to analyze the points of reflection and apply them to the next match. We cannot look down and stop our feet here." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "First of all, I want to sincerely thank the fans. I felt once again that they are the treasure of Tokyo. I want to repay their feelings. The game was not something this team has been doing continuously, and we tried something new from the previous match to today. To elevate this team further or to avoid the relegation battle that has become a reality, I have been thinking with the players about what to do with this team while keeping those two points in mind, but in the first half, the new trial did not work out. I believe it is my responsibility that it did not work out. After reverting the system, we scored, but we were still playing a game where it would not have been surprising to concede the third or fourth goal, which puts us in a more precarious situation. We will prepare thoroughly with the players about what we should do now. (Why did you substitute Young Gwon KIM?) It was due to injury. It is his back, but we have not yet received a formal diagnosis from the doctor. I believe it is probably a slipped disc." 【Iwata Coach Yanagisita's Press Conference Summary】 "In the first half, we were able to play well with both the ball and the players moving nicely. The defense was also fairly stable, so I think it was good. After entering the second half, the opponent changed their system, and there were moments when we could not decide who would mark Ishikawa, Otake, or the opposing defensive midfielders, or whether our defensive midfielders would move forward or not. We lost some judgment, which created space in midfield, and there were moments when we were pushed back, but we managed to hold on until the end and secured three points, which I think is very good. Throughout the game, when it became 2-0, we had several chances to score the third goal, and if we had converted those, I believe we could have played a much easier game. I think we will face tough games ahead, so I want to ensure that we can convert each chance reliably.