From the scoreless draw in Osaka, with only three days of rest, Tokyo once again faced a tough opponent in the Kansai region.
Although they are sinking in the rankings, Vissel Kobe is a team with highly skilled players. Among their opponents' front line is none other than their former teammate, Yoshinori MUTO. The confrontation with his comrade Masato MORISHIGE is the hot point of this match.
Can Tokyo correct and improve the frequent ball losses seen in the early stages of the previous match against Gamba Osaka? Furthermore, Kobe has been increasing their play intensity and transitioning to a faster vertical style of soccer. Taking care of the ball and not losing in intensity are also important aspects that Coach Albert always emphasizes. Can Tokyo win the battles in the midfield? That is also a key point.
1st HALF - Conceding 2 goals in quick succession, a difficult situation Kobe countered Tokyo's basic formation of 4-3-3 with the same system. This naturally led to many one-on-one situations on the pitch. When Tokyo has possession, for example on the right side, Kazuya Konno widens the field to the maximum and Yuto Nagatomo, the side back, runs into the half space on the inside. Ryoma Watanabe, the left winger, also moves fluidly and advances into the center to disrupt the opponent.
However, these were all situations where the ball was brought into the opponent's territory. In this match as well, Tokyo struggled to break through Kobe's high defensive line from the beginning.
In the 11th minute of the first half, Tokyo could not control the floating ball that was turned into a fifty-fifty ball by Kimoto player, who initially won the cross from Iino player, at his feet. Konno player reacted to the ball that was cleared outside the penalty area, but was dispossessed by Sakai player just before, and with that momentum, Kobe connected a pass and ultimately Yamaguchi player scored a powerful right-footed mid-range shot.
Tokyo had their first chance in the 20th minute of the first half. Konno dribbled on the right side and passed the ball to Abe, who then made a final pass to Bangnagande on the opposite side. The left full-back, who had pushed forward, took a shot with his non-dominant right foot, but it went over the crossbar.
Just as Tokyo was starting to find its rhythm, they conceded a painful second goal. In the 25th minute of the first half, the opponent's corner kick was kicked by Takagi and Kikuchi scored a spectacular header to shake the net. Conceding from a set piece, and to make matters worse, it was a shot that was scored over the heads of Morishige and Kimoto, which was a devastating blow.
In the 38th minute of the first half, after cutting off the opponent's pass in the midfield, a short counterattack was launched. Several players were involved in the play, and player Konno took a shot, but it did not go in. Tokyo had many instances of mistakes during their attacks and ended the first half behind, with the score unchanged at 45 minutes.
2nd HALF - Despite multiple card entries, Leandro's player stops at one point In the second half, Coach Albert brought in Keigo HIGASHI and Adailton, bringing stability with steady passing in the midfield and adding impetus and breakthrough power to the front line to launch a counterattack.
In the 4th minute of the second half, Adailton quickly turned forward with strength and fired a right-footed shot to ignite the team. Higashi distributed the ball left and right, and there were more opportunities for Matsuki Kuryu and Watanabe to receive passes in higher positions than in the first half.
Player Adailton attempted a powerful mid-range shot in the 20th minute of the second half, coming close to scoring a goal for Kobe. Just one minute later, player Morishige won a header from a corner kick on the right side and took a shot. However, unfortunately, it narrowly missed the right post.
Here, players Luiz Phellype and Leandro enter the field alternately, boosting the attacking mindset. The distribution power of player Higashi's passes comes to life, and player Watanabe becomes the connecting point for his teammates. Up front, foreign players with technique and power head towards the goal. As both teams enter a period of sluggishness, it seemed like Tokyo's attacking power would be displayed.
However, the build-up in their own half, which was also mentioned as a challenge in the previous match, ended up strangling themselves here as well. In the 31st minute of the second half, Seiji Kimura came on and changed the system to a back three, but they were unable to fully utilize the strengths of the attacking line-up as there were several instances of misplaced passes in their own half until the end. Leandro scored a goal in the 44th minute of the second half, but they were unable to make use of the 5 minutes of additional time and the game ended.
Hold the ball, take the appropriate position while observing the opponent's movements, and attack. The positional play that Coach Albert aims for is undoubtedly a "time-consuming endeavor," according to the commander. The direction we aim for in this match was glimpsed, but Tokyo is facing a dilemma as they become the target of the enemy's press and are unable to effectively connect the ball.
They fought their hardest, but there were no smiles. The expressions of the players reflected the difficulty of facing reality.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Yasuki KIMOTO/Masato MORISHIGE/Kashif BANGNAGANDE (31st minute: Seiji KIMURA)
MF Koki TSUKAGAWA (21st minute: Leandro)/Shuto ABE (0th minute: Keigo HIGASHI)/Kusei MATSUKI/
FW Ryo WATANABE/Diego OLIVEIRA (21st minute: Luiz PHELLYPE)/Kazuya KONNO (0th minute: Adailton)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA
GOAL
45th minute of the second half: Leandro
＜Vissel Kobe＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Hiroki IIKURA
DF Nanasei IINO (32nd minute of the second half: Ryo UCHISE)/Ryuho KIKUCHI/Matheus THULER (26th minute of the second half: Yuki KOBAYASHI)/Gotoku SAKAI
MF Hotaru YAMAGUCHI/Leo OSAKI/Yuki KOBAYASHI (26th minute of the second half: Yuta GOKE)/Koya YURUKI
FW Daiju SASAKI (9th minute of the second half: Tetsushi YAMAKAWA)/Yoshinori MUTO (32nd minute of the second half: Noriaki FUJIMOTO)
SUBS
GK Daiya MAEKAWA
MF Takahiro OHGIHARA
GOAL
First half 11 minutes: Yamaguchi/First half 25 minutes: Kikuchi
[Interview with Coach Albert]
Q: please review the game.
A, in the first 20 minutes of the first half, we were unable to press tactically and lacked the fighting spirit, allowing the opponent to take control. It was not the shape we were expecting. It is not enough to just have the ball, we must also combine defensive pressing in order to express the desired play. In the previous match, we had a lot of ball losses at the start of the game and were unable to play well. We had such challenges, but today we faced different challenges at the start and in the pressing. After conceding 2 goals, the opponent naturally fought to win 3 points, while we found ourselves in a situation where we had to recover the game from a 0-2 scoreline. As time went on, we were able to play better, but it can be said that our reaction was slow. Today, we had challenges in the fighting spirit aspect more than tactics. The opponent expressed the desire to win the game at all costs as they are in a relegation battle, but we were unable to show a matching fighting spirit. After that, we made various tactical adjustments to bring out better play, and I think it was functioning to some extent.
[Player Interview]
Q: There was a fantastic goal towards the end. Do you feel that the comeback was a bit late?
A, we conceded 2 goals at the beginning. It was a game where we had to fight for a long time from a 0-2 situation. It was a very difficult game to score a goal.
Q: This season has also reached 6 matches. What kind of play would you like to show again?
A, I will approach all the remaining matches with the intention of winning.
Q, today was an away game, but it was a match where vocal support was allowed. Could you hear the cheers from the fans and supporters?
Although it was an away game, I am truly grateful that you came all the way here. The cheers from the stands have reached us, and I believe that those cheers will continue to make us stronger in the future.
＜Player Keigo HIGASHI＞
Q, please look back on today's game.
A, in terms of the base or fundamental aspect, it is necessary to surpass the opponent, and I think that it is an important thing no matter what kind of soccer you play. Even though there are difficulties in consecutive away games, I feel that there are more things we can do, and I wanted to change those aspects and face the second half. It would have been better if the content improved, but we managed to score one goal in the second half, but the result is disappointing.
Q, was it a bit late to score one point?
Yes, it would be a "what if" situation, but I think it is important to minimize the number of goals conceded in the first half or not let the opponent score in difficult situations. Regardless of the style we aim for, I want to focus on those aspects to accumulate points.
Q, in the first half, it seemed like they were targeting the area next to the anchor.
A, in the second half, the opponent has scored 2 points, so the way of fighting has changed from the first half. There were also parts that we were able to do in the second half, and I would like to share them with all the players and face the next challenge.
Q, there will be another game in 3 days.
Next, we have a national game, so we are trying to liven up the club as a whole. We need to play with passion once again, and I think the pressing and what we should do in any soccer game will not change. If we don't do that, it's meaningless, so we need to have a discussion with everyone, and the veterans like us need to lead and raise the motivation, including the aspect of motivation. I want to do more and more.
＜Player Kuryu MATSUKI＞
Q, please look back on the game.
We played a bad game and the coach pointed out that point. We were not satisfied with the first half, so we decided to press from the front line and aim for a goal.
Q, we scored one point but I think the counterattack was too slow.
A, yes. If we can make the third move after capturing the side, I think the opponent would have taken a different position, and we need to improve the quality in front of the goal.
Q, I think there has been an increase in movement towards the front compared to the Gamba match, but I think we still need a little more to reach the goal.
A, we need to continue to improve there, and it is also a position where we can aim for the top in the remaining few matches, so I want to work on improving from practice.
Q: Was it difficult to adjust your condition due to consecutive matches?
I don't think there are any players who make excuses about their condition. We will create the best condition to win the next game.
Q, the coach said there are challenges in the press.
A, there were various differences in the front line, and there were some differences in the way we pressed in the actual game compared to the press method the coach intended. So in the second half, we were able to press from the front line more, but it would have been better if we could have done that from the first half.
<Seiji KIMURA>
Q: How did you feel about the game when watching from the outside and reflecting on it as a whole when you played?
A, at halftime the coach said, "We haven't been able to compete in the ball contests." That was the impression of the first half, that we were outperformed by Kobe in areas other than tactics. It was frustrating because we know that we have players who can do more in our regular training and other matches.
I think we were able to fight for the ball in the second half, and we didn't concede any goals, and we were able to score one goal back. I think the emotional aspect comes out in those situations, so I felt once again that everyone needs to show that aspect from the beginning of the game.
Q, I came on as a substitute in the second half. What were you thinking about when you entered the game?
A, recently there have been times when we have played with a 3-back formation during practice, and we were able to work on various aspects such as positioning during build-up play and defensive checks. So, we entered the game with that in mind.
In terms of tactics, regarding the plays at the beginning, the two instances where the long ball to Nagatomo resulted in a mistake, and the play where Matsuki was marked, these are individual quality aspects. So, I think I need to level up myself in those areas and be prepared to play from the start even as a substitute.
Q: Did you feel the pressure from the opponent's constant pressure?
A, I feel the pressure, but if you say that I haven't been doing it with that much pressure from my usual training, that's not true. I think it was a situation where I could fight just by improving the distance and creating a passing course. I felt that we need to share more of our imagination in that aspect.
Q, the next game will be at Japan National Stadium. Please share your enthusiasm for the upcoming game.
A, I myself, always think that there is a chance somewhere in the consecutive battles, so I am always prepared. If it comes around next, I just need to show all the plays I usually do. We haven't been able to win the last few games, so if I can keep the chance to zero and lead the team to victory, I think the option to use me from the start will become stronger. So while always aiming for that, I will continue to prepare and want to win.
＜Player Kazuya KONNO＞
Q, please reflect on the game where it seemed like there were many scenes where you created opportunities from the side.
A, I think we should have been more aggressive in defending from the front, even though the game had just started. However, we couldn't quite get it right and ended up pulling back a bit, which led to us being scored against. We need to improve on that.
There were scenes where I created opportunities by creating a starting point on my own, but the opponent has also come up with countermeasures, so I think if I can increase the patterns of attacking by taking the initiative myself and using my teammates a little more, the width of the attack will expand.
Q, I think there were difficulties with the hot and humid weather.
A, there was a unique humid heat in Kansai, but that can't be an excuse. Regardless of that, we had all agreed to go from the beginning, but it became difficult for us to continue from the front and we conceded two goals, making the game challenging.
Q, the opponent was actively defending from the front.
A, the build-up did not go as smoothly as usual, and that needs to be improved. I haven't watched the footage yet, but I want to thoroughly review it and discuss what should have been done for the next game.
Q, the next match is against Kyoto at the National Stadium.
It is not often that we play at the National Stadium, so I think many fans and supporters will come. I will prepare my condition well, take measures against the opponent, and practice to coordinate well. I want to win the next match firmly.
Masato MORISHIGE
Q, how was the defense during the game when you look back on it?
A, I think it became too heavy in the back. We couldn't be aggressive in the parts we had been talking about before the game. I think it's a small matter of unity of purpose, so there is room for improvement there.
Q, what were you careful about in terms of defense?
I didn't want to be used on the side of the anchor, so at first I was a little concerned about being behind, and I talked about it before the game. However, if I do that, I won't have momentum in defense, so I talked to the midfielders and said it's okay to be used a few times and go forward to steal the ball.
Q, it seems like we couldn't go forward for a while.
A, the Shimizu match was the same, but if we worry too much about the two midfielders behind us, we will lose our strength in defending from the front line, so I realized that again today. Based on that, I want to think about how to fight in the remaining matches and do our best.
